The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-09-20
DONA.
MADMEN ON A RAFT.
The Terrible Experience of Il Crew
Wrecked in Il Southern
Cyclone.

The Philadelphia Times reports the adven-
lure of James Fisher, chief officer OF the
bark Brunswick, which left Philadelphia for
New Orleans May 10Th, and was wrecked
oil the coast Of Charleston during her re-
urn voyage in the terrible cyclone of july
% and IS. Fisher says: "We were about
seventy-dve miles off Charleston, just
a little to the north, perhaps, and apparently
in the vortex Of the cyclone. We decided to
throw the deck load, comprising some $4,000
feet Of timber, overheard. Well, over it
rent. We went along better for a while,
but only for a while. Our hold was rapidly
filling. We felt that The vessel must sink,
and we threw over everything that we conld
get rid of in the hope Of saving her. In
trying to break the anchor away, Theodore
Shadduck, a Creek sailor, was swept over
board. I saw him on the ere st of a mighty
wave behind US, and l thought he would be
sweep back. He seemed to think so, too,
for he called out: '.Ail rightee, sir But in
a moment after he threw up his arms and
disappeared. 1t was every mAn for himself,
and So | told the men. They blubbered fol
a while, of course; death'a a terrible thing
when it cones and laughs right in your face.
No use, uIel, said l., : every mans got to go
some time. II any Of you can pray, why
pray. Now is the time. But don't let us
he women. Let us die like men, S!X, Of us
dashed ourselves to tie Atulnp Of the. mizzen-
mast and three to the spanher-boom. There
we covered, the sea beating over lis, until at
last The Cable broke up and the stump of the
mizzenmast shot mp into the cir. We disen-
gagged ourselves as rapidly as possible. We
ciav led for our lives to a beam that served to
fas,rn the skyligi't and lasied ourselves to
that. The hull broke up and the cargo float
ed up around us. We were on nothing but
a raft composed OF il part If the deck. When
we counted heads there was but six OF us.
'fGe rest had foated eli and drowned, we
scarcely know how. II was pitch dark and
we could hear nothing but til" awfu! roar OF
the clemens. So we lay there all night.
fighting the sea and wreck. Heavy logs forty
feet long were whipped up and twi'led
around Ike shingles. | got just a little taE
VI JUG 1t htoShCu al IiS iN'tb t"Sbh
down my throat. In the morning we bandec
ourselves together so that the wind couit
strike us--!uade a sail of ourselves. SO Il
speak-aud we Slowly worked ourselves fret
from he debris. SO we driflC cd lilat day anl
the next, hungry, thirsty and despalring
Three of orr men who lad been drinking
salt water began TO lose their minds. One
the negro steward-wanted to eat his hands
The two Observation-Disclosures they were
still in the forecastte Of the vessel and Ell
gaged i'll a quarrel over an imaginary theft o
tobacco and wanted to kill each other will
their knives, We could scarcely control Them
but We managed i'll somehow. We hat
driftcd down near Savannah, at er vainly
striving to signal passing vessels. We Wen
weak and helpless ami had almost given NJ
hope, when pilot-boat No. ), Captain jaime
Bell, sighted us and took us up"