The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-04-27
Saved from CannibaIism.

On Christmas day, in the Pacific
ocean, three boat loads of people yut
off from the hopelessly burning coal
ship Milton. Last evening, says the
San Francisco Gail of recent date, the
survivors of the second boat load heard
from arrived in this city by the steamer
Newberu from Mazatlin. The survivors
were Captain Macarthur, his wite, two
children and one sailor. They had been
taken from q Mexican coastine
schooner by the Newbern on
her down trip. Two days be.
fore that the schooner had picked them
up, the captain and his family looking
little better than bronzed skeleton, one
sailor gibbering maniac, the other
censeless. a two-year-old child OF the
captains was dead. All had been IN an
open boat forty-six days. For many
days they had subsisted upon mouth
full OF food and spoonful of freshened
ocean water. When the Mexicans
schooner took them on board one sailor
overcome all restraint and drank him
self to death with the water furnished.
For the love of God give me pass
age to some place where my wife and
child can have proper care" the wrecked
captain said to Captain Huntington. of
the Newbern, when the steamer was ap-
preached by q boat from the coasting
schooner.
The survivors were taken aboard.
''There is q white man among them
fer can tell by his voice" an English
lady on the Newbern said, but how
dreadful that poor squaw looks" 1t was
the captains wife, her exposed flesh
burnedto darker hue than an Indians,
that the lady thought was squaw.
The maniac sailor died from the ef-
feet OF the water,which he hoped would
give him new life, soon after he was
lifted on board the steamer. The
others were tonderly cared for.
The captains little boy, only four
years old, looked wildly strange and
unnatural. "But, bless you," an Of
ticer of the Newbern said to CAL re-
porter, VIC could just see him grow
fat and natural like from meal to meal"
The little fellow, who had stood what
killed three of the strong sail
ors. was soon great favorite with
every man on the steamer.
The captains wife, when Mazatlan
was reached, after being on the steamer
three days, gave birth to son. It was
two weeks old when the steamer arrived
at the wharf, and lively, bright infant.
Such is the story of their rescue.
Words cannot picture the suf'erings
they endured in the forty-six days in
an open boat; days when the mother
saw Ole babe waste away to death
for the lack of even such scanty nourish-
ment as had to be dealt to all; days
when the clear-headed captain had
to tie to the thwarts two of the
crazy sailors to prevent them from
feasting in fact upon the weaker
ones, upon whom their delirum. lighted
eyes flashed hungrily, .longingly; days
when distant sails would loom up,
wildly revive sinking hope, disappear,
and drive hope into greater, blacker
distance; days when the sufferings of
all were nearly ended by drowning,
when the crazed mans wild plunging
nearly capsized the boat. 1t was ter
rible picture, and one which the mag
nation alone can attempt feebly to
paint.
"Ah!" the wife and mother said one
day On the steamer, as the passengers
were at dinner, " if my dear baby boy
had had each day mouthful of the
water SO lavishly dealt ont here"