The morning call., 1891-02-07
SICKNESS and
DEATH At Sea.
Horrors Of a Floating Hospital and
Ocean CharleEHOuSe.
A CAPTAIN GOES JAVA-FEVER MAD.
Arrival Of The British Ship Earl Of Zetand and
Her Stricken CrGW-Her Commander and
Eleven SGamel Left in The Hospital at
Singapore "A Voyage Long to Be Re-
mGmherGd.

The British ship Earl of. Zetland reached
this port yesterday from Batavia, after a
passage OF 172 days. Her cargo consists of
sugar for j. d. Spreckels & Co..
The entire voyage was marked with sick
ness and death, and will long be remem-
bered by those on board.
The Earl of Zetland is an iron ship of
146l tons register. She sailed from Glasgow
on the 9Th of November, 1889, bound to
Sydney with a general cargo, and Captain
Cunningham i'll command.
The ship experienced nothing but light
head winds from the start, and was 1856 days
in getting to Sydney. There the cargo was
discharged, and the ship went around to
Newcastle to load coal for Java. Batavia
was reached after passage of fifty-four
days, light winds prevailing all the way.
TAKEN DOWN WITH JAVA FEVER
Here, after discharging her coal, the ship
was loaded with sugar for San Francisco,
and her crew were nearly all taken down
with the Java fever. The ship sailed from
Batavia on July 1st and the next day her
second mate was taken down with the
terrible fever. On the 4th two of the able
seamen were also taken sick with the same
disease. On the 5th of the same month the
boats vain, three able seamen and two ap-
prentices were taken sick. Everything was
done for the feyer-stricken men that could
be, but on the Sth of July the boatswai
James Fleming, died and three more men
were taken sick. Next day the boatswain' s
body was buried at sea.
GLOOMY OUTLOOK.
Things looked very gloomy for the fever
stricken crew, and matters grew worse
when on the 10th five more seamen and the
WI striakan 6OUn II fhic
time the ship had light variable head winds
and every few moments the handful of men
left had to man the braces TO keep the ship
as near her course as possible.
The chief officer, Mr.. johnson, did all he
could to cheer up the men, but il was hard
task for twu or three men to work a ship OF
over 400 tons.
In this condition the ship reached Soura-
baya on July 18th. Next day five men were
sent to the hospital and the remainder were
treated on boaTd the ship.
SENT TO TfE HOSPITAL.
On July 21st the second mate with two
seamen and three apprentices were sent to
the hospital Some of these came back to
the ship before they were well and were
again sent to the hospital. 1t was then de-
cided TO move the ship down To PrObalingo,
a distance OF so miles. ami some native sail
Ors were shipped TO assist in taking the YES
sci down.
On the 22d William Gilmore, an ordinary
! ScduuLy ultu III lut uOS plldl dl OOuTdpayd.
! and on the 25th the second mate, with the
rest OF the crew, returned to the il-fated
ship.
fresh start was made, and the Earl of
Zetland sailed for San Francisco on the 4th
OF September. But the stricken crew, al
though they showed every sign of being
willing, still had the dread fever in theiI
blood and could not be depended on for an
hour at time.
THE CAPTAIN FEYER-MAD.
On September 18th, when the shin was off
Carlmata Island, Captain Cunningham, who
was himself Down with the fever, decided
to put the ship INTO Singapore in order to
obtain medical assistance, as he felt totally
unable TO continue the voyage.
Next day the fever had such hold on the
captain that he became deilrious and raved
about the decks like maniac, threatening
to shoot any one who disobeyed his orders.
The unfortunate man became so violent that
every weapon or any article by which he
could injure himself or any of the crew was
kept out of his reach.
On September 10Th the ship came to an
anchor off Pedro BrancO, fifty miles from
Singapore, and the captain was so violent
that tile first officer, with the assistance of
some of the men, with great difficulty over
powered him and placed him in his room.
He soon smashed everything in it, and it
became necessary to remove him to a strong
room forward, where he was confined and
the door barricaded.
SENT TO SINGAPORE.
On Sunday council was held and the
third mate was sent up 10 Singapore in the
German steamer Ashwatbe to inform the
Captain of the Port of the condition the
vessel was in and obtain assistance. He
returned on the 23d with tug and the
fever-stricken ship was tOwed up to Singa-
pore, which place she reached the same day.
The next day Captain Cunningham and
eleven of the unfortunate crew were sent to
the hospital to be cared for.
The agent then teegraphed to Captain
Nicholson. chief officer of the British ship
Australia, to come to Singapore and take
charge of the Earl of Zetland.
He arrived on the 4th of October and at
once shipped fresh men TO fill up the crew,
and on the 9th of the same month the Earl
of Zetland once more sailed for San Fran
CISCO
IN PORT AT LAST.
The ship had light head winds all the way
down 10 Java Heads, a distance of 500
miles, and was eighteen days making that
distance. From the Heads to San Fran
cisco the ship had fair passage, but her
bottom is so foul that she was longer than
US ual i'll coming across.
Chief officer Johnson says he never before
saw such bad luck in his thirty-five years of
seafarng life.