Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1888-12-12
A STRANGE SHIPWRECK,
On the Ocean Thirty Days in q
Loolxy Old Hulk.
killing of the Mate and Mysterious Dis
appearance OF All the Crew
Extracts from the Diary of
the Sole Survivor.

When you read of shipwrecked
crew being picked up after six. ten or
sixteen days of drifting about on the
Atlantic in yawl, you are surprised
that they were not sooner sighted.
Novelists would have us believe that
the ocean is dotted with sails, and that
every square mile of it is plowed over
at least once day by craft of some
sort Let one look at the shipping in
the harbors of New York, Boston and
Philadelphia, and he will almost won
der how they can avoid each other
outside. 1t is hard for one to realize
the immensely of the Atlantic until
they voyage across il. / made vow
age from Cape Town to Australia.
clear across the Indian Ocean without
one single sail being sighted made
one from San Francisco To New Zea-
land and sighted only two. | made
one from the Sandwich Islands to Lima
without passing any craft close enough
TO see her hull. L was once wrecked
oil Santiago, and during the seven days
we were on raft twelve ships came
within sight, and three or four of
them almost within hearing of our
voices. and yet none noticed us. No
craft except whaler keeps lookout
aloft. A ship may therefore run with
In mile of raft or within two miles
OF dismantled hulk, and see nothing
unless by accident. II the way ahead
is clear, the average steamer. ship, or
brig has no eyes for any other point of
the compass.
In the year 1860 | left the island of
Trinidad on the English brig Duchess.
bound for Parnahyba, coast of Brazil.
An English syndicate had been boring
for coal oil near that port, and with
such indications of success that we
were taking up n large cargo of tight
barrels to hold the stuff. These bar
rels had come to Trinidad as SALVAGE
from a wreck, and had been bought i'm
by the syndicate. Each barrel had n
hardwood bung, and each bung was
driven in place as the barrels came
aboard. | state this because these
simple details had a great bearing on
the length of our voyage. Having sew
eral thousand barrels aboard, any one
OF which would have Aoated two men
In the water. there was no danger of
the brig going to the bottom, no matter
II she started half dozen panks. II
was, doubtless. for this reason that
the captain, whose name was KimbaIl.
lett port short two men. Indeed. we
had crew which would have passed
Tor shabby on any sort OF a craft.
There were only three of us who dared
rate as able seamen. and the captain
was almost too drunk TO walk when we
left port
i wanted to get down the coast TO
JOIN Scotch whaler. or should never
have become one of the crew OF the
Duchess. She had an unseawortbv
look from mastheads TO the water
line, aud things aboard were very
siovenly- However. we got away aft
err "a deal Of fuss and feathers. and.
hauling well out from the coast. set
our course. We had just four hours Of
fair weather, and this gave us time to
get the decks cleared Of the afIlc.
Then the wind suddenly veered about
and struck Us head on. and we were
obliged 90 box the yards about. While
we seemed 70 be going ahead all the
time, We no doubt made drift enough
20 Offset IL. as the brig was little better
than a square box at most. and IN she
had any best sailing point, no one had
ever discovered IT, Every time she
made a tack 10 took all hands 20 swing
the yards. and after one night Of f.
there was good deal Of growing
The captain shut himself up for "a
quiet drunk, and the poorest man be-
fore the mast soon sized the chief mate
up correctly. His name was Hastings
and while he made great show az
commanding the brig. it was easy to
sec that he was very much worried
over the responsibility The second
mate whose name was Walters. made
no bones about confessing his unfit
ness, having never been any thing
higher than mate Of r. coal schooner
on tho English coast
Or She evening Of the second dav wo
had trouble. a big negro who had
shipped before the mast refused 10 do
duty. Some mates would have Knocked
him down Off-hand and half killed him.
but Hastings was afraid Of him. and
went down TO consult the captain.
That official was in drunken stupor
and could not be aroused. The mat
returned 20 the deck and made threats
and the result was a murder before oul
eyes and before one Of us could liz ,
hand 10 prevent The negro was u,
only mutineer. and all the rest OF Vi
were for the mate Had be ordered ul
To- seize aud bind the negro not mai
would have hcsitated While he va