The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-03-01
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 q Nova Scotia ship, bound from
Newcastle to this port, loaded with GOAL.
She had twenty-three persons on board.
Fire was discovered in latitude two de-
graes north, and longitude ITO degrees
west. The crew worked hard for two
days and nights at the pumps to put out
the fire, but without success.
Ole Oleson, q Norwegian sailor, who
had charge of the boat-load which was
picked up, tells ths following graphic
story of the wreck: awe were divided
into three boat-loads. The captain
wife and two children. The first mate
had another, and the second mate was
put in charge of the gig with six men.
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 rs In three small boats, twelve
hundred miles from land. We man.
aged to take along with us apretty good
supply of bread, water, and canned
meats. The other two boats 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 then been
out over q week and our water and pro-
visions were becoming scarce. Seven
men in seven days can make q big hole
in cask of water and what food you
can put in q small boat, no matter how
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 rs, duck
boat with water. We kept her afioat
II O1 D6AAAhk 0as - Aoos - b-AC
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, but
for all that our larder kept growing
smaller and smaller every day. We'd
take q 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 and
feet. Both swelled up, and our waists
only looked like q connecting link be-
tween the two. About the twentieth day
things began to look desperate. Our
bread and, what w4s worse, our water
had run out. All we had left were three
small cans of pressed meat, which we
had been boarding up for the last tight
pinch. Our legs were swollen, our
tongues and lips parched and swollen
also, and this was only made worse by
drinking salt water. Oh, my Godi 1t
is terrible to die with thirst and see
water all around you. I don't wonder
/ that sailors 60 mad when they drink it,
for it Is maddening to see 1t and know
that to drink it is death.
"We might have increased our stock
OF fresh water by catching the rain
which fell during the first few days after
we left the ship, but the Captain, from
his boat, told US not to do so-that If we
drank rain water it would kill us.
"We were still, on the twenty third
day, far from land, and some Of us
began to think and look as II we
didn't care but we were saved. It was
Jan. Is, about IL 80 on Sunday night,
that we saw suddenly loom up in the
distance what proved TO be the head
lights of vessel. One of our fellows
had fog-horn, which, in q fit Of des-
peration, he blew with all his might, in
the vain hope of making them hear on
board of her, but, bless you, the fellow
hadn't blow enough left in him to blow
out farthing glim. Williams struck q
match and lie q bit of lampwick which
he had carefully preserved dry in his
breast for such purpose, should occasion
arise. The signal was seen by those on
board of the ship, the Captain hove TO-
and with all the strength left in us we
hauled and pulled until we got along
side. A ladder was let down and we
were helped on board, where every care
and attention was at once shown us BY
the Captain, officers and crew of the
ship Cochin. ."-Sdn Francisco Chronicle
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