Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-09-17
IN THE GRASP OF THE pEyILTIsH.


the fsh were torn away from him in small
pieces, 1t was two months before the Dane
was able to get around the vessel, and he
will carry the horrible Disagreement he re-
ceived to his grave,
Three months after this experience the
Tristram foundered during a storm Off the
Nightingale island and sank on a shoal.
The Dane and two other sailors fled for
safety to the rigging of the ship, and us she
sank and the water rose about her mastH
the men went mp. When they reached the
highest yard arm, the vessel struck the bot
tom, and the three men were perched on
the frail support with the storm raging
over them and the wild sea around them
Some time during the night one OF the men
became exhausted and fell into the water.
The storm subsidized the next morning,
and the sea ran down. The heat Of the
sun became almost unbearable, and the
men soon began to suffer from thirst and
then hunger. The waves ran about two
feet under the. yard on which they stood,
and to render their situation more horrible
number Of sharks gathered about them,
splitting the water with their fns and
thrusting their noses above the water as q
already relishing the feast that they wera
waiting for
In the afternoon the Danes companion
lost his head and sprang into the sea, and
the Dane saw him crunched In the jaws Of
the sharks that fought over his body. This
terrified Dane tied himself to the yard and
was found in an unconscious condition on
the day following by the whaling bark
Witch of New Bedford.
Ill luck had got TO running in the direc
tion Of the Dane, and he seemed in fai,
way of succunbing to It, Six months after
he was rescued from the mast he had an
other thrilling experience. A heavy storm
came up, and the Dane was sent aloft TO as
sist in furling sail. He was ut tho ex
tremity OF yard when the vessel suddenly
lurched, and he lost his hold. He fell into
the water, but being a good swimmer he
managed to keep atoat, and the next wave
that came swept across the dock OF the YES
sci. carrying the sailor with il and lodgin1
him under the Ice rail with a force thai
broke one OF his legs and knocked his senses
completely out OF him.
Once more this I'll starred man was spared,
and in a few weeks he was able to hobbls
around the deck on crutch, and in dus
time resumed labor. A short time after
that the Witch started for home. The
storm must have tried her severely, fol-
she sprung a leak, and In spite OF all that
the men could do at the pumps the watef
gained on them, and they were finally com.
PEELED TO take to the boats and abandon the
vessel
They hoated about Tor 1--WE days. They
suffered from the heat, but they had plenty
of water and provisions to keep them alive,
There were three boats OF them. On thd
morning OF the sixth day they espied a
small island a few leagues away and made
for 1t.
The surf was running high on the shore
Of the island, but the sailors thought they
could land safely, and they made the at
tempt, with the result that the entire mum
Der, with the exception of the Dane, was
drowned He got hold of an oar, aud aft.
er hard struggle he managed to reach
dry land. The island was a small affair,
but the Dane managed to subgist on the
berries that grew there in profusion for a
few days until picked up by the brig Elec-
ira, which carried him TO New London.