The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-10-28
ADRIFT IN THE BAY.
An Old Mans Awful Experience
ON an Upturned Boat.
A Night Of Agony Spent Clinging to the
Bottom of a skiff - Rescue When
Almost Dead From Exhaustion.

John Anderson, resident of Oakland.
had an experience on the bay on Monday
night that he says will last him as long as
he lives, and but for the timely appearance
of fisherman named Antoine Broccato he
would, perhaps, not be alive to tell the tale
of his suffering while adrift on the bay on
an upturned boat for nearly twenty hours.
Anderson is recent arrival from Port
land, Oregon, and as he is 81 years of age
and alone in thu world he has hard time
Of 1t to make both ends meet, so turned his
attention to fishing, aud purchased skin
and few lines
He says that he started from Oakland
about o'clock on Monday afternoon aud
sailed quite distance up the bay, and then
began to fish. his luck was very poor, how
ever, and about o'clock he started back to
Oakland.
UPSET BY SWELL.
He did not arrive home. because about
o'clock his boat was upset by the swell OF
passing steamer and the old man was
| thrown into the bay. Anderson managed
to swim to the boat and climbed on her
bottom, but by that time the steamer was
too far away for those on board to hear his
cries. To make matters worse the fog be-
came very thick and shut out everything
from his sight There was enough wind to
raise quite ch0ppy sea, and he mad ALL ne
could do to retain his seat on the boats
bottom. To add tn his misery he could not
tell which way the tide was running, and
he believed he would be carried out to sea.
Only once during the long night did
vessel pass near him, but the noise made by
the paddle wheels drowned his cries and
she disappeared in the dense fog. and n
derson was once more left TO face death
alone. The sharp wind blew through his
wet clothing and in short time his teeth
were chattering with the cold, willis his
hands and feet became so numbed that he
had the greatest difficulty in clinging to the
boat.
PRAYED FOR DAYLIGHT.
Slowly the long hours passed and the old
man prayed tor daylight. and to his horror
when daylight did appear he found himself
in what was TO him an unknown part OF
the bay and no vessel in sight that could
render him any assistance. Hunger ana
thirst also added to his misery, and he
stretched himself across the boats bottom
fully prepared to die, as he had given up all
hope of being rescued. Faint and weak
Anderson says he almost prayed for the
end.
Sill he chung to the boat, and often
searched the bay for an approaching vessel.
but none came, and as the hours wore on he
became almost craZed at the thought OF
spending another night on the upturned
boat. When picked up he was on the verge
OF insanity. Inc man tllat rescued MIN was
an fisherman, residing at South San Fran
CISCO and on his way home from his days
work.
RESCUED OFF HUNTERS POINT.
Broccato speaks very little English. but
from his account of the rescue he dlscoy-
cred Anderson on the upturned boat some
where off Hunters Point, about 2;30 o'clock
yesterday afternoon. After considerable
difficulty he helped the old man into his boat
more dead than alive, and then took the boat
in tow. Owing TO the halyards being fast
the mast was still stepped, and finding he
could not tow it, he spent nearly an hour
trying to right her, but could not succeed
and finally abandoned her. Anderson was
landed at Long Bridge about o'clock, and
made his way to Fourth street, where he
met Lloyd Ferral, an old acquaintance. He
took the old man across to Oak land, after
procuring him some dry clothing and some
thing to eat.
Anderson had suffered so much from his
long exposure that lie could hardly step
from the street-cdr at the ferry.