The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-08-19


though in some respects they managed bet
ter than the men, for they kept their
clothes dry and were always in the cabin
along with the children.
THE FOOD GIVES OFT.
They had left the Mersey early in Sep
tember; it was now the end of November
and the ship scarcely nearer her destination
than she had been two months before.
Every day had increased the cold, and now,
for hours together, the air was thlekened
with driving snow, every rope was frozen
hard as steel and cracked to the touch,
and often of a morning when the light had
br0adened the men would look up and see
lines of ice hanging ON the yards and ieicles
like spear heads bristling at the catheads
and the ife-rail. The ship at the outset
had only been provisioned for six weeks
or two months voyage. Unable 90 cook
their food they had been Obliged to eat the
beef and pork raw from the barrels; but at
last their provisions had sunk very low,
though how low was not imagined until,
at the end of the third month of their lam
entable Sufferings, the mate came to the
captain. who was in in the after-deck house
together with a number of men and the two
women. and told him in voice that every
body could hear that the only food remain
ing was a small quantity of biscuits.
Ii was then blowing a violent gale and
the seas were sweeping over the ship As
though she had been waterlogged. The
morning was we'll advanced, but the clouds
flung 50 heavy shadow upon the deep
that the men in the deck cabin could hard
IL see one another's faces, and the threat
of starvation implied in the mates words,
coming. As it were, on top of the horrors
with which the unhappy creatures were
surrounded, Appeared to drive two or three
of them out Of their minds. The wheel
had been lashed and every man aboard the
ship vas in the deck house, and the gloomy
light exposed dreadful spectacle Of panic
stricken men. with two or three Of them
crying ont deEirioasly, One Of the seamen
jumped up and shrieked out that Gods
curse was on the ship and that they were
doomed never 20 reach the land, but
to die miserably Of hunger. enc by one
He spoke in huarse voice, and those who
preserved their reason stared al him with
fascinating eyes, as if fthey beheld in this
emacizted creature, his eyes glowing under
his knitted hrOws, prophet 70 whom their
future had been unfoldcd. and who spoke
hy inspiration.
Indeed. though the manhood Of the
ercw, frum the captain to the youngest man
aboard. was NOT vet crushed out Of theIn,
yet the frighsfnl inieFIninable spell OF hope
iezessss-s they were enduring had rendcred
them almost nervcls-s, aud Il seemed 10
ssme Of them thsi II change did not come
son al hands would grow raying mad
FANISE-srRIcKEN
They bad sighted several vessels in the
early period os their sufFeriags but wheth-
er because Of the terrible weather, or be-
cause cf their having been blown cut Of
the rcgalar tracks, not aboye Two ships had
hove in sight for above three weeks.
Eighty days had now elapsed since they
lcsi England and they we're really starving.
bat on the morning of the eighfiesh day
the strong gale that had been blowing ever
since the prcccdiag Wednesday Suddenly
ialled an hoar before dayhrcak. The sun
sro-e and the captain who had been ON deck
Tor four hours, suddenly shouted .--.'A
sail The men came feetly on, Of the
cabin, and booking in the diFecsiOa 70 which
the skipper pointed they espied small
bark standing sppareEily diEsct foE them.
The sight Of this vessel galvanized the
posg famine-stricken ereafures into aetiye
life Some of them sgsrung aft aud hoisscd
tbs English ensign, jack down. In a few
minutes the signal was responded 10 BY the
bark hosting che Norwegian aag, she hanl
{ .ed up her Inain-s1il. aoafed down TO the
fissrsssed ship, and, backing her main
yzrass hy hove-to abreast Of the Hannah
Morris, within speaking distance.
Ga the Norwegian skipper learning their
distress be bade them gct their boat over
The poor fellows managed 10 accomplish
this, bat, mad a. was their eagcrness 70
osne AZ the promised food, the men in the
bat had scarely the strength TO pull their
oars However, they made shin 10 get
alongside, aad large eask Of beef was
lowered into she boat With this they re-
turned to their ship, and the bark. dipping
her colors as friendly farewell, braeed
round her yards and preceeded ON her
c0urSc.
They were obliged 70 eat this beef nw,
for they had no means ef cooking it; they
were also without biscuit, and the uneooked
meat. devoured alone, proved unspeakably
naaseous, being hard as leather, and bitter
with brine Yet il was Godsend 10 men
in their plight, and helped them somewhat,
though the supply barely lasted them above
a week, during which time the ship, as
though she were really under the curse the
mad sailor had spoken Of did not make n
league of progress
As yct none Of the crew had died, but
such was their pass that no man bad faith
in his power Of living the long day out.
LITTLE RELIEF.
+ Two days had elapsed withou. morsel
of food having passed their bps, when a
brigantine hove in sight, and, observing
their signals, bore down to them. She
ike the Norwegian, gave them all the pro-
visions she could spare; but tostarving men
and numerous company ii was little
enough, and when, on Christmas day, the
scanty stock of food was again exhausted,
I and the men looked around upon the desc
late, wind-swept sea, the utter hopelessness
of their situation broke them down; the
children were crying for food in the cabin,
the women were moaning with grief and
suffering, and one or two men who had lost
their reason could hardly be restrained from
/ fiinging themselves overheard.
Shortly after noon on that day they saw
the smoke of steamer on the horizon.
The vessel, large handsome boat, ap
preached them rapidly But she took no
I further notice of their distress signal than
hoisting her own eolors, and was presently
mere speck upon the western water.
From observations the captain had made
day or two previously they knew they were
somewhere off Cape Hatteras. A fair wind
would have carried the ship, even in her
wild and broken trim, into Philadelphia or
/ the Chesapeake in week; bat every breeze
that blew was against her, and never wind
arose but that in few hours it was roaring
/ in heavy gale The men were mere
skeletons. 1t is impossible by words to
/ describe the character of the sufferings ex
pressed in their faces; for it was not only