The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1883-12-29
Starving at Sea.


more with the survivors of two Boston
ships, the Dauntless and the Freeman
Clarke, which were lost on the South
African coast. Thomas Hines, one of
tine crew of the Clarke, tells this story;
1t was in last May that was in Cal
cutta, India, where l had just obtained
my discharge from an English ship, by
surrendering one months pay. l did
this because was anxious to get back
to my family who reside in Liverpool.
One day while walking along the street
1 was accosted by some strangers, who
invited me to take drink. took some
brandy and lemonade. This was the
last / remember until the next day,
when l found myself on board the bark
Freeman Clarke, of Boston, bound for
the Hub, with cargo of Jute. reall-
zed at once that had been ''shang-
haied;" went to the quarterback and
begged the officer in chdrge TO let me go
ashore, but this request was refused.
AS soon as the vessel sailed the miseries
Of the crew began, for the bark was old
and leaky, and the weather bad, and we
were constantly at the pumps. On the
18th of July after being out over two
months, we met with very bad weather,
and not being able to get an observa-
tion the captain whose name was Will
liams, lost his bearings. He tried to
make Port Elizabeth, where there is a
safe harbor, but on the morning of the
18th, when the sun again shone forth,
he found that he had gone far past Port
Elizabeth, and was about one hundred
and ten miles off from the Cape st.
Francis Light. The sea was heavy and
the vessel was still under shortened sail,
when about two O'Clock in the afternoon,
while Hines and the Port watch were
below the alarm Of fire was glver. In
a moment all was in a hustle. The
flames were discovered pouring forth in
volumes frem the after part of the ves-
sci. The first glance showed the dam
ger and all sail was clapped on the ves-
sci and she was headed for the shore.
For seven hours the men fought the fire,
but at o O'Clock they abandoned the
vessel and took to the boats. The crew
numbered eighteen men. The captain,
with the second mate, whose name was
Boyle, the steward, a Chinaman, and
three seamen took one boat, and the
first officer, Mr.. Weymouth, with the
remainder of the crew, took the other.
The captains boat was well provisioned,
but by some unfortunate short.sighted-
ness the large boat had no provisions at
all except bag of ships biscuits and
no water. The biscuits were shortly
wet and became inedible, hence the
suffering which ensued. When they
left the burning vessel they were about
ten miles from land, but the coast is
much exposed at this point and any
attempt to pass the breakers would
have been death, so both boats set sail
for Port Elizabeth, about one hundred
miles to the west of them. During the
first night a gale parted the two boats
and they saw nothing Of each other for
two days, when they discovered 1t far
inshore, heading for the land. For
nearly a week they sailed along the
coast, suffering from cold and starva
tion. They had nothing to eat, and it
was fearfully cold and rained continu-
ously, the rough weather keeping the
men continually bailing. Under this
terrible strain two of the crew died,
one, the cook, young man from Bos-
ton, and the young Norwegian sailor.
They died very quietly, and as soon as
they were dead the bodies were tossed
overheard. When hope was at its last
ebb, Port Elizabeth light was sighted.
They raised shirt on an oar as a signal,
which was recognized, and three fishing
vessels and a steamtug put off and
rescued them, They were taken to
Port Elizabeth and kindly cared for by
the American consul until they recov-
cred and were then sent to Cape Town,
where they were put on various vessels.
Hines had to wait until September
before he could get ship and was put
on the Roma, where he found the sur
vivors of the Dauntless, and all were
brought to Baltimore. He says that
before he left Port Elizabeth party of
of explorers went overland to see if they
could discover any traces of the captain,
but all they found wasa broken-up boat
far down the coast. The unfortunate
men must have attempted to land in the
surf, and probably paid the penalty of
their rashness with their lives.
Besetting Dangers.