The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-03-12
FOOD AND FUEL GONE.
A Disabled Steamer and Famished
Crew Adrift at Sea.

Five Men from the Briscoe Have Reached
Land in a Small Boat-Their Story of
Battle With Storm, Ice, Cold and
Hunger-The Steamer Little More
Than a Wreck.
st. Johns, N.F., March 11.-At noon
today, a life boat was describ bed making
for the Cape Race signal station, which
two hours later proved to be one be-
longing to the disabled and overdue
steamer Briscoe, containing First
Mate Mackey and four men in an ex-
hausted condition. They reported the
Biscoe lying about Sky miles SIS. W., off
Cape Race. They left her at midday
Friday but, after pulling four hours,
discovered that the compass had gone
wrong, due, oubtedly, to the iron
ballast carried bv the lifeboat. The
compass defect was not discovered until
the Briscoe was again sighted after their
four hours of hard work. The boat was
again launched Saturday morning, and
from II o'clock on that day until their
arrival at the signal station the five men
also suffered considerably during the
night from cold, and were slightly frost
bitten. First Mate Mackey made the
following statement concerning the
Briscoe's voyage: "We left Hamburg on
December sth, but were forced to put
back to Queenstown for repairs. We left
there January 31st, and 4 encountered
terrific weather. The decks were swept
by high seas continually and the rails
and bulwarks were carried away. The
bridge was gone, the deck houses, etc.,
destoyed and nothing was left standing
but the two lower masts and the funnel.
The vessel was a complete wreck. Then
the starboard bow was stove in by the
ice, but the compartments were still
tight. She was full of water forward,
however. Our supply of coal ran out
Then we began to cut up the furniture
and other woodwork for fuel. The
steamer Ululand, which sailed from
Halifax February 27th for London took
the BriscOe in tow on March and, but
left her at 8 o'clock the following morn
ing after towing her one hundred and
twenty miles. Then a repetition of our
formerssexperIence set in, and we drifted
along using up all the available wood
work we could find on board for fuel. A
new danger now confronted us. The
supply of food ran out and the crew were
nearly reduced TO Starvation. There
were no provisions on board save little
bread and small quantity of -four and
some peas. A small fire was kept in the
galley to prevent the men from perishing
from cold. The other fires were let go
out for lack of fuel. The third engineer
became sick and is suffering from a
severe attack of sore throat. The re-
mainder of the crew were not i'll,
although reduced to desperate straits.
The captain wanted us to bring the third
engineer ashore with us in the boat, but
we deemed it unwise."
The tug Ingraham left here to search
for the Briscoe as soon as the above news
was received. The coast steamer
Virginia Lake also sailed from Trepassey
last night in the endeayor to find the
steamer. One of these two will probably
get to her tomorrow. The Ingraham
took provisions for the famished crew.
She will call at Cape Race for the chief
Signal officer, and has the best chance OF
finding the overdue steamer. The
Briscoe carries cargo of manure salt.
She should have arrived at New York
February II.