The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-07-21
CAST AWAY IN THE PACIFIC.
HE TERRIBLE FATE OF a CARGO
OF GILBERT ISLAHDERS

Their Rrig Cspsizes and All Perish Except
ssmnii Boat Load-The survivors suEer
Tortures from Hunger and Thirst-Feed.
Ing for Days on Human Fiesh-An Die at
Last Except Two who Reach Land.
SAN FRANc1sco. July 2O.-A horrible story OF
shipwreck and suffering in an open boat under
| tropical sun comes from the coast OF Mexico
II throws new light upon the fate,of the brig
Tahiti and her cargo Of Gilbert Islanders
| men. women, and children. who were taken
from the South Sea to work on coffee planta-
lions in Mexico. Last September the Tahiti
put Into brakes BAY. near San Francisco. hav-
Ing been blown many hundred miles of her
course. She was short OF water and pro-
visions. and her rigging was sadly In need Of
| repairs
Aboard were nearly 400 Gilbert Islanders
| crowded into . space sufficient for hiatt that
number. and there were also Capt. Ferguson
and his wife. II. II. Leavitt. a New York law
| yer. and a young physician. DR.. John Gibson
| Of San Francisco. Gibson left the ship and so
did the FerGusons. Leav!tt. who was really
| the speculator In this labor venture. remained
| aboard and took on a new Captain named
| raulsen. The port officials made q feeble at
tempt to seize tho Tahiti. but she got away
and sailed for her destination. San Benito.
Mexico.
The next heard OF her was in October. when
tho steamer Roseville sighted her floating
| bottom UP OF the Mexican coast. War ships.
steamers. and sailing vessels have hunted for
possible survivors without succesa Even the
| wreck is lost somewhere on the Pacific.
Now comes a strange story. Leon Martell.
an illiterats Mexican. is the narrator. He has
Just come from Manzanillo. Mexico. whore he
| spent several months. Four months aGo.
| while UP the coast sixty miles from there. he
heard of and visited two shipwreoked men.
One was Russian Finn named Johansen.
and the other a Gilbert Islander. Thev said
| that they were on board the Tahiti when she
| capsizej. and that. with four others. they es-
| capped in small boat. Tho brig capsized in a
heavy suuall on the night Of Oct. 10. and was
! bottom up inside Of five minutes. The boat
| in which Johansen claimed to have made his
escars was on top Of the house. and foated oi
! when the brig capsized. Four others. three m on
| and a woman. all Gilbert Islanders. climbed
| in with him. They had neither food nor water
| and only three oars. When daylight came the
| brig was or- ~ sight
On tho fourth day the woman died and the
men were forced to eat portions OF her body to
keep thems elves alive. For the first few days
after leaving the brig it blew a gale and the
men had all they could do to prevent the boat
from being swamped Several heavy showers
fell, but did them little good. as what fell in
the boat or was caught in their clothing WAS
mixed with the salt spray that constantly flew
| over them. Then the sun came out and beat
down on the unfortunate castaways with
tropical force and they suffered terrible tor
lures from thirst
One of tho Islanders drank salt water. went
mad on the tenth day. and tlna'y plunged into
the sea. Four days later another Islander
died and the two survivors threw him over
| hoard. That night it ratrcd hard and the suf-
fering men caught enough water to qucnch
their thirst. The next day what was left OF
the body of the woman was thrown overheard.
On the III nrnin- Of Oct. %. sixteen days after
leaving the Inflated brig. the boat was cast
ashore. and more dead tiIan alive the two men
craw!nd out of her al aid down on the beach.
The we're carried to the hats Of some fisher
men near ~. and it was th"re Martell found
them. The lander had recovered from his
experience but lohansen was still sick.