The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-11-06
STRANGE SHIP STORIES
Odd Occurrences Related by Old
Sailors.
Painful Affections and Deaths Brought
About Among Searfsring Men
in Mysterious Man.


While reporter was talking with
some idle tugboat men who were sit
ting on the stringpiece of South
street pier, where tugs lie while await.
ing orders, the conversation turned OF
strange, true stories Of sailors adyen.
lures, and the reporter asked the mer
to relate each the most remarkable
story that he knew to be true. The first
one said:
when I was working in Philadel-
phia, several years ago, the Italian
brig Leonore came in at the capes, after
passage of 81 days from Lisbon. We
got the tow and the mate passed Us his
hawser I took a couple of turns with
it and sung out to him to make fast.
At that couple of men started to do
so, but they had only got one turn
around the windlass when one of them
dropped and grasped his arm as if he
was going to scratch himself. But the
moment he did this he gave yell, and
then the other man began to scratch
his leg and yell, while the mate reached
for the back of his own neck and howled
as bad as both the others together.
Then the man at the wheel seemed to
catch the infection from forward, for
he dropped on the deck, leaving the
brig to steer herself; but what as
tolished us still more was that the cap
tain, portly, solemn-looking man, de.
Iberately put his glasses down on the
top of the cabin, clasped his hands
across his stomach, leaned over the rail
and groaned as if he were dying.
''It looked as we'd crew of crazy
Dagoes in tow and no mistake, but
after minute they all got quiet again,
and then we learned the trouble. They
had sailed out of Lisbon with provisions
for 40 days. When only few days out
asea washed the deck cask of water over
board, and they were necessarily put
on an allowance of water. Thereafter
they had hard luck in winds, and event
ually had to work on short rations. The
result of it all was that some kind OF
rash broke out on every soul of them,
and it was rash that itched beyond
endurance, and yet made them so sore
that when they tried to relieve the Itch
ing they hurt themselves so that they
could not help yelling. They had been
suffering that way for a couple OF
weeks when they passed US that line"
you would. think that a ship was
about the best place in the world for
pure air, wouldn't you?" asked another.
well, was shipmate with two men
who were suffocated in their hunks for
want of pure air. 1t wasson the British
steamer Deerhound at anchor off Locust
Point, Baltimore. Chief Engineer Will
liam Kirkley, Second Engineer John
Hull, Third Engineer George Quinton
and Dick Weber, a boy, all turned into
their hunks in the engineers cabin one
frosty night for an all-night-in sleep.
Next morning when the steward came
to call the boy he found Mr.. Kirkley
lying face down ON the floor, with his
head near the door, and unconscious.
The rest were in their hunks. The boy
was dead and the rest were supposed to
be; but when they were carried out on
deck Kirkley and Quinton revived, while
Hull, whose heart was still beating,
died. They had been suffocated by gas
from leaking coal stove"
eve lowed the Norwegian bark
Donna Zoyca into the Erie basin one
day." said third, ''and wherwe got her
there we had to call on the 1ongshore-
men to help make her fast, because there
was not one man on board of her fit for
duty. The ambulances carried them
ten in ALTO the hospital, where one
soon died, but the rest got well. Shed
sailed with that crew to Cadiz. and there
she got cargo for Rio Janiero. On
the way the captain and ten men took
sick and at Rio they were sent to the
hopital, where the captain got better
and returned on board. Then the yes
sci went TO Aracaci, where the captain
had to be left in the hospital and the
mate, with the cook and eight men. un-
dertook bringing her to New York.
During the whole voyage no one had
known what allied the men, but the
health authorities over in Brooklyn
found they had all been poisoned by
white lead used in painting water
tank"
Il was working in Milwaukee one
summer" said fourth, when the cap
tain sent me around to the hospital to
inquire after a friend of his who was
there. AS reached the door couple
of grain trimmers that 1 knew were
just lifting a man out of a grocer's
wagon. They carried him into the hos
pital and said he had been landed from
the fishing tug Belle and she had
steamed out of the harbor as soon as
he was clear of her rail. The man
seemed to be dead at first, and he was
almost. For two weeks he was delirious
with brain fever and spent most of his
time cursing somebody for leaving him
to drown.
HE had been a sailor on O schooner
that LETT Milwaukee for Chicago two
nights before 1 was sent to the hospital.
1t was rough night and a wave washed
him overheard. He would have
drowned quickly. but mate had been
quick witted enough to heave over 4
pine fender as he saw the man go over
the rail. The fender was washed with
in the reach of the man. and he had
taken his belt and made himself fast
to the log so that his head was sure to
be kept above water. He foated about
all night and the next day. He saw