Morning journal and courier., 1881-12-27

The Sh1pWrecked Men Taken to Boston F Details Of the Rescue-Tre1nendou
 Gales and Seas.
 From the Boston Advertiser.I
 The British steamer Salerno, Captain Neill, from Hull, England, November 19, arrived at this port yesterday, thirty days out She brought Captain Carter, his wife and child
 and crew of the British barque W. I. Whit ing, who were rescued from the wreck on the morning of December ?, about 400 miles
 west of the British coast. Both captains re- port the weather to be the heaviest they have
 ever experienced. The barque left Liver
 pool November 1, and at once encountered succession of strong westerly gales with high
 seas, the vessel laboring heavily and shipping a good deal of water. The barque was hove 11th the weather was more moderate, but from the latter date until the 18th there was series of gales. On the 18th the wind blew
 with great violence from the west northwest,
 accompanied with terrific hail squalls which blew away the main topmast staysaiI and
 main lower topsail, the barque being hove to
 under balanced reefed spanker, the seas run ming very high and constantly breaking over the vessel From that time up to the Fist there were continuous heavy gales and terri fic squalls, the sea becoming more violent
 and washing everything movable of the deck. The barque was driven back in the
 meantime five degrees to the eastward On the morning of the Fist it blew a perfect
 hurricane, it being almost impossible for a
 man to stand on deck the new double spank CT was blown to shreds At a. m a tre- mendous sea broke on board, smashing stanchions, bulwarks, boats, skylghts, pilot house and starting forward house, washing overheard Jefferson Carter, seaman, who was lost, and severely injuring John Sconton, another seaman. The wheel was secured with tackles, and all hands gathered in the cabin, for it was impossible to stay on deck Tstanw 14 -Tz
 barque, cleaned out the forecastle and galley,
 and swept away boats, pinnacle and compass
 The captain expected the ship to founder at any moment Towards night the weather moderated and the crew was able to man the pumps There was then three and half feet of water in the hold. From this time till the night of the first of December the
 crew worked at the pumps night and day to keep the vessel afoat. On the twenty third the foremast went by the board and on the first of December the vessel had become wa l ter-logged and entirely unmanageabIe The men had been soaked with water for fourteen days without dry change of clothing, and
 had had no food except hard tack and tea. A part of the vessels cargo was bleaching pow der, which burst the packages containing it, and, dissolving in the water in the hold made powerful alkali. This was drawn up by the pumps and swashed about the feet and legs of the men till it destroyed their boots,
 
 the flesh For many days and nights the | seas broke over the vessel almost continually l and 1t was only at great risk that the pumps could be worked. The men were lashed to their places, and when sea came they would spring into the rigging and hold on till it had swept by, frequently burying them in it, and then they would drop down to the deck again and pump till they were warned that another sea was coming. Robert Carter, a seaman, was caught by one of those seas. His com panions saw him swept twice across the deck, l but they could not save him. The captains wife, and her little child, did not look out of their cabin for eleven days.
 On the 1st day of December the situation appeared almost hopeless. The vessel rolled in the trough of the sea at the mercy of the wind and waves. At about five o'clock in the afternoon, the Salerno came in sight. She
 had left Hull November 19, had experienced moderate and then increasing gales, culmina- ting on the night of the twenty-fifth in hurricane, which continued till the morning of the twenty-eighth. Then it moderated a little, but continued to blow strong gales. with terrific seas. The steamer was making slow progress westward when the lookout discovered the barque, and Captain Neill at once bore down towards her but just before he got within hailing distance it shut in dark
 He could see the flare lights and hear the report of a gun which was fired as a signal of distress, but the seas were so high and the gale so furious that he could not render any assistance. He made up his mind however. to lay by until morning. Twice he sailed in circle around the barque near enough to keep her lights in sight and to encourage her people by showing his own signals, but then the gale having increased to Q hurricane &C., companied by frightful lightning, and the seas risen to tremendous height, he did not dare turn his vessel again. and was obliged to keep her head on. The two vessels soon hn 1J, to windward, and the helpless barque drift ing of to leeward About an hour before daybreak the wind had 1ulled 8 little, till Captain Neill thought he could safely turn and gradually he wore around, shipping heavy seas, but sustaining no material dam age. He then ran for where he judged the wreck would be, and in about an hour sight ed her hare-up light. He steered directly for 1t, and rounded under the stern of the barque. In response to hail Captain Car ter informed him that the barque was sink ing, and that he and his crew wanted to be taken off. The steamer then went to wind ward and lowered the port ifeboat, manned by the second mate MT. Barnard, and five searnen. The officer fell overheard, but swam to the boat and got in. The boat then went down to the wreck took the captains wife and child, the mate and five men. and transferred them to the steamer. The cap- tain and the rest of the crew came of in the second load. The men from the baroue were so exhausted that they could hardly move, and it was with great difficulty that they got over the side of the vessel or on to the steamer. Captain Neill is entitled to great credit for his manly action in standing by the wreck. He was delayed from five o'clock in the afternoon till half-past nine the next morning. When Captain Carter lost sight of the steamer in the night and could not see her in the morning, he gave up hope, supposing that she had gone on her course. He made all effort to get men to the pumps again, but they could not be reused. The second mate and the ife-boat crew risked their lives in 8 sea into which it looked hard ly possible to launch and float boat. The remainder of the Salernos voyage was with out special incident. The weather continued heavy till Nova Scotia was reached.
 .n Elegant Toilet Preparation, Hair dressing and restorative is to be found in LONDON HAIR CoLoR REsToRER It seldom l