Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-03-26
ATE THE SHIPS DOG
Terrible Experience of the
Winnie Laurie's Crew.
AT THE MERCY OF THE SEA
The Men on the Verge Of Insanity From
Hunger and Exposure

AImOst Reached Port But Driven Back
by Gales-Everything Above Deck Car
ried Away-The Schooner Adams Comes
to the Rescue and Provides the Crew
With ProvislODs-The Laurie Now safe
in New York.
NEW YORK, March 26.-The American
schooner Winnie Laurie has arrived here
from Hayti. She looks comparatively
safe and at her ease now, and Captain
McRitchie and his crew do not look as if
they had had much of a passage, but to
the last day OF their lives they will
never forget the terrible experiences
through which they have just passed.
The Winnie Laurie left St. Marc, Hayti,
Oh January with a cargo of logwood
for New York. She carried a crew of
eight men, all Of them Russian Fins.
Malcolm McRitchie, the captains brother,
was mate. One man died and was left
at Fortune Island. The remaining seven
came in with the vessel.
A northwest gale struck the vessel
shortly after passing Mole st. Nicholas.
In eight days the schooner had reached
Hatteras. She was then struck by
hurricane and was blown back to Ber-
muda.
After a number of days the vessel sue
ceeded in crawling back west of the Gulf
Stream. She was again struck by a
fierce gale and blown out to sea. After
much suffering from exposure and hard
work in handling the vessel, which was
beset by big seas which threatened to
break her up and send her to the bottom,
they were able to get off Barnegat, on
the New Jersey coast.
This was six weeks ago. Another big
gale came out of the northwest and
drove the schooner down to Hatteras
again. Provisions began to run short,
and finally gave out altogether.
just then the steamship Johannes
Brun, bound for New York, came along
and supplied her. The crew had then
been four days without provisions. The
schooner then tried to reach Hampton
Roads, but was again blown out to sea.
1t was long and a hard fight against
wind and seas in beating back to the
coast. Food ran short again, and finally
gave out completely.
Starvation faced the crew while they
still had to work necessarily to keep the
vessel gfloat. Day after day passed and
the men were gaunt and famished as
they scanned the horizon for the sight of
some vessel to give them food. Captain
McRitchie was laid up in the cabin from
ain injury he received by being knocked
down by a boarding sea. The men were
becoming weak from hunger and ON the
verge of insanity.
There was a small dog on board. The
men took the animal, cut its throat and
skinned it. They cooked and ate it, but
so small was it that instead of satisfying
their hunger the taste of food only in
tensified it. Some of the men became
delirious and one of them proposed that
one man should die in oruer to preserve
the lives of the others. The captain
feared murder would be committed and
armed himself.
Just then the lockout cried Sail no"
and all the men rushed to the rail. The
masts of vessel were seen rising above
the horizon. Never was a more joyful
sight witnessed by starving men. The
sail approached and proved to be the
schooner Andrew Adams, bound to For
tress Monroe from Demerara-
A boat was lowered and sent to the
Andrew Adams to ask for food. At the
same time Capt. McRitchie called his
men together ond told them that he
would release them from their contract,
and if they wished to leave the Inflated
Winnie Laurie and seek safety ON the
Andrew Adams he would allow them to
go. He said he would not keep them to
| die on the schooner.
A flag was run up on the Adams as a
signal that food would be given to the
/ starving sailors This put new life into
the men, and they decided to stick to
Captain McRitchie aud the Winnie
Laurie. A quantity of food was taken
on board, and the men said they owed
| their lives to the Adams.
The trials of the Laurie were not ended
yet, for they were again blown up to
Nova Scotia by a hurricane, and again
| ran out of provisions.
The steamship Jersey happened along
| in time, and for the third time the vessel
was supplied with provisions and again
were the men saved from starvation. She
finally managed to make her way to
Tarpauliu Cove, where she was repaired,
and then she came on to New York.