The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1897-03-28
CRUELTY At SEA
The story Toii By the oako, Sailor,
Pull Of Cruelty sud Starvation.

49, ~ 10y - "rttf t"ta ~ stt' "Atl we i
ors OF the crew OF the clipper 7. +. /
oakes, is being put in legal form by rep.
resentatives Of the seamen's union. Il
is understood that Il " \ BE- used IN ac.
tions soon 10 b. brought against Capt.
Reed and the owners Of the clipper
ship, which reached this port after be.
ing 259 days out from Hong Kong.
The emaclated seamen. now in the
marine hospital on Staten Island ale
leges that Captain Reed Is directly 70.
sponsible for the Illness Of ail but two
OF the crew that they were kept on
half rations during ihe greater part of
the trip and that tho vessel could have
made New YorF harlor much sooner 81
the captain had taken advantage Of "a.
vorable conditions which prevailed
much Of the nine months they were on
the water.
Eve have not decided just what
charges we shall prefer against Captain
Reed, " said james II Williams. sccro.
tary Of the seamens union. "but we
shall make the most serious charge
against him thar we can sustain By the
evidence"
Joseph Robinson mado the statement
which will Be used by the union. aud
the other survivors who are with him
In the hospital will subscribe % IL. sov.
eral were able 10 sign their names with
difficulty and one. John Benson. IS stan
20 weak that it Is q question whether he
will recover. The other men are Gus
tave Anderson, Hans AFRO, Christian
Peterson. Henry Gustavson. s a Fra.
Eer. Otto sanstrom. Albert Larsen.
Frank Arteilo. Frank Webor and FL.
win Frompoldt
I'VE were forced 20 complain about
our food before we had been a week ont
from Hong Kong" said Robinson. "and
the entire crew went 20 Captain Reed
on Juiy Z. only 20 b. refused better
provisions. Our condition became such
By the end Of JAY that we determined
20 make another demand and again the
entire crew complained From July 90
10 Sept q there was an improvement.
but on the latter date we were an placed
On short rahons aud 80 continued 20 the
end Of the long journey.
The captain did not supply the ship
with enough provisions before leaving
Hong Kong We had been ont 60 days
before We got any fresh meat and we
told the captain that it was illegal fo-
him 60 make no Better allowance 20 the
crew 10 this he replied i am no, afra a
Of the law. The law can't do anything
10 me
There was no reason why we should
have boen 90 long In coming 90 New
York from Hong Kong We had favor.
able winds much Of the time. bui the
the captain would not hoist sails 90 tako
the fullest advantage Of them In good
sailing weather he often hoisicd only
such sails as most vessels would carry
In a gale. He said he took this course
because he was conservative
while the men In the crew wcrs
growing weak from lack Of proper fool
the captain was living on chickens and
other good things Hs had two crates
well filed with chickens whom we lo,t
port, and when the Oakes got into New
York hArbor several chickens were stll
left II the captain had killed them
and made soup for the crew. u only
once a week, the men would have been
able 10 retain their strength instead OF
coming In M and helpless
I'VE were 90 weak from hunger that
often members Of the crew had % grab
hold o; the raihngs to keep from falling
on the deck. Il was next 60 impossible
for rs 10 climb the masts. Our condition
was such that three Of us could hardly
do the work that one properly fod sea.
man should have done. Tho chicken
soup that We might have had would
have KEEP, the scurvy away. have
been In some pretty hard American
ships. but l never was starved as We
were On this trip"
The ak members who died ON che
trip were a Chinaman named Choo.
Thomas King. Thomas Watkins. Steven
g. Bunker, George King and Thomas
George.
George King was a Union veteran.
and belonged 20 Farragut post in Phila.
delphia. The survivors ar, especially
indignant over his case, and they dcclar.
that he was starved 10 death beyond
any question, King has a wife and
two children In Philadelphia. aud sem,
word by Frank Weber 60 notify Ga,
Grand Army men Of the circumaauc
Of his death and thurgc them totakeac.
, ton In the interest Of his family Th,
message, Weber says, he viii deliver o..
soon A. hc is able 90 get on, OF tho hos.
pi,d.
The is survivors, although they hay,
| gained much strength since thay reach.
cd port last sunday, still show ia thoil
pinohod white faces the ordeal through
which they passed Benson, whose cas-,
Is the most serious is a living skeleton
weighing a little more than 20 pounds
Robinson. who weighed lGS pound
? when he shipped from this part, nov
weighs 81 pounds. Anderson. who thci
, weighed ia. now weighs i0i pounds
Carpenter weighed zoe pounds. an,
now weighs but III
No q Nola Aualuaf tts......