The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-04-27
AT Sea in an Open Boat.


Yesterday there arrived on the ship
Cochin seven survivors of the ship Mil
ton, burned at sea December %. and
abandoned by the crew. The Milton
was NJva Scotia ship, bound from
Newcastle to this port, 10 AIDED with coal.
She had twenty-three persons on board.
Fire was discovered in latitude two de-
grees north, and longitude 10 degrees
west. The crew worked hard for two
days and nights at the pumps to put out
the fire, but without success.
Ole Oleson, Norwegian sailor, who
had charge of the bnat-load which was
picked up, tells tha following graphic
story of the wreck: "We were divided
into three boat-loads. The captain
commanded one and had with him his
wife and two children. The first mate
had another, and the second mate was
put in charge of the gig with six raen.
We lowered about the burning ship for
several days. 1t was on the day before
Christmas that we abandoned the NIL
ton, and when Christmas morning
dawned upon US there we were, twenty
one of us in three small boats, twelve
| hundred miles from land. We man
aged to take along with US a pretty good
supply of bread, water, and canned
meats. The other two bats were
equally well supplied. and occasionally
we would cheer one another up with the
chances of vessel heaving in sight and
taking us all on board, but we had to
wait many long days before that hope
was realized, and God only knows
whether it has been realized in the case
of the other boats or not. On Christ
mas day the long boat, containing the
first mate and others, parted company
| from US. The captains boat and ours
kept together until the I'd of January,
when, one night in storm, we lost sight
of each other; nor did we see anything
of each other again. We had ther been
| out over week and our water and pro-
visions were becoming scarce. Seven
men in seven days can make big hole
| in cask of water and what food you
| can put in small boat, no matter h w
careful you may be to make them spin
| out. just about that time we came into
| northeastern which sprung up and
made things for time very uncomfort.
able, as every moment we expected to
| be swamped by one of those big waves
that now and then swept over US, duck
ing us all to the skin and half filling our
boat with water. We kept her afoat
through it by bailing out as fast as the
water came in.
"After about twenty hours the wind
lulled, and we again tried to make our
selves comfortable. We counted every
mouthful and registered every sip, bu'
for all that our larder kept growing
smaller and smaller every day. We'd
take reef in our bells regularly every
morning, until we had more delicate
waists than the most graceful maidens
Before those terrible twenty three days
were over we had all gone to head anG
feet. Both swellea up, and our waist
only looked like a connecting link be
tween the two. About the twentieth da,
things began to look desperate. Ou
bread and, what was worse, our wate
had run out. All we had left were three
small cans of pressed meat, which we
had been boarding up for the last tigh
pinch. Our legs were swollen, ou
tongues and lips parched and swoller
also, and this was only made worse b,
drinking salt water. Oh, my God! |
is terrible to die with thirst and SCI
water all around you. I don't wonde
that sailors go mad when they drink it
for it is maddening to see it and know
that to drink it is death.
We might have increased our stool
of fresh water by catching the rail
which fell during the first few days afte
we left the ship, but the Captain, from
his boat, told us not to do so-that if w
drank rain water it would kill us.
"We were still, ON the twenty -thir'
, day, far from land, and some of u
began to think and look as if w
/ didn't care; but we were saved. 1t wa
Jan. Is, about II 80 on Sunday night
that we saw Suddenly loom up in tn
distance what proved to be the head
lights of q vessel. One of our fellow
: had fog horn, which, in a fit of des
: peration, he blew with all his might, il
the vain hope of making them hear o.
board of her, but, bless you, the fello'
f hadn't blow enough left in him to bloy
! out farthing glim. Williams struck
: match and lit a bit of lampwick whic
: he had carefully preserved dry in hi
: breast for such purpose, should occasio
arise. The signal was seen by those o
! board of the ship, the Captain hove to
: and with all the strength left in us W
= hauled and pulled until we got along
u side. A ladder was let down and W
were helped on board, where every car
!, and attention was at once shown US
: the Captain, officers and crew of tn
: ship Cochin. San Francisco Chronicl,