The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-01-26
WRECKED MARINERS
AND THE1RTERR1B1E sUFFERINGs
Thrilling Experience of tho Survivors OF a
Foundsrsd Bark = Ten Days without
Food or WAtsr-sOmo Perish from
Hunger, Others Become DolsriOuS.

NKW 1oRKt Jan. ZO.-AmouK tne pas
Bengers who arrived on the steamshir
San Marcos yesterday from Havana, Wert
seven Of the crew Of the bark D. Chapin
Of Boston, which foundered OF sea OF
Christmas day. The survivors wert
adrift in q boat about ten days withou
food or water. Capt. W. O. Hull, thC
cook, and q seaman psrished from hungel
and starvation, and the rest got so desper
ate that they were tempted to turn canni
balls. Ira W. Oolbeth, the mate, told laSt
night the story Of their distress.
The bark left Turks Island on DsCem'
ber 1S, for Boston, with q large cargo Of
salt. On Christmas day Q giant wave
stove in her waist all Of sudden and
sent the men to the boats.
"We came away with neither provisions
nor water and no clothing except what
we had on" said Colbeth. "The boat
was twenty-five feet long, with centre
board, and had four pairs Of oars. We
brought two gangwRy ladders, and keep
ing the boats head to the sea, We tied the
ladders on TO the painter to form drag.
A heavy northwest wind tossed the boat
about like cork, nearly upsetting 1t many
times and keeping US busy all night long
bailing. After forty-eight hours the wind
and sea moderated. On the third night
about dusk two-masted steamer from
the southwark passed US TO westward. 1t
was 90 dark we could little more than see
the masts. All hands shouted ct the top
OF their voices, but We 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 look out Tor
more sails. Before long the cook, John
Anderson, the jap, was praying, too,
and they kept It up all night until the
captain became delirious. His cries for
water were piteous. In spite Of all our
efforts he got to gulping down salt water.
In the morning he died In sgony. We
all knelt around him and prayed God to
HAVE MRRoY ON HIS SOUL,
and we all wept like children when we
dropped him into the sea. We had lost
all hope. The Jap also died. 1t was the
sixth day in the open boat and the last day
OF the year, when the next day Hans
Peterson, seaman, 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 1t began
to rain. One Of the seamen took of his
oil cloth coat and two men held 1t out fiat
TO catch the drippinRs. We had an old
FIVE gallon tin oil can which we had used
as boiler, and we got about three quarts
OF water in half an hour. We held up the
coat as long as we could see single drop
90 into the can, then took the can and
dealt 1t out equally TO all. We had to
drink 1t all up, because the can leaked end
the one holding 1t had to keep the hole
plugged up.
We had been drifting south, and having
clear day and the heat Of the sun We
took off our wet clothes for the first time
and dried them, putting them on again at
night, "a the nights were raw and cold.
We stuck up oars in the mast hole with Q
coat stretched, across them and sailed all
the ninth day. We settled down for
another sleepless night.
ABAIL AT LAST.
Out Of the darkness the first thing we
saw on January wss schooner several
miles away. What did we do? Well,
weak as we were we moved pretty lively.
Yes, we were sighted by the schooner.
Mate Jasper, q fellow townsman OF mine,
had spisd from the forecastle what he
thought was wreck in the distance, and
he called Captain ]. W. Murphy from be-
low. It was OF the Louis G. Robel, from
Boston, bound for Sagua Lagrande. They
eased off and sailed right alongside OF Us.
We were so cramped with salt water that
we were entirely helpless. When the
mate threw line into our boat man in
the bow caught It but he was too weak to
hold 1t. Then the captain passed blight
OF rope over and hauled US up in the loop
OF 1t without any assistance from his crew.
He said We we're as light as feathars. We
made directly for the water tanks, but we
were allowed but glass apiece and food
was dealt out In small bits at frat. You
can't imagine how happy we were. There
never was kinder friend than Captain
Murphy. He took us to Sagua, where we
arrived January IL. Captain Hall had q
wife and daughter at South Dennis, Mass.