Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-28
A SHIPWRECKED CREW.
THEIR TALE OF SUFFERING ON THE
SOUTH AMERICAN COAST.

Kept al Sea by the Sight of Cannibals.
Feasting on Mussels and Sea Grass
Boiled-A Party of Ten Evidently SwaI-
lowed Up by the Breakers.
An extraordinary story of shipwreck and |
suffering was brought to Liverpool by the
captain and officers of the iron bark Glen |
more, of Carrickfergus, which left Mary |
port, Cumberland, for Buenos Ayres, with a |
cargo of iron rail on the 4th Of December, |
1887, and which was wrecked on a sunken |
reef off Cape Diego, on the South American
coast, on the Sth of April. Mr.. James Nor
gan, the second mate, has given the follow
ing account Of the experiences of the crew:
1t was blowing a gale and showing at the
time. We got out the lifeboat, and the
whole crew, sixteen all told, embarked in
her, without being able to obtain any pro-
visions or any clothing. At daybreak we
pulled seaward, for the frowning precipices
on every side, towering thousands of feet
above the sea, seemed to render landing
hopeless. Several of the crew were pros
trated, and lay helpless in the bottom of the
boat At one point, where the cliffs were
somewhat lower, party of ten or twelve
Fuegeans, naked and all men over six feet
high, appeared on the cliffs. They gesticu-
lated and shouted, but all the seamen could
distinguish were the words "knipe" (knife)
and biscuit" Not liking their appearance,
and knowing that they had reputation for
| cannlbaIism, the crew again put out to sea-
REFUGE AT LAST.
The following morning, the 9th, sighted
| Staten island, and succeeded in landing,
about o'clock, at Flinders bay. Here We
| obtained the first drink of water we had had
| since leaving the ship-about forty hours.
| The next morning We found case of curry
| on the beach, and this, with some berries
| which We found on stunted bushes, made us
sorry breakfast. We then launched our
| boat and proceeded down the land, intending
| to make ST. Johns, where there is light
house maintained by the Argentine Republic.
By 4 p. m we were all utterly done up, and
we landed at Port Cook, where we "feasted"
on mussels and limpets, which was all we
got that night.
The next day we proceeded, and landed at
St Johns utterly exhausted We were most
Hospitality received. Most of US were suffer
ing severely from frostbite, and all of us
from utter prosuation, but we were carefully
tended, and in about a fortnight had all re-
covered On our arrival we were informed
that we had come at good time, as the re
lief steamer from Buenos Ayres, which i:
| supposed to visit the lighthouse every three
months, was due in few days She, how
ever, failed to arrive, and We afterwart
ascertained that she had been wrecked OF
the voyage out from Buenos Avres. Pro
visions soon began to fail, though We had fan
shelter and fire, for which abundant fuel wa
found on the beach.
We at first had biscuit and timed beef, bu
gradually came dowE TO seaweed, boiled o.
raw at choice, few fish, caught with hool
and line in the bay, now and again a seal, al
unlimited supply of mussels, penguins an'
steam BIRDS in the capture of which tw
dogs on the island were very expert The
had, however, to be soaked in vinegar, o
which there was, fortunately, good supply
for twenty four hours before they could b
eaten, so strong was their fshy favor.
THE MISSING SIXTEEN.
When We had been on the island for tw
months, and things were about at thei
Yorst-tor there IS nlne months. mater az. az
was sighted, aad ten of our party put off t
intercept her. She signaled their arriva
and we supposed that they put back wit
provisions to fetch US off; but we never sa'
any more of them, ard could only conclud
that the boat on her return was swampe
and all her crew drowned. Shortly aft
this our troubles were increased by the q,
rival Of seven of the crew of the British bar
Cordova, which was lost close TO the san
point as our own ship. Ultimately, on tt
18th OF September, the relief steamer arrive.
and on the 18th we bade farewell to our IL
voluntary quarters.
Morgan added: During our stay on Il
island a story was told to us by the lighthou
people, which simply repeat About eig
teen months before our arrival there Il
crews of two vessels landed on Staten Islam
about twenty-five miles from the lighthous
- and were apparently ignorant of its exis
ence-indeed it has only been establisht
about five years. After an interval Of son
weeks sixteen of the thirty two arrived at Il
lighthouse with report that the others b;
died. They were taken of by the rel
steamer, The sequel is that shortly befo
our arrival the lighthouse people, exploriI
the region of the reported landing OF the
men, found little above high water lev
three or four beef barrels, which on exam
nation were found to contain human renal
salted down. l hesitate to say what the i
ference must be-Boston Herald.