Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-10-17
THE PANGS OF STARVATION.
Horrible Suffering Caused by = Lack
OF Food and Water.
New York Tribune

New York Tribune.
When / look back to my own
brief experience and think of the poor
fellows of the Greedy expedition, and
the long and weary months they sui
fered IN the Arctic regions. I think
the mantle of charity and forgetful-
ness should be thrown over their
action, said George w. Brewer, ex-
coxswaln Of the navy, who had been
attached to the Inflated steamer Talla,
poosa. 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 boat expo
dition she was caught in terrific
squall, and her boat was capslzed near
a small island. Ny crew managed to
reach the shore, bat our boat drifted
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 explored 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 bad of bushes.
son the following morning we be-
gan to feel the pangs of hunger and
thirst, and finding an cid barrel on
the beach we proke 1t up and used the
slaves to dig for water, which we
found so brackish 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 signal of distress.
Our sufferings from thirst were indie
scribable. We passed the third night
and day on the island without any
change, excepting in one incident.
With companion started on tour
around the island, it being our prac-
tice to take turns to search for pass
ing vessel that we might signal. and
going through clump of woods saw
a cormorant, a bird of carrion con
sidered unfit to eat. | killed it with a
club and we ravenously tore 1T to
pieces and sucked its blood, which, in
our condition, we found refreshing.
But we did not mention the fact to
our comrades upon our return to camp.
The morning of the fourth day broke
with excessive heat, and one of our
party was so delirious that it required
two of us to subdue him. Our tongues
had so swollen 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 oSServ.
ed running toward the camp, and we
could just distinguish as he came
nearer that he was crying "a boat, 8
boat Those who were able started
toward the end of the island, where
our distress signal way flying, and
we distinguished boat approaching
us from distance. AS it approacheo
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 couple
of swallows each, which made us
crave for more, but it was denied us,
Then fire was made on the beach
and in a few moments pot of hot
coffee was ready. Of this we only re
ceived few swallows each, and then
we were given few pieces of pilot
bread soaked 10 the coffee. Then we
were assisted into the boat and taken
to the ship, which we reached late al
night. A few days of careful feeding
and tender nursing restored US to oul
former strength. l have often thought
how thankful | was to God for thai
rescue. Persons who have never had
like experience can form no idea Of
the terrible sufferings of men in tina
condition; and those persons WHIT so
harshly criticise the survivors of the
Greedy expedition, if placed amid
similar surroundings, would no dous
adopt the same course"