The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-07-30
AWFIII, STORY
or shIpwrocked vessel-Threo Survivor
Feed on n Corpse.


SAN FRANCISCO, July 22.-Last Sep
tember the brig Tahiti put into DralS's
bay, near San Francisco, having been
blown many hundred miles out of her
course. She was short of water and
provisions and her rigging was sadly
in need of repair Aboard were nearly
400 Gilbert Islanders crowded into a
space sufficient for half that number,
and there were also Capt Ferguson
and wife, II. II. Leavitt, New York
lawyer, and a young physician, DIR.
John Gibson, of San Francisco. Glib
son left the ship, as did the Fergu-
sons. Leavitt, who was really the
trader in slaves, remained aboard and
took on new captain named Paulsen.
The port officials made feeble attempt
to seize the Tahiti, but she got away
and sailed for her destination, San
Benito, Mexico. The next heard of her
was in October, when the steamer
Roseville sighted her floating bottom
up off the Mexican coast War ships,
steamers and sailing vessels have
hunted for possible survivors without
success. Even the wreck is lost some
where on the Pacific. Now comes a
strange story.
Leon Martell, an illiterate Mexican,
is the narrator. He has just come from
Manzanillo, Mexico, where he spent
several months Four months ago
while up the coast sixty miles from
there he heard of and visited two ship
wrecked men. One was a Russian Fin
named Johansen and the other Gill
bert Islander. They said they were on
board the Tahiti when she capsized,
and, that with four others, they escaped
in small boat The brig capsized in
heavy squall on the night of October
10, and was bottom up inside of five
minutes The boat in which Johansen
claimed to have made his escape was on
top of the house and foated off when
the brig capsized. Four others, three
men and woman, all Gilbert Island
ers, climbed in with him. They had
neither food nor water and only three
oars. When daylight came the brig
was out of sight On the fourth day the
woman died, and the men were forced to
eat portions of her body to keep them
selves alive, for the first few days after
lSdNiIS bIC DiIS ~ JIG" n SdiSS uiN' oiiS
men had all they could do to prevent
the boat from being swamped.
Several heavy showers fell, but it did
them little good, as what fell in the
boat or was caught in their clothing
was mixed with the salt spray that con-
stantly blew over them. Then the sun
came ont and beat down on the un-
fortunate castaways with tropical force,
and they suffered terrible tortures from
thirst. One of the islanders drank salt
water and went mad on the tenth day,
and finally plunged into the sea. Four
days later another islander died, and
the two survivors threw him over
board. That night it rained hard
and the suffering men caught enough
water to quench their thirst. The next
day the body of the woman, though
carefully preserved, became SO repul-
sive that Johansen threw it overheard,
pYeferring to starve rather than eat
any more of it. On the morning OF
October 20, sixteen days after leaving
the ill-fated brig, the boat was cast
ashore, and, more dead than alive, the
two men crawled out of her and laid
down on the beach. They were carried
to the huts of some fishermen near by,
and it was there Martell found them.
The islander had recovered from his
terrible experience, but Johnansen was
still sick.