The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-03-27
DIED ON A LIFE BOAT.
The Bodies of Two Sailors Picked Up BY a
Passing Steamer.

The Bodies of Two Sailors Picked Up BY a
Passing Steamer.
NEW YORK, March 25.-The bodies of two
sailors were picked up from life raft on Satur-
day by the Mallory line steamer Colorado off
Cape Charles. Later on the steamer passed
through large quantity of wreckage, such as
would indicate the loss of good sized vessel.
Nothing was found upon the bodies on the raft
10 tell who the men were or to what ship they
belonged. They were given decent burial at
sea, and the raft which had been the stage for
90 terrible a tragedy, drifted away with the
current.
There was a good breeze on Saturday morn
ing, and Second Officer Frank w. Thomas was
on the bridge. The course was due north, the
vessel having left Galveston, Tex, March 9.
Just after seven bells, or II 80 o'clock. Mr.
Thomas sighted, a quarter of a mile ahead,
slightly on the port bow, what looked like
white boat, bottom M. He told the quarter
master to shift the helm so that the Colorado
would pass close enough to the object TO make
out what it was. In a couple of minutes the
floating thing was abeam about hundred
yards on the port side. handful of passen-
gers and all the sailors on deck crowded to the
rail 10 look at II. Ii a white life raft, such
az Is used on steamers. Two metal cylinders,
siT-tight, supported platform intended for the
accommodation OF passengers. The raft was
about ten feet long by four and half feet wide.
Upon the raft which was vigorously tossed
about by the waves. lay two men. Ii was plain
that they were dead One OF the men looked
As II he had died while in the ect of Laundering
further on the raft. His right foot was well in
the water. The other man, whose still attitude
showed that he too had been holding on like
grim death, had evidently been assisting his
weaker companion to maintain his grin.
A boat was lowered and Officer Thomas
Boatswain Hermann Echenaguca aud two sea
men manned It. There was a pretty strong sea
Tunring and they had TO be careful not to ride
over the raft and swamp themselves. First
they raised the body of the man who had been
helping bis companion to hold on. He was
very tall, with dark complexion and dark hair,
cut quite close. He had on two sets OF trou-
sers. black pair over a blue one, q striped
waistcoat, white shirt and around his body
he wore belt The men in the boat thought
he was about twenty-five years old and a ships
officer. The other body was that of a man of
the same age, but much shorter. He was
dressed IN Dungaree overalls and had on
gray flannel shirt He looked like mulatto
and was probably ships fireman Both men
were clean-shaven; their clothing was wet
through. The life line, which goes around
such RATS as the one they had. had been cut
away. After the corpses were taken aboard
the boat a search was made through the cloth
ing. The pockets of the larger man were
stuffed with ships biscuit. He had had time
before leaving the ship TO make this provision
for lonely cruise on the raft.
One of the cylinders of the life raft had been
stove in and was full of water. The name of
jts builder, Capt. Jonathan Cones of Whining
ton Del, was steneiled upon it. Capt. Daniels
ordered the men to row the boat along by the
side of the vessel. Then some old irons were
brought from the engine room and tied 10 the
dead sailors and they were gently dropped over
the gunwales and disappeared at once and for
ever in the deep bosom of the sea. The engine
hall artHf he I'll H. 4
trip.
This entry was made in the log book: AT
II 80 a. m. stopped ship and lowered boat and
sunk two dead men that were found on an I'M
marked life RAFT latitude 80 north, longitude
IA west. Builder, J. Cones. Wilmington.
First part Of the afternoon passed a great guam
tity of vreckage, such as doors, tables, etc.
Detention, one half hour"