The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-12-25
SAVED BY FISH BLOOD.
Thrilling Story Of the Rescue OF
Szipwrecked SailorA
By Drinking the Blood Of Dclphins Sin
CastAways Sustain Life Until
Rescued by . Passing
Steamer.

Ste4 nfefs
A thrilling story of sh;pwreck is told
/ by Capt. j. W. Leo, who, with his five
companions in suffering, reached New
York few days ago IN the steamship
| Britannia from Liverpool.
Capt. Leo. whose home is in Rock
| land, Me-, was one of the victims OF
the great September hurricane which
swept the Atlantic coast and brought
devastation to this city.
TT was on the 10Th Of last Septem-
ber," said Capt. Leo, that l cleared
from Kinks Ferry, on the Saint Mary's
river, in Florida, with the schooner
Seventy-six, Of $50 tons register, be-
longing TO Dunn & Elliott. of Thomas
ton, Ne. We had large load of hard
pine lumber, n crew OF six. and were
bound for Berbice, British Guiana, 1900
miles away.
1--WE had not more than got fairly
started when we saw indications of
q hurricane, for which we prepared,
and our fears were more than realized.
with terrible fury, and we ran before
it under bare poles until we were about
500 miles west of the Bermudas.
''It was half-past five on the morning
of September 22." continued the cap
tain, when the hurricane, which was
at its height, yeered and struck US on
the stsrboard side. and over the Sewn
tv-six went or her beam ends, with
half of her deck under water. James
Kennedy, the steward, was in the aft
cabin and the rest of US were on deck.
We clung as best we could to the near
est supports we could lay hold of, and
quickly threw off our boots and oil
skins. for we expected the schooner to
turn keel up. but she did not, for the
deck load OF lumber came crushing TO
leeward, carrying away the masts.
Then the schooner righted, but sank,
with nearly all of her deck under the
waves, for she was full Of water.
when the schooner settled in the
water only a small portion Of the aft
deck YVES left for US to stand On, for
the bow, with its extra weight OF
chains and anchors, was entirely under
water. Everything that had been loose
ON the decks or capable of being torn
away By the falling lumber and rush
ing water had gore. This included
every drop OF drinking water that we
he'd.
''The first thing we did was to build
platform, as best we could, ont OF
pieces of the deck, dashed tog, Their.
This gave us a place where we could
stand and sleep in comparative securi-
ty for the time being. Then we rugged
up long deck plank for flagstaff.
and to its top fastened an old table
cloth, fished out of the cabin, as signal
of distress.
There was not a drop Of fresh water
on the wreck, but from the cabin. after
the most severe efforts, we succeeded
in getting few cans Of soup. This
YVES our drink, and we made the allow
ance two-pound can each day for the
six of US. We had but one drink a day,
which was taken ct about ten O'Clock
each morning as long as the soup last
sd. We also found few cans of beef.
which we ate sparingly, for we did not
know how long 1t might be before re-
lief reached Us.
For five days the storm continued
and during nearly all of that time we
had to fairly cling to the wreck to save
ourselves from being washed over
board.
Fifteen days had gone. We were
nearly furnished and almost crazed for
want of water. Our supply of canned
goods were gone and the last drop OF
soup had been consumed We found
some hooks and lines in our submerged
cabin, cad bid succeeded in catching
some hsh. These we ate raw, Cor we
he'd no means OF cooking them.
The fish would do for food, but our
thirst was agouizipg. We had hoped
for rain from day to day, but not y
drop had fallen since we were wrecked.
After the soup was gone we drank the
blood from the FISH We caught VS.
caught many daphins. Their aesh YVES
too strong for food so long IS we had
other fish, but we drained their blood
to moisten our parched Threats Three
of the crew. negroes, known as Tom,
Waiter AID Joe-w.th no otter names
that we ever heard of-drank sea WE
ter. TIE mate, William Day; the stew
ard, Kennedy, and myself stuck to the
nauseAtins fish blood.
Tn the afternoon OF tho 10Th day
we sew British tramp steamer ap-
proaching. We saw that she sighted
Us, end turned from her c0urse. We
were oil filed with desire TO SCREEN
for jcy, but no sound came from our
parched tIroats. The steamer proved
TO lie the Holy Woil. boUnd from Gal
weston to Liverpool with a load o. cot
ton and grain, under the command Of
Capt. Brown. For that caP.aiD and bis
crew ! cannot say too much More
than they did could not have been Gone
for us"-Chicago Tines-Herald-
DOES GOLD GROW? /,