The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-09-11
Privation.

4 So survived ~e~sa eG sss is ea ans
Of the survivors of
the good ship Milton, which burned to
the ater's edge in mid-Pacit1c in 1882.
Despite the rough experience which
has been her lot, she is a bonny little
woman with a charming manner.
The Milton was a wooden ship, built
in Nova Scotia to ply to and from New
castle as a collier. The day that she
was launched Captain H. T. Macarthur
was made her master, and together with
his family took up quarters on the
craft. ~Thenceforth until the Inflated
ship sank af1ame upon the high seas
Mrs. Macarthur did not leave her except
on one occasion, when she was absent
for a week. On August 9, 1881, the
and put out to sea Soon afterward
sultry, disagreeable weather sen the
captain to his bunk a sick Weeks
went by, and he was still confined to
his cabin. Finally n day, when those
on board were occupied with thoughts
vi III 1oll1loSI1ue, anu "ClC l1dh111S
preparations for it's observance, the first
mate, Charles e. Carroll, came to the
bedside of the sick captain and re-
ported a fire in the cargo with which
he could not cope. The captain got up.
Mrs. Macarthur had to walk beside
him to support him, and she literally
carried him about the ship as he gave
his orders for the fighting of the fire.
But the fire had gone too far. Cap
tain Macarthur climbed up on a coil of
rope, and, with his wife at his side and
his little children clinging to his knees,
he told the crew the ship was lost, and
ordered the long boats cut away. .
The Milton then stood 1880 miles
from Cape st. Lucas. There was enough
food on board to scantily supply each
of the three long boats for 40 days.
The captain dOled out the provisions.
The boats were hastily equipped with
blankets and extra oars, and as dark
ness came on that Christmas eve the
three boats pushed off. The wretched
group of shipwrecked mariners sat as
if in a trance all that night, watching
the Millions destruction. Long before
the morning of January 1 daWned the
Nova Scotian craft was no more; only
a few charred timbers remained afoat.
and they were soon carried from sight
by the currents.
The three overloaded long boats
started out in the direction of land.
Although no n suffered from the in
clemencies Of the weather., it was not
many days before all felt the pangs of
hunger, and were moved to desperation
when they realized that the supplies
were becoming exhausted.
In ten days the boat manned by the
first mate disappeared in the night and
was never heard of.
Soon after the second mates boat be-
gan to lag and fall behind, and finally
they admitted that they had no one in
the boat able to pull an oar. 1t was
then agreed that. each boat should shift
for itself, and they separated. There
were two hams in the captains boat,
besides a jug of water and some lighter
provisions. Eight people lay all day
and watched their little pittance dealt
out to them by the only cool head in
the group, Mrs. Captain Macarthur.
Three rations a day for the first two
weeks were served, and then it dwin-
died down to two. One meal a day was
soon a necessary limit, and before the
month was out it was one every two
days. The seamen began to suffer from
the cravings of thirst, and two went
stark mad, then died, and were rolled
overheard by the plucky woman who
was in charge. Captain Macarthur, not
W~ithstanding his weakness, manufac-
tured a crude condenser and condensed
a supply of water to drink. Finally
death overlook Mrs. McArthur's little
baby boy. She seWed his remains up
in a sack, slowed them carefully away
in the bottom of the boat, and then
took to the rudder, which the men had
given up. For 46 days this supreme
misery was endured before the English
ship Newbern hove in sight and picked
them up.