Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-04-12
HARDSHIP AT SEA.
TERRIBLE TALE OF STARVATION AND
SUFFERING.
A Crew Of Twelve Men Out Of Food for
Nine Days-A Dog Saves Their Lives
The Remarkable Influx of For
eigners Into Our Country.
MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.
ROUGH TIME AT SEA.
Sailors Living on Dogs and Leather

Sailors Living on Dogs and Leather.
New YORK, April 1.-THE steamer
Nebo from Rio Janerio arrived to-day,
and reports to have fell in with the bark
Tiger, from Liverpool for Baltimore,
seventy-seven days out, which was short
OF provisions and they supplied her.
Her crew were in most deplorable con-
dition, having sustained life for several
days on stubs OF leather soaked in lamp
oil till the oil gave out, and then on the
captains dog, after which there was
nothing but cannabalism and death star
ing them in the lace. To add to their
sutferings, two vessels passed several
days before within short distance. but
paid no attention to their signals OF dis.
tress.
AS the steamer Nebo came up with
the Tiger they saw the latter lowering a
boat. After some moments oi hard
struggling she came alongside, the occu.
pants dressed in skins ana evidently
very weak. "What do you want?" sang
out Captain Gordon.
I'VE Are Starving TO Death,
we are starving to death, exclaimed the
man in the stern, excitedly. "Did You
say you were starving" demanded the
captain again in surprise. "Yes, We
are starving; see, this is all We have had
to eat for nine days" He held aloit
the skin OF dog and one OF the men
held up piece OF boat leather "God
help us, exclaimed Captain Gordon,
"come on board right away and we will
do what We can for you.
4 ladder was lowered and the men
helped aboard the NebO and given food.
The commander OF the Tiger, young
German, told the captain OF the Nebo
that he had been
l24 Days Out from Liverpool
with a cargo OF common salt, and he
had been in most dreadful condition.
He was bound for Baltimore and made
Cape Henry early in January and was
blown off from shore into the Gulf
stream; from there he had been tossed
hither and thither by the winds and
currents. He had twelve men before
the mast, all Of whom had displayed the
utmost fortitude under the most trying
circumstances. Provisions gave out
month ago-beef gave out first and then
the bread; nine days ago, that is, nine
days before spoken OF by Capt. Nebo,
the last drop OF water was drank, and
then three days later everything, even
to boots and shoes, had been devoured;
they were literally without bite or sip.
The Captains Dog Had Been Killed.
Skinned and Eaten,
then lots were cast for the cat. The
poor beast was saved by the captain
himself, who besought the men not TO
destroy il. The starving men spared
the cat, cut up their boots, soaked the
strips in lamp oil and ate them. This
horrible food gave out, and then the
poor wretches eyed each other suspi-
ciously and hungrily, and would have
killed the cat could they have found it,
but the captain hid it, and their
Psngs of Hunger Were Unappeasod for
Five Days.
Some Of the men meditated suicide.
God knows how many OF them thought
OF murder and cannibalism. Had the
steamer not come to the rescue, the
captain OF the Tiger said he thought
something more terrible than starva-
ton would have been enacted on board.
The Nebo sent months provisions on
board. When the first boat load arrived
the mate leaped on the Tiger eating
biscuit. lie was pounced upon by his
shipmates, who
Literally Fought Like Dogs for the
Cracker.
Then they rushed on the other provis.
lons and tore them the same as fam
ished wolves might have done. The Of
ficer OF the NebO adds: We got proyis.
ions on board and set them at large once
more. They shook the reefs out of their
top.soils, set their top-gallant sai s and
steered in our wake. The wind was
right aft, but the vessels bottom was 30
full OF barnacles she could not make
much headway. She was able TO get
along, however, and when last we saw
bcr sha vas signalinv adipu and thanks