The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-08-04
THE HORROR.

ST. JOINS, y. F. July 3l.-The account of
the sIitferings among the destitute fishermen
| along the coast of Labrador is very terrible
The very lowest estimate Of those who have
$50 All these have died since June ! and
the rate of mortality is increasing. The in
liabitants of many OF the settlements have
been compelled to deyour their few ponies
and dogs, while every piece of leather or
sealskin has been carefully utilized TO deaden
the pangs of hunger. Wolves and polar
bear driven to the coast in search OF food
and rendered desperate by starvation fear
lessly attack any small village they may
come across. In one settlement of about
tw~eaty-eiglt families, comprising about 10
souls. the Inhabitants had been rendered 50
weak by the forced short rations to which
they had been compelled to submit in order
to exc out life that there was hardly Il man
who was strong enough 10 raise a spear in
self-defense against the brutes.
THE BANQUET or Wild NJ
The result was that the bears, numbering
about 1S, made Il clean sweep of the place.
devcuring every man. woman and child, ex-
eepting four young men who succeeded in
~clambering Ia som n%eighboring rocks
Here they remained forty-eight hours,
watching the bears a; their horrible repast-
After the latter had finished and moved
away Il pack of wolves, which had been
hanging around, came in and finished what
the larger animals had left. BY the time
the forty-eight hour had elasped two of
the young men had persisted from cold,
while a third died shortly afterwards. The
Johann Anderson. being a little better cloth
ed than his companions, succeeded in reach
ing the deserted houses and terri ble sepulchre
which had once been his house.
He found some other articles of clothing
and Il few scraps of food, which had been
stored away. Armed with those he started
out for White Bear, the ~neighboring settle
ment, %twenty-four miles away, and which
almost by a Miracle, ie Succeeded in reach
ing. He related his horrible story and was
tStlel ipT u well u Aiit iiblittN iS-thl'SN VI
the poor people would admit. Assistance in
every possible form Is most urgently needed
Cape Chidley. Cape Mugford and White Bay
are said to be the centres of the greatest des-
titution at present known, although other
districts are believed to be worse.
TWENTY-FIVE BODIES EATEN.
Hergenatis Ter, one of the Esquimaux
who arrived here ON the Nancy Barrett from
Okkak, Labrador, says that the population
Of that settlement was nearly lS0, yet when
he left with his wife not u soul remained.
Early in March food gave out. Every drop
of oil and bit of sealskin was utilized and AT
rare intervals a bear was killed, but finally
the supplies were quite exhausted.
On June ) they had eaten nothing for six
days and goaded by hunger feaSted upon the
corpses of several whites and a few Indians
that had been killed by the cold. When
one of their W party died the body was
cut open, the ontrail> were taken out, and
the remainder was frozen up for use. From
this food terrible dysentery set in among the
survivors and on July l there were but six
teen persons left alive, the bodies of over
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