Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-01-11
The Sufferings of the Crew Of the
AlmOn Bird.

Reports from Gloucester say that the five
men picked up in All open boat by Capt. Saun-
ders are receiving all the care that can be be.
slowed on them. They are still in very en-.
feebled condition and are all suffering more
OF less from frost bites. II is almost q mira
Gle that they lived through the terrible storm
and the bitter cold which prevailed along the
Massachusetts coast since Sunday. The Almon
Bird was a Rocklana vessel and sailed from
Windsor, ". s., week ago for Alexandria.
Va, laden with plaster. She encountered no
heavy gales or particularly bad weather until
Sunday, but all that day heavy seas and high
winds assailed her. and the men had hard
work TO keep from freUing. As the evening
set IN the storm increased, and when off
Boone Island the schooner lost her topmast
and shipped = heavy sea. The ropes and
sails were frozen stiff, and there seemed to he
no possibility sf saving the vessel. Still the
men worked all through the night and kept
her afioat. Monday morning dswned and
there was no encouragement in the appearance
Of the weather; the wind had increased and
the sea had risen. BY o'clock q heavy
wave tore off the schooner's bulwark and
flooded the decks, freezing almost instantly.
The hatches were torn away and the doomed
vessel began to fill with water. She was now
unmanageable and the crew at length decided
to abandon her. Hastily collecting some
articles of food they took to the large boat.
No extra clothing could be procured and not
even an oar was to be had. There was no
time 20 be lost. too. and the boat " az hurriedlv
pushed of amid a roaring tempest and seeth-
ing sea She driftsd about climbing from
billow 10 billow and receiving an occasional
bucketful of water which swiftly froze the
clothing of the castaways. The Almon Bird
labored for over an hour and then sank
The boat, without oar or sail. contained eight
men-Cspt C. A. Packard. William Harri
man. Allen Small. A. b. Henderson. Ferdi.
nand Hilton. Horace Small. Charles Cbaples
and a man who's. name cannot now he a,cer.
tanned. They had no hone of ever reaching
land. hut the instinct of selfpreservation was
strong. and they huddled together for shelter.
while the lev spray fell over them, chilling the
very marrow in their bones They had no
means of telling whether they were drifting
toward land or out to sea before the gale They
and their frail crait were tossed about like a
cork all dav Monday, and then the darkness
set in. The moon was obscured by the drift
ing clouds and the heavy snow storm. and no
man in the boat expected to see the sun rise
again or look on aught of life. When one of
them attempted to picture the feelings Of him
self and his fellows after rescue a sbudder
ran thronsh his frame and the recital was
stopped for prudential reasons. Tuesday
e.
terribly from the cold. The sen had gone
down somewhat and the storm had abated.
Their stock of provisionslwas fast giving out,
and the terrible picture Of death bv starvation
and thirst rose before their minds During
the afternoon they saw a sail and made fran.
tic efforts To attract the attention of those an
board. but thev failed. and as the .econd
night approached they saw the unknown yes.
sci pass out of sight below the horizon. An
other night Of horror and darkness closed in
on them and hunger, cold and exhaustion
were fast taking away all hope. Wednesday
morning found all hands alive but sufjerjpR
terribly Two men were delirious. In the
wildness of their frenzy they tossed them.
selves from side 10 side. while the cbatterinu
Of their teeth and their insane mutterinps
foretold the speedy termination of their suf-
ferings. On Wednesday evening the first
death occurred One of the delirious men
became furious for short time, then coiled
himself up at the bottom of the boat and died.
Two more men passed away during the night.
and v hen Thursday morning dawped the boat.
laden heavily with ice, contained Ave men in
the agonies of despair and the three dead
bodies. There was not sail in sight--noth-
lug but vast expanse of sea and sky.
The pangs of hunger and thirst and the ter
rible exposure TO cold were unsettlinQ the
minds of the survivors. There were no pro.
visions of any sort and furtiye plances were
cast at the bodies Of the dead companions. A
hasty consultation was held, and il was de-
cided to open the veins in the neck Of one OF
these. There was not dissenting voice, and
the operation was speedily performed The
red stream flowed freely at the touch Of the
knife, and the parched throats and frozen lips
Of the crew were moistened by the still warm
blood. The desperation of their act gave
them sort of dogged determination to sus-
tain life little while longer and hopes were