The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-02-01
A Tragedy of the Sea.

NEW YoRK, Jan. 27.-The second officer OF
the bark Lizzie Perry, which was wrecked
three weeks ago on the Barbados coast. ar
rived in New uork to-day He brings thrill
ling story of the rescue of the two survivors
of the vessel Alfred Watts. They are the
only survivors of 2s persons who had sailed
on the Watts from View York for Japan,
with cargo of gas oil.
On October Il, during sudden gale gi-
gantic wave broke over the vessel, sweeping
her decks from stem 10 stern. Ali the per-
sons on the ship were on deck at the time.
Boats, gear houses, etc, were torn loose and
hurled into the ocean. With them went
sailors and passengers. Twenty-Five of the
shrieking, drowning men were swept far
from the ship, but six managed to cling to
one of the forward deck k-houses which, shat
tered as it was, foated near The sudden
ness of the thing was appalling.
Then came hours of misery. The wind
went down, night came on and the survivors,
rousing themselves from the stunning blow
of their misfortune, began to realize the aw-
full horror Of their position in mid ocean on
a piece Of wreckage that scarcely hoated be-
meath their weight, and with no water or
food. They were the captain. c. Johnston !;
young man from Philadelphia named Bur
CESS: the two men rescued, Magnus and
Linn. both Sxeies, and two others who are
unknown.
Ax1. 81 hoo
and the Captain and yonBg Burgess plunged
into the sea, and swan few yards, when
the former suddenly gave a fearful shrek,
struggled for an instant and sank, and sink
ing left a streak of dark blood behind HIM
The sharks had secured their first victim.
Burgess swan back and the attempt to Sc
cure the boat was abandoned.
Pieces of board were torn from the house
on which they fioated and used as paddles,
trying TO reach the ship from which they
had been swept, which was discerned mile
away. Hour after hour the men toiled.
burnt with the hot sun overhead. famislled
and parched. and yet no apparent progress
was made Night fell and the relative posi-
tons Of the hull and wreck were maintained.
Again the sun rose. and once more tired
muscles were strained in the endeayor TO
reach the ark Of safety, but four days elapsed
before the ship was reached and then only
two men crawled up On its deck
Young Burgess had become delirions and,
shrieking that he saw land close by, plunged
overheard. The following day the reason of
two Others failed and they, too, leaped into
the waiting ocean. One of these last was an
Irishman from Liverpool
Magnus and Linn found on the ship a
cask of water that had escaped the univer-
sal destruction and a quantity of salt bacon
and lived ON these till rescued But it was
81 days from the time of the wreck till sue
cor reached them and they were in terrible
condition.
Then the Lizzie Perry went ashore on
reef and the unhappy men again had an ex-
perience of shipwrcck. The crew of the Liz
zie Perry were rescued by passing English
vessel, which landed some at Barbadoes and
took Others to England The American Con-
sui at Barbadoes has notified the New York
authorities that the two men in question
have been sent to that port on board the
Mary Bartillon, which is due in New York.