The examiner., 1882-03-11
SIX DAYS ON A RAFT.

YoaHG Seaman Picked up in Nid-0caar 55Ohe Biscuit and Liltle Mildew All Hi.
 Food.
 When thirteen men, rescued from the !ost Bertnuda steamer Bahama, arrived Tn New. York they reported that twenty others had been drowned. Seventeer then were in boat that swamped TWO of these swam back to the sinking steamer. Three men had refused tE quit the steamer in the two heavily loaded boats. They were Felix Olistre the second cook; Gaudoise Baker, g porter; and Napoleon Mathurin, g sea man, called Paul for short.
 Six days after the steamer had found. cred, Theodore Noat, lookout on the brig Pearl, Captain Brightman, saw 6 man on raft waving a signal. It was Tn 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 who had stuck to the Bahama. He had been six days and six nights alone on the raft, and had lived that time on one cracker and one drink of water. He is atall French Canadian from St. Thomas near Quebec, where his family live and is twenty-one years old. He was bought by the Pearl to New York,
 l belonged to the watch of Second Mate Ross," he said to a reporter, "and was below when the Ba hama's bulwarks and two boats were carried away. I helped to get the captains boat out, and so many got into launched the second boat he told me to fn PT1f 11v 1oS boat, and there were already thirteen in it, and I knew if I got in the other two men who were still on the Bahama swamp. So I stayed behind and saw the boat disappear. It wae cloudy, and the moonlight was dim. I saw the captains boat upset Charles Smith, sailor, and Charley, 8 fireman, swam back, and we hauled them aboard. They were weak and sick, and lay down on the deck. I had 8 little hatchet, and ran forward and tried to cut away ladder to make 8 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 compart- ments blowing out. The suction pulled me down very deep. When did come up I found small spar, and got on it. The sea washed me off several times. The spar struck against 8 hatch three by four feet. Baker was sitting on the hatch. got on with him. He said it was not big enough for two, and told him we must do our best with it. A few moments later he was washed off. I heard him hollering and I shouted, Are you aliveY He answered, 'Yes,' but saw no more of him. At day break I saw fifteen feet away a large piece of the forecastle head fifteen feet long, nine feet across at one end, and five at the other. swan to it. It was upside down, with the cross beams uppermost. Over these were nailed blanks that had been the ceiling on the ice house. Under the blanks was a good deal of sawdust. I pulled on board two doors at Were floating near some large sticks. Then lay down, for was dead tired. Alter time I got up and saw a vessel. She was so near that I could see tue men on deck. tied my jumper to 8 stick and waved it, but they did not see me. found three sea biscuits in the water, and 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 9 o'clock in the morning the sun broke through the clouds and the weather be- came warm. I was too lonesome to sleep that night
 "The next morning, Sunday, the wind rose and raised the sea. Some times tEe waves carried me clean across the raft, but never entirely off, But I lost two of my biscuits. I was very hungry and I ate the other. n the afternoon tried to signal barken- tine, three or four miles away, but she did not see me. At night I tried to sleep, sitting back against the doo,s, 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. I was getting weak. At noon I saw sail to leeward, but she was out far away, and I did not try to signal her. Sharks six to ten feet long rubbed their noses against the raft anu turned my sticks and tended them of, but big turtle floating, and thought if I CUu4O CdtCu hIu4 AO WOulO OO SOO0 OdU- ing. I took one of the doors and pushed it under him, and then I tried to pull him up on deck, but he was too heavy. sang to keep myself company. It was Canadian song. The wind died away at sundown, and at night the stars came out. Toward morning slept 8 title.
 con Tuesday morning the weather was clear and the sun came up very red. I felt cold and thirsty, but was no longer hungry. saw sail far off, and did not signal it. The sharks were around all day. That night the sea was SO rough that could not sleep.
 "On Wednesday morning the sun came up finely and the water was clear. At o'clock little rain fell. I tried to catch some in my oilskin coat, but could not. I scraped some mildew from the boards and tried to eat it. It tasted very bad and was salt. My throat was very dry and dipped up big hand fuls of salt water and swallowed it without tasting it. I 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 could not speak. Toward even. ing saw bark, but so far away that l did not signal her. At midnight fog settled and it rained heavily few min