Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-08-09
HALF OF CREW LOST
Starvation and Drowning
The Fate Of the Men
WRECKED IN THE ARCTIC.
Some Of tho Survivors Forced to Eat
Dead Comrades Body.

BOSTON, Aug. 0.-The whaling bark
James Allen of New Bedford, which sailed
for the Arctic ocean on a whaling cruise,
left San Frsncisco-April IA, 1894. She ran
on an unknown reef about two months
cut. Five Inen were lost and ID missing.
Captain Huntley tells thiS storyi 'The
ship struck at a. IN. In thick fog Four
boats were lowered. The fifth mate re-
fused to leave the ship. One Of the boats
manned by Second Mate Allen and Is sail
ors, disappeared In the darkness, and is
still missing.
"Ths others 20 in number, reached
Amlia island, but provisions were scarce
and they tried 60 go to ounalaska, 100
miles distant.
"On the morning Of April 20 my boat
capsized, and the crew and myself, num-
bering IS, were thrown into the sea- The
remaining boat came quickly TO eur
rescue, but still too late to save the lives
of John White, William Fitzgerald, G. Z.
10y and Frank Murphy, eeamen.
"On the LIST we landed on Unwak island,
living there from hand to mouth by
gathering shellflsh aud catching cod.
From the day Of landing mp TO June six
men died Of exposure. They were William
Dory, Joseph Pena, Sam Masterson,
Austin Gideon, Harry Taylor and Pat
Connolly. All were buried under the
sand Of the beach.
In Search of Help.
"On the 9th selected a Grew Of five men
and started for Ounalaska for help. We
provisioned our boat and sailed away, ar
irving at Ounalaska on the l2th.
"I boarded the Bear and told OF the nine
men we had left behind. Captain Healy
lost no time In getting under way, and on
the l4th we arrived back at the island,
finding the men alive, but just able to
crawl about"
Here the captain paused and passed his
haaN across his forehead. Then he con-
tinued: This part Of the story would
rather not relate, for ] found them In
hut clustered about pot that was boiling
over o fire. That pot contained human
flesh"
The nine sailors In duck uniform told
the story of how they were
Forced To Become Cannibals.
William Andrews, foremost hand, acted
as spokesman. He Is an intelligent man,
Of not more than 30 years of age, with
pair of badly disfgured hands that had
suffered severely from frostbite.
"After the captain left for 0unalaska,"
commenced he, i've used our two remain
ing fishlrOoks to catch fish. Our luck
varied, and it was difficult for US to de
pend upon the catch for food.
"Our quarters were in q little dug-out
that was hardly large enough to accom-
modate all. We burned a fire In the cen
ter of the abode day and night.
1--WE had shotgun and plenty Of am
munition, but there was nothing to shoot
except seagulls, and these were so wild
that we could not get within range OF
them. Shellflsh then became our food.
1--WE secured the island for bivalves and
soon exhausted the supply. There was
spring of water close to the dug-out. We
Almost Lived on Water.
"Days came and went, and still no sign of
q rescue party. 1t rained almost contin-
ually, and we were forced to remain under
shelter nearly all the time and suffer tor
lures from the binding smoke that filed
the hut. Our feet and hands were frost
bitten, and our strength was fast leaving
us.
"On the 10th of the month our suffering
from hunger had become so great that we
determined TO do something desperate. In
tlrOWlHH our hShihB iiho nnAohb WIG hoohs
1t got caught and was lost. Then we
planned TO exhume the body Of Austin
Gideon and devour It,"
The revolving details which necessarily
followed the narrative concerning Gideon's
fate were then repeated by the sailor. He
turned to one his companions James
Allen, and requested him to verify his
statement. Allen acquiesced.
The nine half-starved wretches were re
moved to the Bear, fed and clothed, living
TO tell the horrible tales Of their adven-
lures.