The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-11-28
THE PANGs OF sTARvATror
Horrible sufferings Caused by a r.ac. I.
Food and Water.

New York Tribune: "When / lool
back to my own brief experience ana
think of the poor fellows of the Grealv
expedition and the long, weary montb.
they suffered in the Arctic regions
think the mantle of charity and forget.
fulness should be thrown over their 4.
%tion," said George w. Brewer, an =.
coXswain of the navy, who had been Il.
tached to the Inflated steamer Tallapoo.
sa when she was attached to the .Gulf
Squadron. One evening when return.
ing from a boat expedition we waro
caught in a terrific squall and cur boat
was capsized near a small island
My crew managed to reach the
shore, but our boat drifted awav
in the darkness. We lay down
in the bushes and slept that night
and when morning broke we realized
that We were IN q desolate island. We
explored the island and found on Il
only under brush aud trees, nothing n
the shape of food and water. We had
only to hope that we would soon Be
rescued. The gale continued with vic.
lence, and we spent another night in
our bed of bushes.
"The following morning we began q
feel the pangs of hunger and thirst
and finding an old barrel on the beach
we broke it up and nsed the stayesto
dig fcc water, which we found so brack-
ish that we could not drink it. Then
we set up a pole on a cliff, with a shirt
Of one of the men fastened on it as a
signal of distress. Our sufferings from
thirst were indescribable. We passed
the third night and day on the island
without any change, excepting in one
incident. With a companion / started
on a tour around the island, ii being
our practice to take turns to search for
a passing vessel that we might signal,
and going through a clump Of woods,
saw a corm0rant, q bird of carrion con-
sidered unfit to eat. ] killed it with q
club, and we ravenously tore it in
pieces and sucked its blood, which, in our
condition we found refreshing. But
we did not mention the fact to our com,
rades upon our return to camp. The
! morning of the fourth day broke With
excessive heat, and one oi our party
was so delirious that it required two Of
us TO subdue him. Our tongues had SO
swollen that we. could hardly speak
above q whisper. Our lips were also
cracked and split with the intense heat.
"ln the afternoon one Of the men
who had been on his tour was observed
running toward the camp, and we could
just distinguish ashe came nearer that
he was crying "a boat, q boat. Those
who were able started toward the end
of the island, where our distress signal
was flying, and we distinguished q boat
approaching ms from the distance. AS
it approached the shore we. recognized
il as the launch of the Tallapoosa. Az
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 US
Then a fire was made on the beach, ana
in a few moments a pot OF hot coffeo
was ready. OF that we received only .
few swallows each, and then we were
given a few pieces of pilot-bread soaked
in the coffee. Then we were assis.eu
into the boat; snd taken to the ship
which we reached late at night. a lew
days Of careful feeding AMI tender
nursing restored us to our iormes7
strength. / have often Thought now
thankful / was for that rescue. rei-
sons who have neve had like expert
ence a form no idea of the terrlpis
sufferings Of men in hat condition ana
those persons who SO harshly crlticlse
the survivors of the Greely expeditloh
if placed amid similar surrounding
wsald no doubt adopt the same course