The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-01
ADRIFT IN A BARREL.
Experience of the Wife of an italian
Sailor.
From the st. Louis Globe-Demeorat.

New London. Conn, Nov. S-The bark
Crispo. bound from Jamaica to Prince
Edward Island. with a cargo Of rum and
molasses, put in here for repairs. In the
! ueighborhood of the Bermudas she en-
| countcred a small hurricane that weak
enCd her foremost and carried away her
/ flying iib-toom. On board was woman
| that was picked up about 200 miles north
/ east of the Bermudas floating in a mo-
/ lasses hogshead and nearly dead from ex-
posture and hunger. The woman tells a
| story Of adventure that is rarely met with
| even in the annals of seafaring life set
| forth in fiction
She gave her name as Mrs Mary Bre-
| tauO. and according 10 her story she set
| sail Sept. y from AreCibO, San Juan
Island. in the Italian bark Cerquinez, of
| which her husband was captain. They
carried a cargo of rum, mOlasSes and
| spices. and were bound for New York.
From the start the Cerquinez met with
rough weather aud made slow Roadway.
When fifty miles southeast of the Ber-
mudas two sailors were washed overheard
by heavy sea and drowned. This acct
dent left the bark with a crew Of only six
men.
a strong gale setting toward the land
continually prompted Capt. Bretano to
keep well out in the ocean for fear that
he would be driven ashore. He sailed
about 100 miles to the eastward of the
Bermudas, and would probably have man
aged to pull through but for The fact that
one night tremendous wave came over
the windward quarter of the vessel,
smashed in the roof of the cabin and car
ried away the pinnacle. This accident
left the bark without a compass, and the
captain from that time on got his bear
ings from the wind, sun, and stars. In
consequence OF storm clouds that almost
continually obscured the sky, the sun and
stars were of little help to him. Under
the influence of these uncertain guides he
must have sailed long distance ocean
ward.
For nearly three weeks the bark
butfetcd the heavy seas, making but slow
neadway; then one of the sailors was
stricken with pneumonia, and, in spite of
all that the crew could do, he died. This
left five men aboard the bark, and that
number was cut down to three a few days
later, when a sea came aboard. tore a
boat from its faStenings and swept it
against the mate and the cook, driving
them against the leeward rail and crush
ing the life out of them.
THE BEST OF THE CREW DROWNED.
With but two men to assist him. the
captain found himself unable to manage
the vessel properly. Mrs. Bretano had
followed the waiter with her husband for
several years and she was something of
a sailor. She did her best to assist, her
husband, but in spite of the efforts Of the
depleted crew, the vessel sheered around
until she sailed squarely before the wind
For two days she drove inland before a
terrific gale that finally carried her fore
mast away, and few hours latter a sea
ripped up the wheel and carried it over
board, taking with it two men who were
steering. The captain and his wife were
alone, and, with the steering apparatus
gone, all they could do was to hope for
the best
To keep the vessel steady in her course,
200 fractions of two-inch haWSer rope in
two length, were run out over the stern
and allowed to drag in the water. This
had the effect of keeping the craft out of
the jaws of the sea. Every inch of sail
had been blown away, and she was sail
ing under a torn miZZenmast and main
| mast. The captain discovered that the
| vessel was leaking, and, dashed to the
| pump stanchiOns, he and his wife worked
| the pumps, hoping to keep the craft afloat
| until she should be driven ashore
Twenty-four hours without rest, the
man and the woman toiled at the pumps {;
| then Mrs. BretanO's strength gave out
| and her husband continued alone The
'ttNoh SNAhoN OiA viz pumps anu w llCIl d
sea came over the stern and swept the
| length of the bark, tearing up the matches
| the water poured into the hold like cat
aract The captain seeing now that work
at the pumps was useless, he turned his
attention to devising some means of saw
! ing his wife. 1t was a question of a few
| hours when the vessel would 90 down,
and she was likely to be overwhelmed any
moment by the waves that were growing
! heavier.
| With the assistance of his wife the cap
| tain managed to get an empty molasses
| hogshead out of the hold, and flashing it
! to the mainmast, he cut a square hole in
the side of it large enough to admit the
body of his wife. Around the barrel he
| fastened several lengths of strong rope,
securely flashing them there, so that the
| barrel was finally inclosed in a sort of net
work of rope. To the end of these ropes
that hung from the side of the cask,
! opposite the hole, he attached several
! pieces of pig iron, that together weighed
good many hundred pounds. Into the
! barrel he put provisions and water and
wearing apparel, and after all his wife got
in. Then the barrel was unlashed from
the mainmast.
ADRIFT IN A BARREL.
With his wife provided for, Capt Bre-
tanO began work on another hOgshead
that he intended to prepare in the same
/ manner for his own occupancy. He had