The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-10
SICK GIVEN A COLD SHOULDER.
Survivors, OF THE TRAVELLER
BADLY TREATED.


residents of the Island of Rodriguez
Refuse to Allow Them to Land or
IN Extend Them Any Assistance.
Drove Them Back to Their Ship
U,tb Guns-The Vessel Wrecked
On the Reefs and the Survivors
Finally Extended Some Assistance.
Tiverpool. July 9.-The correspondent of
the Associated Press has had an interview
with Mrs. Andrew Christie, widow of Capt.
Christie. of the wrecked British ship Trav-
eler which went on the reefs of the Is
land of Rodriguez in the Indian ocean, $50
miles northeast of Mauritius, on the 4th
of last February.
Mrs. Christie tells a terrible story of the
sufferings of the survivors. Almost i'm
mediately after the Traveller left Java for
Delaware Breakwater, the Java fever
broke out and spread rapidly. Everybody
on board was more or less affected, includ-
ing the Christie baby, which died and was
buried at sea. Another victim leaped
overheard and was drowned. on Dec. Ia
the chief officer died and on Dec. q Capt.
Christie succumbed, leaving only ten men
to man the ship.
Second Mate Ritch then decided TO steer
for Mauritius, and when the Traveller fin
ally approached Rodriguez Island, only he
and two seamen were able to work ship.
A pilot, who put out from the island, on
learning the state of affairs, refused to go
on board and returned to the shore, where
he spread the report that everybody on
the Traveller had the yellow jack.
Hours passed, and no assistance came
The second mate, fearing that the Trav-
eler would go ashore, launched boat and
took the sick survivors with him with
view of landing them. The governor and
inhabitants of the island rushed down to
the shore and threatened to shoot them if
they landed Mr.. Pitch appealed to them,
imploring them if they were Christians
not to behave inhumanly He said that his
men were too weak to pull back to the
ship, and that if they succeeded in getting
there they would probably be drowned. He
asked for assistance to take the Traveller
out of her dangerous position and begged
for medicine.
His appeals were roughly ignored and
ne was ODnged TO put ABOUT ana go DaCk
to the vessel, which they finally reached
almost dead with exhaustion. The last
man had scarcely quilted the row boat
when it was swept away and lost. No as
sistance came and that night the Traveller
was carried on the reefs and wrecked. The
next morning the Rodriguesers sent a pi-
lot and brought off Mrs. Christie, her sur
viving child and others, and then, with
the assistance of blacks from the island,
the survivors were taken to a desolate
sand island in the vicinity, where they
were kept for twenty-five days, living in
huts made of leaves and with nothing but
leaves to lie upon.
So fearful were the Rodriguesers of con-
tagion that the food for the survivors was
transferred from boat to boat before it
was finally left upon the beach of the sand
Island. Blacks were sent to cook 1t, but no
physician came for a fortnight, and even
when he did come, according to Mrs
christie, he did not land, but examined the
SICK through a glass fTom his boat Mean
"hlle TWO had died and the second mate
was the only man strong enough to dig
their graves. On the tWenty-second day,
realizing that the monsoon would soon
tuomerge the sand island, the Rodrigues-
eIs moved the unfortunates to Rodrigues,
n NNete they remained two months and
we're well treated. From that point they
~1Ie carried to Mauritius and then came
homewards
Nrs Christie says that the behavior of
S's hodrlguesers is all the more inexpli-
s',le , N view of the fact that they allowed
to%pIse part of the cargo of the Traveller
70 be salved.