Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-01-26
4 TERRIBLE TALE
fold By the Survivors Of . Shipwrsksl
Crew.

New, York, January 26.-The steamer
Ban Marcos, which arrived here from
Havana, on Tuesday, carried among her
passengers seven of the crew Of the bark
d. Chaplin, OF Boston, which foundered at
sea on Christmas day. Mr.. Ira Col eth, one
OF the survivors relates the following:
The survivors were sdrift in bost about
ten days without food or water. Captain
W. Z. Hull, the cook and seaman per
tshed from hunger and priyation, and the
rest got 50 desperate that they were
tempted 10 turn canibals. The bark left
Turks Island for Boston. with cargo Ut
salt. In the Christmas day gale, . giant
wave stove her in the waist all Of . sudden.
and sent the men 10 the boat.
We came away with neither provisions
nor water. and no clothing except that ws
had on said Colbeth." The boat was
twenty-five feet long. with center board,
and had four pairs of oars. We brought
two gang-way ladders, and keeping the
boats head TO the sea, We tied the ladders
onto the painter TO form drag. A heavy
northwest wind tossed the boat about like
. cork nearly upsetting il many times and
keeping us busy ali night long bailing.
After iorty-eisht hours the wind and SEQ
moderated,
"On the third nigh: about dusk, two
masted steamer from the southwark passed
US TO westward. Ii was ~ dark we could
little more than see the masts. All hands
shouted at the top Of their voices, but Ne
were not heard, and we grew respondent
The captain said he was going TO pray for
help and he told the rest OF us To keep .
lookout for more sails. Before long the
cook, John Anderson, and the Jap. were
praying too, and they kept it up nearly all
night until the captain became deliriouA
HIS nifpnna In
Of all our efforts he got To gulping down
salt water. In the morning he died in
agony. We all kneit around him and
prayed God TO have mercy on his soul, and
We all wept like children. Then We dropped
him into the ses.
I'VE had los, all hope The Jap died. Il
vas the sixth day in the open boat and the
last day OF the year. When. the eXt day.
hans Petersen. a eaman. dropped away
from hunger and exposure, without saying
. word, we began TO look at each other.
We could almost have eaten him, but We
dropped him overheard. Then it began to
rain. Ono OF the seamen took of his oil
cloth coat and two men held il out fiat 70
catch the drippings. We had an old i've
gallon tin oil-can, which we had used q Z
bailer, and We got about three quarts Of
water in the hall hours shower. We held
up the coat as long As We could see . single
drop go into the can. Then took the can
and dealt out equally TO all. We had to
drink il all up, because the can leaked, and
the one holding i; had to keep the hole
plaSWSsd !!Ws hssS sS, hssn drifting .,,,h h.x,,, .
clear day. and in the heat of the sun We
took OFT our wet clothes for the first time
and dried them, putting them on again At
night As the nights were raw aud cold. We
stuck up OARS in the mast hole with . coat
stretched across them. and sailed all the
day. We settled down for another sleep
less night, and on; OF the darkness the first
thing We saw on January I was . schooner,
several miles away What did We dot
Well, weak - We were. we moved pretty
lively. Yes, We are sighted by the schooner.
Mate Jasper, a fellow .nwnsman OF mine,
had spiei from the focastie what he
thought was . wreck in the distance. and
he called Captain J. ". Murphy from BE-
low. IL was the Louis G. Rabel, from Boz
ton, bound for Sagua Ia Grande. They
eascd off and sailed right along side Of US.
We were 50 weak, cramped and covered
with salt water boi!s that we were entirely
helpless.
When the mate threw q line into our
boat, the man in the how caught il, but he
was too weak to hold il. Then the Captain
passed a blight of rope over and hauled us
up in the loop of il without any assistance
from his crew He said We were as light -
feathers. We made directly for the water
tanks. but we were allowed but glass
apiece and food was dealt out in small bits
at first You can't imagine how happy ~
were. There never was kinder friend
than Captain Murphy. He took Us to
Captain Hull had a widowed daughter a.
South Dennis Mass