The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-16
IN AN OPEN BOAT AT SEA.
Five Days and Nights In Search Of
Aid for q Disabled Ship.


Mercy of the waves-The Mate and
Three OF the Grew Start In a Life
Boat for Assistance, and Row and
Sail 46o Miles Before They Find It.
A Tug to Be Sent to the Disabled
Vessel.
The British steamer Clandeboye, Capt.
Strickland, bound from Cardiff for Vera
Cruz, with a cargo Of paint, fuel and
machinery, is lying on the northeast coast
of Little Bahama Island, about one and
half miles from land, in twenty-eight
fathoms Of water, in a disabled condition.
Her tail end shaft broke April %, while
10 miles northeast of Abaco light She
drifted around the ocean in the various
currents until last Wednesday, when she
cane to anchor of Bahama.
Chief Mate II. I. Hay and three
men left the ship Thursday morn
ing, in an open boat, TO
search for assistance. They arrived at
Tybee at O'Clock yesterday morning,
after having been five days and nights on
the ocean without having spoken pass
ing steamer.
PICKED UP BY TIE CYNTHIA
lntN were kdhEl vi bOulu blAG 1hHCA-
Ter Towboat Company's tug Cynthia, and
brought TO the city, where they arrived
at clock and reported TO j. F. Minis
& Co., ship brokers. Carlisle IL Co,
of London, the owners Of the
steamship Clandeboye, were Immediately
cabled the circuu stances Of the accident.
They instructed Minis s. Co. to engage
tug boat to go TO her assistance. The
steamship will have to be lowed TO some
port to be discharged before new shaft
can be placed in her, as the broken part
is too deep in water at the stern of the
vessel, to be repaired.
IL was not decided yesterday whether
the vessel win be towed to this port or to
her destination 1t is very probable that
a tug boat will be secured here to go TO
her assistance.
The names of the four men who arrived
here from the disabled steamship are H.
T. Hay, chief mate; William Hossack,
carpenter; Thomas Donnelly and II. Hal
sing, seamen. They were pretty well
fatigued after their adventure of tve
days on the ocean in an open boat and
were glad to find a harbor.
Five DAYS AT SEA.
The mate tells an interesting story of
the accident to the steamship and the in
cioents connected with the adventure of
the men in the small boat on the trip
from Bahama here.
1--WE left Cardiff April l." he said,
''with a cargo consisting of paint. fuel
and machinery, for Vera Cruz, and were
about 40 miles northeast of AbacO
lighthouse, April q, when the accident
occurred. There is no way to account
for the break down, as nothing unusual
had happened TO warn US of any disar-
rangement in the machinery, and the
weather was bright and fair. 1t came all
OF sudden and we were soon drifting at
the mercy of the sea, with the tail end
OF the shaft broken between the pro-
peller and where it enters the ship. We
could not get at it to make repairs, so we
drifted around In hopes of sighting some
passing steamer and signaling her for
assistance.
DRIFTING WITH THE CURRENTS.
1.-THE trade winds and ocean currents
carried US in every direction. One day we
drifted "a miles another day, 40 miles
and so on. have some curious accounts
to give to the photographic bureau of
the currents in that vicinity when l
make my report to the Office
I'VE finally sighted land last Wednes-
day and dropped anchor bout a mile and
a half on the northeast coast of the little
Bahama. 1t was decided that boat be
sent out into Florida straits, to seek as
sistance from some passing steamer A
life boat was lowered and manned by my
oNAL anu IAlEHG OLuGE Aubu. we were pro-
vided with plenty of provisions and water
and did not suffer for the want of some
thing TO eat and drink, although we took
our meals under difficulties during our
long and tedious trip.
TO BE GONE A FEW HOURS.
'Weleft the ship at o'clock last Thurs
day morning. said Mate Hoy, land ex-
pected 10 return with assistance in a few
hours. We were disappointed, however,
and piuhf n me an wit ~
sight. AL that night we drifted about
with no better success The next day we
were struck by frequent squalls, in one of
which the mast-step was torn away. We
succeeded in repairing it, however, and
the balance Of the trip was devoid Of acct
dent, 1t rained nearly all Of the time,
and kept us busy bailing the boat. We
had considera BILE difficulty in keeping our
provisions dry, and preventing salt water
from getting in the CaSk, as the waves
frequently broke over US.
1.-THE first vessel we sighted was a
Norwegian bark bound south. We sig
nailed her, but she paid no attention to
US. We still expected that some steamer
would come in sight, but we were disap-
pointed until Saturday night, when we
saw the lights of a side-wheel steamer
bearing down upon US.
1--WE attempted to make light, and with
some difficulty we finally got one lantern
III, Dub Jne steamer Went by, although
we were close under her bow I suppose
we were near the ceast of Florida, and
the steamers skipper thought we were
boys out on a fishing frolic
I'VE had lost our bearings by this time
and could not have found our way back
TO our steamer il we wanted TO, so we
kept steering for the western shore. The
wind was blowing from the southeast
and carried us at n brisk rate toward
the Georgia coast. Fortunately we spoke
the schooner Raymond T. Maui, from
New York, bound TO Brunswick, or Tybee
on Monday and from her we got our bear
ings and made for the inlet We arrived
inside Tybee bar this morning at O'Clock
where we found the tug Cynthia, which
we boarded and were brought to the city
FATIGUED FROM EXPOSURE.
eve We're stiff and sore from our Ions
exposure to the weather, and the crampeC
position in which we were placed in the
small boat for five days and nights, anC
when we got on the tug boat, we were 81
fatigued that we could not stand upoI
her deck. We are getting in shape again
having dried our clothes. which had beef
soaking since last Thursday, and we fee
quite comfortable now"
Those on the ship have no knowledge o
the wherea bouts of their companions VIII,
left them expecting to return in a few
hours, but who instead sailed $50 mile
before they were able 10 communicat,