The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-07-17
WRECKED AMONG PIRATES.
Tho Thrilling Adventures of an American
Crew.


Crew.
Charles Stuhr, lately steward Of
the schooner Gellert, who arrived in
this port on the steamship Clyde last
Saturday, brought news of the wreck
OF that vessel on the reefs of the is
land of Catalinita, in the Caribbean
sea, April 81; of the attack of pirates
and wreckers, of rescue by q passing
trader and of the mutinous conduct
of the crew.
The Gellert, Capt. A. G. Long,
sailed from this port Sauto Domingo
and the San Bias cost with a mixed
cargo and carrying a deck load of
lumber. A tornado struck the
schooner when past the Isle of Pines
and made things lively for two days.
The lumber was thrown overheard,
but the vessel, still unmanageable
was thrown by the surf on the inner
reef surrounding Catalinita Island at
dawn of April 81.
The schooner struck between two
rocks and was firmly held. The
crew, regardless of discipline, man
ned the long boat and went ashore
descrting the captain, the mate and
steward
They collected some flour and bis
cult and when the sea went down
went ashore in the dory. The sni-
lors had found neither food nor va,
ter and welcomed the provisicns. =
camp was made.
That same night thrco stark naked
natives, armed with swords and pis-
tolls, appeared. After some parley
they went away to get help to loot
the vessel. The crew, already much
exhausted, were frightened, and at
daybreak LAUGHED the long boat and
went out to the vessel, bat were un-
able to reach her. While trying, %
native coaster appeared and n num-
Der of armed men put off in small
boat for the Gellert. The tirmness
of Capt. Long and the mate, backed
by a pair of pistols, kept them off.
The savagcs went ashore, stole the
dory and the clothes of the wrecked
sailors and went back to their YES
sell
The captain and mate, by jumping
and swimming from rock to rock, got
out Oh board of the Gellert safely.
Wrcckers, who were meanwhile flock
ing to the shore, failing to cntice
the sailors ashore, threatened to kill
them and began building rnfts. Then
too, the pirates from the coaster
made another attempt to board the
schooner, bat the captain and mate
made IL good fight. The sailors
thinking, as they say, that both wer.
killed, put out to sea.
They were at sea Oh their Oh CCtasfis ars--Aru Afu1 u
over twenty-fQur hcirs, when the ex
hausted men We're picked up by a
trader from Santo Domingo and car
ed for. When the captain heard
their story he straightway changed
his course AMI went to the wreck.
There they found the captain and
mate alive, who had driven off the
pirates, wounding several. The two
captains decided to transfer the
whole OF part of the cargo to the
trader and take it to Santo Domingo,
! $50 miles away, but the crew of tho
Gcllcrt refused to work, claiming
that their pay stopped when the
schooner was wrecked. They said
the captain had no authority over
them, and that they wero too sick to
work anyway. Threats of shooting
did not budgc them, so the cargo
was left on the wrecked vessel and
the trader with the Gillert's crew,
sailed for Santo Domingo.
At that port Capt. Long charged
his crew with mutiny, and the men
were tried before the British consul
and acquittcd.--New York Herald.
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