The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1884-11-13
WHOLE NO. 1868.
PANGS OF STARVATION.
Horrible Sufferings Caused by Lack Of
Food and Water.

"When | look back to my own brief
experience and think of the poor fell
lows of the Greedy expedition. and the
long and weary months they suffered
in the Arctic region. / think the mantle
of charity and forgctfulness should be
thrown over their action said George
W. Bower. an eX-coXSwain of the navy,
who had been attached TO the ill-fated
schooner Tallapoosa. Continuing, he
said: Il was coXswain OF one of the
boats OF the TallapooSa when she was
attached to the gulf squadron. One
evening when returning from a beat
expedition we were caught in a terrific
squall and our boat was capSized near
a small island. Ny crew managed to
reach the shore, bat our boat Grifted
away in the darkness. We lay down
in the bushes and slept that night, and
when morning broke we realized that
we were on a desolate island. We eX-
plored the island and found on it only
underbrush and trees, nothing in the
shape of food or water. We had only
to hope that we would soon be rescued
The gale continued with violence, and
we spent another night in our bed of
bushes.
''On the following morning we began
to feel the pangs of hunger and thirst,
and finding an old barrel on the beach
we broke it up and used the slaves to
dig for water, which we found so brack-
ish that we could not drink it. Then
we set up pole on cliff. with a shirt
of one of the men fastened to it as a
signal of distress. Our sutfeTings from
thirst were indescribable. We passed
the third night and day on the island
without any change, except in one Incl
dent With a companion | started on
a tour around the island, ii being our
practice to take turns to search for
passing vessel that we might signal,
and going through a clump of woods
saw cormorant, a bird OF carrion con-
sidered unfit to eat. | killed it with
club and we ravenously tore itin pieces
and sucked its blood, which. in our
condition, was refreshing. But we did
not mention the fact to our comrades
upon our return to camp. The morn
ing OF the fourth day broke with excess
sive heat, and one of our party was so
delirious that it required two of us to
subdue him. Our tongues had SO swol-
len that we could scarcely speak above
a whisper. Our lips were also cracked
and split with the intense heat.
In the afternoon one of the men
who had been on his tour was observed
running toward the camp, and we
could just distinguish as he came near
er that he was crying "a boat Those
who were able started toward the end
la i-1a Il
was flying, and we distinguished a boat
approaching Us from the distance. As
1t approached the shore we recognized
it as the launch of the Tallapoosa. As
the officer came on shore we begged
him to give us water. He gave us a
couple OF swallows each, which made
us crave for more, but it was denied to
US. Then fire was made on the
beach, and in a few moments a pot of
hot coffee was ready. OF this we re-
ceived only few swallows each, and
then we were given a few pieces of pi-
lot bread soaked in the coffee. Then
we were assisted into the boat and Ia
ken to the ship, which we reached late
at night. A few days of careful feed
ing and tender nursing restored Us to
our former strength. | have often
thought how thankful I was to God for
that rescue. Persons who have never
had like experience can form no idea
of the terrible sufferings of men in
that condition; and those persons who
so harshly criticise the survivors of tho
Greely expedition, if placed among
similar surroundings, would no doubt
adopt the same course. ."-Ncl0 York
Tribune.