The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-03

OF AEn a. AEAQn 9AAB " ~ A0N 81
for Miles by Some Marine Monster.
Sharks Imprison a Party OF Ship
wrecked Sailors on Rock Till Most
of Them, After Wild Efforts to
Escape, Die Horribly.
From the Chicago Times.
Alto o'clock of September evening
twenty years ago the brigsDolphin, bound
from Demerara TO Pernambuco, was Of
the mouth Of the Para river and making
about two knots an hour in the light
breeze when the lookout reported the
hulk of another vessel dead ahead. He
had not been keeping a vigilant watch
or he would have seen the obstruction
sooner. It was not a hulk, but tree
with a very large top, and before the helm
could be shifted the brig ran slap into it.
The collision was not a violent one and
under ordinary circumstances we should
have been put to no more trouble than
using the axes for few minutes. All Of
US in the watch on deck at the time knew
that it was a tree we had run into, and all
were called toward 10 assist in clearing it
away. Only one man had reached tho
heel Of the bowsprit when a couple
of large tiger cats came over the bows
growing and splitting and every man
rushed aft. We were thirty-five miles
off shore. and had there been anything
like breeze we should have been in a
bad situation. Everybody aboard was
soon made acquainted with the state of
affairs, but that didn't help the case any.
There wasn't even a single-barreled pis-
tOl aboard, and it soon became evident
that the animals were dangerous visitors.
They had probably been afoat two or
three days at the least, for they were
suffering with hunger and thirst They
scented the fresh water in the scuttle
butt at the foremost, but OF course could
not readily get at it. They climbed over
the cask, scratching. biting, yowling, and
while some of the men took TO the rig
ging of the mainmast the remainder found
shelter in the cabin.
The helm being deserted, the brig
slowly preached to, carrying the tree fast
TO her bows, but as she was taken aback
the obstruction was cleared. We could
not see these things from the cabin, but
knew when they occurred. Fortunately
for US the wind kept falling and the
weather was steady. Had it hrCe ed up
smartly we should have met with disas-
ter. A ships scuttle butt or water bar
rel is as stoutly made as a cider barrel.
1t did not take the tiger cats over quar-
ter of an hour to pierce one of the heads
with their strong, sharp teeth, and as the
water poured out on deck they fought to
see which should get the first taste. 1t
was good half hour before their thirst
was assuaged, and then they were ready
TO rummage around for something to
eat. They came shifting and
yowling about the cabin doors and sky
light in way to make our hair stand on
end, but they could not get at US. The
Dolphin had fo'castle in place of deck
house, and in roaming around the decks
the tiger cats came to the opening, the
slide of which was pushed back. The
scent of something attracted them, and
after. a little hesitation they leaped down.
We Ia the cabin did not know this, and
no advantage would have been taken but
for the courage of one of the sailors aloft.
He saw the animals 90 forward, but only
suspected that they had entered the fo'-
castle. He descended to the rail, pulled
of his boots and then ran forward and
closed the slide and fastened it. We
were then free TO take possession of the
decks and get the brig out of her fix.
We had captured the cats, but they had
captured the fO'castle. For about two
hours they kept up such racket that
every man was ready to spring aloft at
an lnstaut's notice. Being turned out of
their quarters the crew had to bunk on
deck, but it was after midnight Before
anyone felt sleepy. We had no means of
killing our captives, and it was finally
decided TO feed them and take them into
port. This plan we carried out, but we
had better tried some other, even to
starving them in the fo'castle. We could
find no one who would buy them, and had
topay government official SIS for the SER
vices of six soldiers TO kill them. The men
We're half day in accomplishing this,
and hfed over a hundred bullets into the
fo'castle. When we had a chance to in
spect the place we were amazed at the
havoc wrought. Everything in the line
OF bedding and clothing had been torn to
shreds, and this four missing pairs of rub
Der boots must have been devoured by
the hungry beasts when they first en-
tered the place. The bad luck did not
stop there. In securing the claws as rel
les one of the men received a deep
scratch on his hand, and within a few
hours blood poisoning set in and resulted
in his death.
The landsman calls the sailor supersti-
tious because the latter sees and relates
things which cannot possibly happen to
the former, and for that reason he denies
that they can happen at all. 1t would be
next TO impossible to find sailor no mat
ter what his nationality, who believes in
the legend of the 'FlVing Dutchman, -
but there are hundreds of them who have
witnessed strange things in strange crafts
at sea. We were off the coast of Liberia,
bound from Liverpool to St. Paul de Lo-
anda, when / turned out on watch one
night at midnight We were storming
along like a railroad train when got a
hail from the lookout who was an oldish
man and one to be depended on. | went
forward in answer and he looked foolish
and confused as he explained that he
thought he had sighted a ship dead ahead
OF US. l took long look with my glasses,
but nothing was 10 be seen Ii
wasn't over ten minutes before the man
hailed me again, and it turned out as be-
fore
'I'm sorry to have troubled you, sir"
said the man, as he shaded his eyes and
peered into the gloom ahead, "but on
my honor, was sure l made out craft
ahead"
BE was to be commended for his vigil
lance rather than reported for his delu-
sion, but nevertheless when [ went for
ward in response to his third hail and
could see nothing he got a blessing in
tended to sharpen his eYesight | was
still speaking when a bark suddenly APP
peared on our port bow and not a cables
length away. Everything, from mast
heads down to rail, was clear enough to
the naked eye, but the decks were
shrouded in a sort of haze. Through nv
glasses saw man at the wheel an officer
walking The quarter deck, and man on
Jne lookout. We gained on her foot bv