Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-12-04
DINING ON HUMAN FLESH
THE TERRIBLE TALE Us THE RES.
UUeB t,IGUT.
One Of Ihe Crsw iIt's Rid the SuF-
vfvOFS Feed up0n Ht Ffrsh 81 q
BFtpE HSs biOOd-Dsys al Il Mig hrs
OF horror.
Phiiadslphis Press SPECIAL.

| fhhaoelphia PEets speeihl'
LEwRs DEL Nov a The thIse-
Insstsd schooner Enra = Ergel, from
Gsorgetawp, 5pulh Carolps, for BAlti-
uora, brouSht into pert TO. day Pilot
NsTshsll Bertrand ard Andres Peter
Hansen, Dave, two Of the three men
who, on 'Mondsy morripg left the pilot
boa: Turlsy in a skif for the purpose Of
putting Thomas Marshall, smother pilot,
on board the steamship Pennsylvania,
which was bound for PhilsdelphiA. The
third man WAS Alfred Swanson, a Nor.
wegian. They performed this duty and
started back 70 regain the Turley, which
was beating to and fro of the Five
Fathom Lightship. The weather was
very thick and heavy sea was running,
and they never reached their vessel. II
was consequently supposed that they had
been lost. Several pilot boats were sent
ip search of them, and one bruised 800
miles of the coast without discovering q
trace
Bertrand told the story Of their rescue
this afternoon, and the horrible canni-
balism to which the survivors were COM
pelled to resort. Soon after leaving the
Pennsylvania they found that IN the
darkness they had lost their bearings.
Ihey had no compass on board, and not
one OF the Delaware lights was visible.
Their frail boat became uumanaSeable,
and the wind and sea seemed TO rise
higher with every passing moment.
When daylight broke they were drifting
rapidly out to Sea before the strong north
west gale, and then abandoned all hope,
except that they might be carried within
sight OF some passing vessel. This was
but forlorn chance, ss Bertrand knew
that only by some lucky accident would
their little craft, which, for most Of the
time, was In the hollow Of the seas, be
sighted from the deck Of any vessel. ALI
they could do was to keep her as much
as possible before the wind.
The westher was bitterly cold and they
had left the Turley In such haste that
they had failed 10 take their thickest
clothing, or to throw in any water or pro-
visions. Soon the spray driven by
the cutting blasts froxs upon their OIL
skins, and their stiffened muscles refused
to do their duty. One man attended to
the helm, while the others attempted TO
keep the boat from swamping by oon-
stAntly bailinR her. ALI Monday and
Monday night and Tuesday they drove
aimlessly about, suffering the extremes Of
hunger, thirst and cold.
Towards dusk on Tuesday evening, the
other men, who were pilot apprentices,
became delirious, and, before Bertrand
could control them, they threw overheard
the oars and everything else that was
loose in the boat. Thus left without any
means Of handling the skitf, Bertrand can
hardly explain how II escaped from I'LL
ing or cspsizing. He says he occasionally
sunk into . stuper, in which the rawlings
Of his shipmAtes, the roar Of the wind
and the lAshing of the waves were curl
ously mingled In Whatever remained 10
him Of consciousness.
He supposes that II was about midnigh
Of Tuesday when Swanson drew his
SAILORS knife from his sheath and made
several pllnges at him, declaring that he
would kill him and drink his blood.
Although reused to oopsci0usness by his
danger, Bertrand declares that he was
too weak 70 make any resistance, and,
closing has eyes, patiently waited for the
death that seemed near and not un-
Welcome. But the deranged man was
himself too feeble TO carry ont his
intention. Exhausted by his long fast
and clad in his 10y garments as In coat
OF mail, he fell, shrieking and gaspinR,
across the thwRrts at Bertrand's feet.
Ia 3 few minutee he was dead. The
clouds had passed away, the moon had
risen and Its beams fell upon the oon-
tOrted features Of the dead sailor, upon
whose face the freezing spume drift
quickly formed q film OF loO. To add to
tue peril of the remaining men the brat
shipped q great deal OF water. The
bailer was among the things that the
crazy men had thrown overheard, and
Bertrand was forced TO take off one Of his
rubber boots TO use in its place. Thus he
freed the boat from water, but his unpro-
iected foot was frozen. Hansen was 80
rear death as to be incapable Of rendering
any assistance, and, except when he was
raving, he lay like log.
When the sun rose on Wednesday
morning, Bertrand eagerly scanned the
horizon In search Of q sail, but he saw
nothing. AS his glance fell upon the
corpse Of the dead sailor, 1t occurred to
him that here might be the means Of pro-
longing lite until rescue came. Horrible
as the idea OF csnnibalism was to him,
he realized that nothing else remained
between them and death. BE roused
Hansen, and wss happy to discover that
his mind had comparatively cleared, and
that he understood what was said 70
him. The cold bad not AbAted, but the
sea had gone down, the day was bright,
and Bertrand knew that II they could
keep alive until nightfAll they would In
all likelihood be picked up, as they could
not be ont Of the path Of the coAsting
vessels.
Then came the supreme moment.
Bertrand indicated 10 Hanson vhat he
proposed to do, and the latter agreed
with him. With the small remnant Of
strength left them they tore the stiffened
oil skins and the underelothing from the
dead and left q portion Of the body ex-
posed. Into his breast and shoulders
they plunged their knives and eagerly
sucked the blood from the wounds. They
Immediately felt refreshed and the tor
lures which they had experienced were
Allayed. Psusing for . moment in their
work, they returned to 1t aud cut strips
OF flesh from the corpse. Zach devoured
q little, though Bertrand says 1t was with
a loathing which only the conviction Of
self preservation could enable him to
conquer. Then they lay back under the
Runwales Of their craft, occasionally rsis-
ing their heads to gcan the waters for .
| sail.
They were scarcely conscious Of the
passage OF time, but, when the sun was
touching the western horizon, Bertrand
saw passing its disc the outline Of vessel
not more than . mile distant and hesded
almost directly toward them. The vel
come vision reanimsted him, and SPRING
ing to his feet with some vigor, he
stretched himself to his full hight
in the stern sheets, and, draw
ing of bis oilskiu coat, swung Il
high above his hsBd, just al this
a0ment fortune Hasd him, the boat
mounting high upon the crest Of long
roller go that il was thrown into full
view OF the Cokoul on the forecastle Of
the vessel For a mrUsnt she held her
course, ard he feared ,t in the fading
light they were net seen. A mouent
more Gpi he knew batter, for she came
around b iors the wind, which was still
blowing from the westward, her foresail
msiasSil and spapker were swung out
wing and-wiug, and she was headed
straight toward them.
The rsscuinS vessel proved to be the
Emma F. RMsel, which in the storm had
missed making the cspes Of the ChesA-
peAke. AZ aha nearsd the hApeles cast
swAye she launched a boat, and by 6
o'clock OF Wednesday evening they were
comfortably Eesting in her cabin and
cOmflrted WITH generous food and drink.
For 50 hours they had had nothing but
the salt water and the flesh and blood Of
their unknown shipmRts. The scene Of
the rescue was was IS miles southeast Of