Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-23
First Nate Marks Awful Experience
in the North Pacific
WITH MUTINEERS AND MAN-EATER
Seamen Kill Their Captain and Throw Him
Overheard
JUST IN TIME TO SAVE THE MATES LIFE

This gentleman was N. G. Marks, sea
captain, en- route from Portland, Ore, te
the Atlantic coast, and the story as heard
from his own lips, is as follows:
''I was wrecked on the coast of British
Columbia during the terrible gale which
recently swept from one end to the other Of
the Pacific coast, and am now on my way tc
report to the owners of the ship and cargo
She was whaler named the Blanche Buck.
ingham, and hailed from the Pelican Inlet
on the coast of Maina. We sailed from port
nearly three years ago with crew of II,
beside the captain and two mates. I Twas
the first mate. The captain was an old
whaler named Captain Leroy Autrey, and
be has been the friend of my lifetime. He
and my father had first shipped together
and this friendship had never been broken.
"After striking the whaling grounds we
had excellent luck, and was slowing away
considerable oil. Everything on board was
peaceable, with the exception OF two men
who had hard feeling Tor the captain, and
conducted themselves in such a manner as
to cause them to be thrown into irons upon
! two occasions. Upon the last occasion they
seemed to have repentef and promised better
behavior, and everyone supposed all trouble
had been amicably settled.
MUTINY AND MURDER
"Some two months ago we were off the
coast of British Columbia, some 600 miles
from land, and one day when I was out
with nine Of the crew in two yawls,
one of my crew noticed a signal be-
| ing worked from the main mast rigging. 1t
was evidently one OF distress, and at once
hastened toward the ship. 1t was little
after midday. Ny mind was filled with
iorebodings, for the captain and the second
mate had remained on board with the two
men have spoken of, and the cook. As we
neared the ship the man in the rigging
proved to be the second mate, who warned
us not to come along side, and said the two
men had killed the captain, and that he had
only saved his own life by springing into
the rigging armed with harpoon, which
prevented the murderers from following
him. The cook was threatened, but begged
for his life, and had been secured in the
cabin. My first thought was to board the
ship, but the mate told me the men were
crouched on deck, armed with harpoons. so
1 withdrew.
"Waiting until after dark I rowed to
within a short distance of the ship, and re-
moving all my clothing, 1 armed myself
with meat knife, slipped into the water,
and struck out for the ship, and what hap
pened to me in the next few minutes would
fill the pages ofa lifetime"
"All the firearms on the snip were
locked in strong iron-bound box, the only
key OF which had in my possession. in
tended swimming to to her, climb upon the
rudder, secure the pistols, and either cap
ture or kill the murderers.
u had succeeded in swimming about 100
yards from the yawls, when my heart was
almost paralyzed with horror as I became
aware of the presence of shark. 1 could
hear him rushing toward me, its dorsol fin
cleaving the water like streak. The
horror OF terrible death crept over me, and
in an instant 1 seemed to live an age of
suspense. Quickly drawing my knife, and
as felt the swell on the water which pre-
ceeded the monster, 1 gathered myself ior
desperate attempt to dive, which was sue
cesstully done, and the huge form shot over
me like flash lar out into the depths be-
yond. The ship was only few yards dis
tant, and realized it was fight for life. I
was desperately wedged between two foes,
which I knew to be equally dangerous.
SAVED BY A CORPSE.
eff cried to the mutinous seamen
aboard, they might refuse me assistance, and
it not, would perhaps save me only to be
butchered, To escape the shark was next
to an impossibility which l recognized as I
heard the bafled monster making the water
boil as he turned to renew the attack. I
realized it would be but an instant before
the "man-eater" would be upon me again,
and I fairly threw my body out Of the
water in making such strenuous efforts to
gain the ships rudder. I could again hear
that chilling sound like the cold cutting
Of knife through the water. I felt the
swell of the monster behind me, and every
fiber in my body was struggling to escape
Ny breath was suspended and my eyes
seemed springing from their sockets trying
to measure the distance to the place of
safety. All at once the near approach of
the fish filled me with the horror OF failure,
and turned to meetit with the knife which
carried in my teeth, when heavy body
shot over me into the sea, and was nearly
drawn into the vortex.
II heard the steel-like jaws OF the mon
ster close upon and crush the unknown OBJ
ject as I grasped the rudder, and, almost
senseless, yielded to relaxation. I don't
know how long l lay there, and never an
infant, pillowed against Its mothers bosom,
rested more sweetly than 1. 1t was mo-
ment of peace with all the world, and my
entire being seemed going out in prayer
of thanksgiving for my miraculous escape.
Hearing the sound OF voices above me,
recognized the speakers as being the two
seamen. THE old brute will never put us
in irons again. heard one of them say,
and knew that the murdered captain had
saved my life; that they had thrown his
body into the jaws of the hungry shark. and
the friend of my lifetime, while cold In
death, had become my savior.
A FIGHT FOR LIFE,
"Aroused to action, I climbed up the
rudder-post and finally reached the open
ing, through which crept into the pantry.
crept into the apartment where the
ordnance chest was kept, though the room
was inky dark. I found it, and, had opened
the lid, when I heard men at the door.
sprang to iasten it, but it was too late, and
one of them entered with lantern in his
hand. He uttered curse of surprise as he
recognized me, and in the same instant I
kicked the lantern from his hand, and we
were in total darkness. Quickly drawing
my knife. I plunged it into his body, and
with dying yell he sank to the floor; so
deeply was the knife thrust into his body
that the handle was drawn from my grasp
as the dead mutineer dropped. The other
man was carrying an ak, with which to
chop open the arms chest, and as his COM
rade went down he struck at me, the keen
edge crushing into my side. Mad with
pain, 1 clinched with him, and with both
my hands caught him by his long, full
beard. With the madness of maniac
pressed him to the floor with the determine
tion of crushing him to death. he was
smaller man than I; but, crazed with pain,
and growing weak from the loss of blood,
made one determined effort; I doubled him
up, and, bending my entire force upon him,
I heard the cracking of joints. groan, a