News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-03-23
SIX DAYS On A RAFT.
A Young Seaman from the Bahama
Picked up III Mid Ocean.


!. A Young Seaman from the Bahama
Picked up iii Mid Ocean.
|, Thirteen men rescued from the lost
3 Bermuda steamer Bahama, reported
f that twenty others had been drowned.
Seventeen were in boat that swamped.
{ The steamer foundes ed on the night
I of Feb. 10 in latitude 800 81 north,
longitude 72o 19' west. On Thursday
, of the next week, six days later.
, Theodore Noat, lookout on the brig
Pearl, Capt Brightrnan, in latitude 800
25', longitude 730 10, saw man on a
raft waving signal. It was eight in
the morning, and the raft lay right ahead
The Pearl bore down, lowered boat, and
took the man off He was Paul,
the able seaman 20 hai stuck
to the Baheuas - fhss bzen aix
days ard six nighcs alone on the raft,
and had lived that time on one cracker
and one drink of water.
He Is tall French Canadian from
st. Thomas, near Quebec, where his
tdu111y l1NSy 10 IOtA1 O1l
His father is pilot of the st. Lawrence
Steamboat Company. Paul shipped on
the Bahama at Quebec on the 18th of
November last.
81 belonged to the watch of Second
Mate Ross" he said to San reporter,
and was below when the Bahamas bull
warks and two boats we're being carried
away. / helped to get the Captains
boat out, and 80 many got into her that
I didn't go. When Mate Ross launched
the second boat he told me to get in.
But it was only thirteen-foot boat, and
there were already thirteen in it, and I
knew if 1 got in the other two men who
were still ON the Bahama would get in,
and then the boat would swamp. So
stayed behind and saw the boat disap-
pear. 1t was cloudy, and the moonlight
was dim. saw the Captains boat up
set. Charles Smith, % sailor, and Char
ley, fireman, swan back, and we
hauled them aboard. They were weak
and sick, and lay down on the deck.
I had little hatchet, and l ran forward
and tried to cut away ladder to make
raft. The stern began to sink, and
then the whole vessel sank. There was
tremendous explosion that stunned
me. suppose it was the air in the COM
partments blowing out The suction
pulled me down very deep. When I did
come up found small spar, and got
on it. The sea washed me off several
times. The spar struck against hatch
by feet. Baker was sitting on the
hatch. got on with him. He said it
was not big enough fer two, and I told
him we must do olr best with it.
A few moments later he was
washed off. I heard him holler-
ing, and I shouted, Are you
alive?' He answered Yes but I
nine feet ACROSS . luel4ve at |
the other. swan to it. It was up |
side down, with the cross beams upper
most. Over these were nailed planks
that had been the ceiling on the ice
house. Under the planks was good |
deal of sawdust. I pulled on board
two doors that were floating near and
some large sticks. Then I lay down,
for I was dead tired. After time I
got up and saw vessel. She was SO |
near that could see the men on deck.
tied my jumper to stick and waved |
it, but they did not see me. I found |
three sea biscuits in the water, and I |
picked them up. / fixed the doors
against the beams so that they were |
some protection against the waves, and |
they made enough sail to carry me out |
of the wreckage. At s o'clock in the |
morning the sun broke through the |
clouds and the weather became warm.
I was too lonesome to sleep that night.
'"The next morning, Sunday, the |
wind rose and raised the sea. Some |
tunes the waves carried me clean across
the raft, but never entirely off. But l
lost two of my biscuits. / was very |
hungry and I ate the other. In the |
afternoon I tried to signal barkentine,
three or four miles away, but she did |
not see me. At night tried to sleep,
sitting back against the doors, but the
waves doused me and woke me every
two minutes.
"Monday morning there was heavy
chop sea. The sun did not come out all
day. [ was getting weak. At noon I
saw sail to leeward, but she was too far
away, and did not try to signal her.
Sharks, six to ten feet long, rubbed
their noses against the raft, and turned
over on their backs. J. hit them with
my sticks and Tended them off, but they
kept coming back. Then I saw big
turtle floating, and thoughG if I could
catch him he would be good eating. I
took one of the doors and pushed it un-
der him, and then tried to pull him on
deck, but he was too heavy. sang to
keep myself company. 1t was Cana
dian song. The wind died away at sun
down, and at night the stars came out.
Toward morning 1 slept little.
"On Tuesday morning the weather
was clear and the sun came up very red.
felt cold and thirsty, but was no longer
hungry. 1 saw sail far off, but did
not signal it. The sharks were around
all day. That night the sea was SO
rough could not sleep.
"On Wednesday morning the sun
came up finely and the weather was
clear. At 8 o'clock little rain fell.
tried to catch some in my oilskin coat,
but could not. / scraped some mildew
from the boards and tried to eat it. 1t
tasted very bad and was salt. My
throat was very dry, and L dipped up
big handfuls of salt water and swallowed
it without tasting it. / know that was
wrong, but [ think ] was little out of
my head The water made my mouth
and throat sore and my tongue so thick
that I could not speak. Toward evening
l saw bark, but so far away that l
did not signal her. at midnight fog
settled, and it rained heavily for few
minutes. 1 made bag of my coat and
caught enough water foI good drink.
The rain killed the wind and | managed
to sleep two hours.
"When | woke up on the morning OF
H. 18th 1o.U T oOlH