Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-05-18
AT SEA IN A SAILBOAT
BATTLING FOR TWENTY-ElGHT DAYS
WITH ADVERSE WINDS.

Captain Peterson of the bark Lady
Lampson, his wife and five sealnca ar
rived in Honolulu in an cmaciated con-
dltion. They came in an open boat only
IS feet long and reported that they had
been % days tossing about on the Pacific.
While the occupants of the frail craft
were not entirely without provisions dur
ing their long battle with the clements.
the effects of short commons and lack of
sleep and shelter We're palpably apparent.
Mrs. Peterson, who was clad in a thin
black gown, was Worn nearly to shad-
ow, and her Strength failed her COM
pletely as she was lifted from the boat
and taken into the Eagle House
The men were sUnburned, leaden eyed
and lstless. Their heads drooped. and II
was with difficulty that they could be
got to speak, but Captain Peterson told
in few words that the Lady Lanipson
had been wrecked At night on reef near
Palmyra island when 1 / days out from
Sydney, and the crew We're compelled 10
take to the boats. He was very weak
and spoke III a whisper, ut the same time
begging that his wife be taken where she
| could get nourisLncn. and little rest.
The kanaNas lent willing hands to
help the waits of the ocean into hacks
| and carriages, and they were quickly
driven to where they could command at
tention. The little boat in which they
had journeyed over 900 miles became
an object OF interest for hundreds of peo-
PIE. 1t was partly decked in with can
| vas, and strips Of the same material had
been stretched above the gunwale on Ell
Their side 10 prevent her being swalnrcd.
In the boat were a couple Of nearly emp
wv 6
biscuit and canned goods.
Il haven't had my clothing off for %
| days" said Captain Peterson when seen
| at the Eagle House. He was hollow
checked and unshavcn and looked l. eel
as if he had suffered both mentally and
physically. The Lady LampSon," he
said, was from Sydney. and we We're
bound to this port with GOO tons Of coal
for Wilder s. Co. We left Sydney last
November and were Il days out when
| the vessel struck. We had had bad
weather near Fcejee, having been in Il
hurricane for 24 hours, bat after that we
had fine northeast winds until we got
| near Palmyra island, when the weather
became dirty. 1t was $50 o'clock on the
morning of Jan. 16 when we struck.
had not had an observation for two days.
The night had been dark and stormy,
but the water was smooth then. l knew
I was to the east of the island, and that
there was a sunken reef somewhere
around. l was on deck myself and had
two men on the lookout aloft. There is
| a strong westerly current there, and l
| guess we were going about five knots an
hour with all sails set.
Five minutes after she struck she be-
gan to break up, and l ordered the boats
l., Il ,l.- I i
| charge of one, and First Mate Harry Mil
Ter took the other. In my boat there
were. besides my wife and myself, Sec
ond Mate c. Brown and Seaman W.
Cartoon (hoth Swedes), Cabin Boy ".
Hayden Of Liverpool, T. Weller. the
cook. who is a German. and E. Everson,
a Norwegian sailor. The mates boat
contained German sailor named Sny-
der Oscar Ma@nerseE. Il Swede; j. Jor-
gensen, q German, and a seaman named
| Martin.
I'VE started for Palmyra island in
company about in the morning, having
only five gallons of water for the two
| boats. The island is only 40 miles from
the reef, but the current and tide We're
so strong that we Were trying for nine
days to make Roadway against them, but
couldn't. We drifted to the westward,
SO resolved 10 pun DICK 10 TIE DdTh.
We suffered greatly through want of
water and we had barely enough to
moisten our tongues, which We're swollen
| and dry.
1--WE found the bark settling down and
the water washing over her. so we got
| aboard quickly and put some canned
goods, biscuit and water into the boats.
We rugged the boats with canvas and
| then started again for Palmyra island.
We tried for two days to make Roadway,
but the heavy swell and wind baf1ied Us.
Thinking l would lose sight of the mates
boat. | told him to steer for Honolulu,
and l stecred for here myself. We lost
sight of the other boat and have had
heavy gales ever since. l have only had
an hours sleep at q time during the day,
and have never laid down. At nighttime
the spray came over, wettlng us all to
the skin. and in the day we dried our
clothes in the sun, if there was any. The
men have been quiet and accomplishing.
even though on short allowance of food
and water, and, thank goodness, we lost
nobody from our boat. 1t was terrible
| experience, though, the worst have met
with during Il years of seafaring.
After we passed the island of Maui
we struck a storm, and the boat half
filed with water. We thought then it
was all over after passing through so
many other dangers, but we managed to
bail her out and keep her right. The
first vessel we saw since we struck, %
DAYS ago. was a steam schooner off Dia-
mond head this morning. 1 hope the
mates boat is safe, and if he steered to
+J,a aoS+yx-ard I think they are all right -