Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-30
HARD USAGE AT SEA
Sailor ROLLS Relates Some of His
Snfferings 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 We're Nearly Starved
To Death.
From n. Y. Herald.

From N Y. Herald.
All | desire lis to bring to notice the
treatment accorded to sailors who go
away in whaling and sealing vessles after
seal skins and blubber oil around Cape
Horn and to the island of South Georgia
| was on board of schooner of 100 tons
register called the Sarah W. Hunt, of
Stonington. Conn, from the 9Th of Sep
tenn Der, 1890 to the 7th of April 1891.
Master Buddington, of Gorton, Conn.
shipped seven white mtn at Montevidio
September 6, $780, We were boarding at
a Greek sailors house. Two Greek ran
ners, who carried revolvers and dil IS,
went with US to sign. They told US we
were to sign for $40 month, to go whal-
| ing on the coast of South America for
| five or six months. At the time of signing
we saw neither consul nor master. A lad
about IL 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 tlils were Put in front of us to
sign for S25. Each nan 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 to know what we were
working for. He said, 81 have paid your
bills for SGT each man" We are all on
shares, we had better come to some agree
ment, or else go to prison. To take of
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 Goth day of Sep
TENDER, 1890, we arrived at Spaniard 5
Bay, close to Cape Horn. Next day we
went on shore and chopped wood for the
ships use. We loaded up with logs and
made for the seal rocks. For six days af-
ter leaving Montevmeo 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
go any closer on account of the seals see
ing the sails. We would leave about two
or three clock in the morning, taking
coffee and biscuits before leaving. We
would land the shooting party on the
rocks and then lay off and on with clubs
in our boats till our boats were full or
darkness had come on. We were kept
the whole day fasting, pulling in heavy
sea. Sometimes we would drop down
with hunger. On reaching the schooner
we would take our 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 be done before we
could rest. 1t was sometimes one O'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 were working the rocks.
This master did not h we any license.
He would not pay the Argentine govern
ment, but went Oft on the smuggling
business, risking everything. If he saw a
light he would think it was 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 AIll liz IuTlUt lOI " 6Sb GOlnU
Falkland Islands. The master bought
some sheep from a farmer. Twenty of
them were salted. 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 AID
his father, who was seventy-fve 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 uninhabited island called South
Georgia. We anchored December 4, 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 sufferings were most severe.
We were called about two o'clock to 90
on shore. Nobody can live on this island
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 mountain about
two miles to kill sea elephants and sea
leopards for the blubber to make oil. We
we're mao e 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 to swallow our meals
but drove US like pack of slaves, and
IT we said anything we were IN danger of
being shot down or plN in double irons.
This work lasted up to March 2, when
the schooner was loaded, with deck load
best des
THE MASTERS DoCToRING.
A colored boy about seventeen years old,
who belonged to Cape de Verde Islands,
was sick FIVE weeks under this mans
treatment. He gave the lad four doses Of
morphine inside of four hours. He did
not know how to treat his patient, and he
soon found out that he could not save him.
He was, in fact, killing US all by inches
through starvation. when he could have
run his schooner to FARMLAND Islands for
provisions and medical treatment.
We buried the lad in Cumberland Bay,
the Island of South Georgia. The master
and his father did not show any colors out
of respect to the lad. Our colored cook,
who belongs in Florida. also died. He
had been sickiy for some time. The mas
ter made me attach two bags of shot, fifty
pounds in both bags to the cooks feet.
The cook had been on board two years,
working day and night for the men who
would not bury him decently.
About four days out from South Georgia
we began to feel pains all over our bodies.
We could not make ont what was the mat