Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-04-21
ADRIFI ON THE OCEAN,
Terrible Five Days Experience 10 an
Open Boat.
sunrrings OF shipwrecigch crew --
Insane from rhirst--rhe story
ola survivor.

of survivor
Captain w. s. Dummond and Chief
Officer Meiitum, n the ill.iatod Brit.
ish shi-0ing James, will PASS through
Utah next week, on route ., England
from san Francisco, whuro they ar
rived ON Sunday. Tho King james
was burned At sea aud on Ma ch 3lst,
was abandoned 100 milra from Point
Conception, ON the California coast.
The story Of the wreck and Of the sub.
siqupnt suiurlngs Of the survivors Is
Related by the captain, whose home Is
ut Taypoit, nenF Dundee, scotland.
cat mi lnight on the 3O.h Of
March, " says he, ga gas explosion &C.
Cured on the King james, aud when
1t became dangerous TO remain by her
longer | ordered the boats lowered.
There was nothing else to do. The
crew had mantuliy fought the fire In
the hold Tor nearly n week aud they
were exhausted. had personally
sccn TO the provisioning Of two b9ats
which were slung from the davile, aui
both OF tlo,e, after they were In the
water were maize las. by long lines
until . a. m. on the 3lst. At Ina
hour ! gave orders to leave the ship.
"a HiX.knot breeze was blowing nj
the Time. We had hardly got clear Of
| the burning vessel when terrific eN.
! plosiun tolk place. ~ . pm. on the
| dlst thu wind uud sea Increased. AZ
| b.5J O'Clock, Just rs tho sun was sink
| luz beyond the western hOuzJD, IA big
roller struck US and btfIte anyone
knew where We were the boat cap-izud.
| All but one SWAN ~ the boat, only
eleven, however, including myself,
were able ~ got a hold on the keel.
| About fifteen or twenty minutes later
| gave UrICfs 10 those on the bottom OF
thu boat TO get ON Oue aide and pull the
/ boat Ovur by their weight. "A heavy
sea was running at the time nnd the
waves broke over all OF us. The men
Obeyed the order promptly, and the
boat Tlghttd with Tar lees difficulty
than / had anticipated. Everybody
/ then let 20 their hold. / was surprised
20 see tnu way the men got back int0
the boat. they scrambled into it
ne n nothing unusual was going on,
yet they were out OF sight Of
| land. / tried several times 10 get
In but had 10 bs helped in, finally.
"fhe boat was quite full VI water,
the gunwalus amilslips being two OF
three inches submerged, while here
WIS not more than foot Vi irre board
at tho stern aud bow. We tried 10
bail the bot Uut, butit was ifuitluHa
| Job with the waves breaking over ".
One Of the men struck something with
his foIt and On feeling Ia the water In
| tue bottom uf thD boat the dead body OF
one Of the salljIs who was Ia the boat
when 1t was overturned was found.
The body was thrown overheard.
"lOr fourteen hours We ant In that
bOl with the water above our waists.
We were all In a hopeless and helpless
state. My Sou William, who was
third officer with mt aud u great COM
fJrt, too, being mUat dutiiul, leving
and companiOnablo boy, and Oliver
Robinson, an apprentice, sank In
slumber during this time, anu
died poacsiuliy. could only
m1urnfilly watch my boy us his
| life went out. -Four aallors at
the same time had gone crazy fir
want OF food and water. The TINT
was the worst OF all. My attention was
taken away from my son somewhat,
but my heart blod for him. The raw
ings Of the insane men, their cTies,
curses anu yells and the despair Of
every one ofua made up scene that
bars description. tried 10 encourage
the men by cheering words, but thcse
6oundcd like mockery under the cir
| CumstnnCes.
"After my sou aud the apprentice
mad passed away Ia thHir death sleep
ordered their bodies thrown overheard.
IL nearly broke my heart 10 rec that
fine lad pass from my eyes. He had
been the life of the ship and flvJrite
with all.
"rhe iour insane sailors died and
their bodies were also thrown into tue
SEA. Then II was that the weather
moderated aud We baled out the boat.
We imprOvised fudder from the
bottom boards OF the boat. Oniy
two Of the men aud myself were
capable OF any exertion, anI we did
ali there WAS to do. | OrteIei every
body ~ take OIL the wet clothes they
had worn for three days. The sun was
striking down on US, and we allowed
the boat to driit while all hands got a
little sleep. We all lay down, with our
heaus under the half.deck, aud slept
for five hours.
"rwo Of the four men with me had
shown signs Of Insanity, but the sleep
brought them around. Our thirst,
how ever, was terrible. Our tongues
had swollen In our mouths. Our feet
were also swollen and our legs putisd
~.
"Whon at the southeast end OF Santa
Rosa island we landed William
spence, one OF the party, who was to
search for water. He did not come
back In six hours, 20 We sailed on
the mainland. When close to Hueneme
wharf the steamer Los Angeles came
along anu picked US up on the morn
ing OF the 9th inst Captain Leland
and Chief Steward George Hume could
not have been kinder TO US. We all
were Ia such an exhausted condition
that It was several days before We
recovered"