Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-08-01
Sailor ROLLS Relates Some Of His
SGfferings While in the
South Seas.
Men Allowed Only Four HOurse Rest
Out Of Twenty-FOur for
Six Weeks,
They are Treated Worse Than Slaves,
and Were Nearly Starved
To Death.



seal skins and bluuber oil around Cape
Horn and to the island of South Georgia
4 was on board of schooner Of 100 tons
register sailed the Sarah w. Hunt, Of
St0ninpton. Conn. from the 9Th of Sep
tem5er, 1890 TO the 7th of April 1891
Master Buddington, of Gorton, Conn,
shipped seven white men at Monteydio
September 6, 1890. we were boarding lat
a Greek sailors house Two Greek ran
ners. who carried revolvers and dirks,
went with US to sign. They told us we
were TO sign for $40 "a month, to 90 whal-
ing ON the coast of South America for
Eve or six months. At the time of signing
we saw neither consul nor master. A lad
about II years old took our names and
places of birth. No articles were read to
US. As soon as we got TO the boarding
! house our ILLS were put In front Of us to
sign for $25. Each man received one dol
lar and bottle of whisky, and we were
put on board by the runners. As things
looked crooked we did not turn to till the
master came on board. When he arrived
he asked us what the trouble was We
! said we wanted 10 know what we were
working for he said, al have paid your
4 bills fo1 S37 each man. We are all on
.
ment, or else 20 to prison. To take off
/ that Sl2 | will give you one skin for every
500 skins
Next morning we left and steered south,
/ which told us the captain was making for
{ ape Horn About the 20th day of Sep
! TENDER, 1890, we arrived at Spaniard' 3
Bay, close to Cape Horn. Next day we
went on shore and chopped wood for the
} Tft' ". T., i
made for the seal rocks. For six DAYS af-
! ter leaving Montevldeo we had potatoes
no more We came down TO fat pork,
black, dry. salt beef, brown hard biscuits,
rice without any sweetenlng, dried apples.
! dirty coffee and water colored for tea
! There was no lime Juice on board and the
/ supply of medicine was bad. We soon
! found out that the master knew nothing
about the use of medicine.
LONG HOURS AND scANTY FOOD.
As soon as we sighted the seal rocks we
| lowered away the boats and had to pull
about six miles, as the schooner could not
! 20 any closer on account of the seals see
/ ing the sails. We would leave about two
or three o clock in the morning, taking
coffee and biscuits before leaving. We
would land the shooting party on the
rocks and then lay off aud on with clubs
in our boats till our boats we're full or
/ darkness had come on. We were kept
the whole day fasting, pulling in a heavy
sea- Sometimes we would drop down
with hunger On reaching the schooner
we would take cur fat pork and biscuits
and colored water and set the watch so as
to keep on working taking the skins off
This work had to bc done before we
could rest. 1t VAS sometimes one clock
before We got through, and there was
steering and looking out besides. We
wero fit to fall down and sleep over our
work. We did not get four hours rest
out OF every twenty-four the six long
weeks while we we're working the rocks
This master did not hive any license.
He would not pay the Argentine govern
meut, but went off on the smuggling
business, risbing everything. If he saw a
light he would think it was q man. of-war
after him He would not carry his side
lights and would run his schooner around
some rock out Of sight As time was
pushing him he made for West Point
/ Falkland Islands The master bought
some sheep from q farmer. Twenty of
them were sailed We had our share of
! fresh mutton, but when that was gone We
had to fall back on fat salt pork and dry
beef None of that salt mutton did we
ever get That was for the master and
his father, who was seyenty-hye years old
| A meaner pair never net.
DESTINATION UNKNOWN.
! We got under way and steered SOUTH
east. We did not know where he was
taking US. About six days out with fair
wind blowing all the time we met big ice
bergs and the weather was getting colder
/ all the time, Two days more brought us
/ to the uninhdbited island called South
/ Georgia. Weauchcred December A. 1890,
/ in Adventure Bay. We wore all sorts Of
clothes and were not prepared to face such
weather This master did not carry full
/ supply OF clothing. He had only a few
pairs of socks and mittens and rubber
/ boots, which were useless on shore among
rocks, Our suferings were most severe.
/ We were called about two O'Clock to 20
on shore, Nobody can live on this island
I 1t is made up Of mountains Of snow and
/ ice glaciers from two to three miles in
length and swampy ground full OF bog
/ holes We travelled over a mountain about
/ two miles to kill sea elephants and sea
/ leopards for the bubber to make OIL We
" ere mace to carry this on backing poles
/ from one shore TO the other. Slavery
could not be worse than what we suffered
/ Sundays were our hardest days for work
|. The master and his father did not believe
in God When on board they would
/ hardly give us time 10 swallow our meals
/ but drove us like pack Of slaves, and
4 If we said anything We were IN danger of
/ being shot down or put in double irons.
Tins work lasted up to March D when
! the schooner was loaded, with deck load
+ besides.
THE MASTERS DoCroRNG
A eaared boy about seventeen years Old,
/ who belonged to Cape &c Verde Islands,
was sick Eve weeks under this man
1 treatment he gave the lad four doses NJ
morphine inside Of four hours He ala
not ancw bow to treat his patient, and he
soon found out that he could not save him
i He vas, in fact, killing Us All by inches
through starvation. when he could have
run his schooner to FransIand Islands ter
provisions and medical treatment.
We huIied the Ia3 in Cumberland Bay,