The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1897-02-25
BY FISH BLOOD.
Thrilling Story of the Rescue of
Shipwrecked Sailors.
BY Drlnklng the Blood of DOlphins six
CastAways sustain Lite Until
Rescued by . Passing
steamer.

A thrilling story of shipwreck is told
by Capt. ]. W. Leo, who, with his i've
companions in suffering reached New
York a few days ago in the steamship
Britannia from Liverpool.
Capt Leo, whose home is in Rock
land, Ne, was one of the victims OF |
the great September hurricane which
swept the Atlantic coast and brought |
devastation to this city.
1T was on the 10th Of last Septem-
ber," said Capt Leo, that / cleared
from Kinks Ferry, on the Saint Mary's
river. in Florida, with ne schooner
Seventy-six, of lS6 tons register, be-
longing TO Dunn G. Elliott, of Thomas
ton, Ne We had large load of hard
| pine lumber, crew of six, and were
bound for Berbice, British Guiana, 1900
miles away.
I'VE had not more than got fairly
started when we saw indications OF
a hurricane, for which we prepared,
and our fears were more than realized.
From the southeast it came, sweeping
with terrible fury, and we ran before
it under bare poles until we were about
300 miles west of the Bermudas.
1T was half-past five on the morning
of September 22," continued the cap
tain, when the hurricane, which was
at its height, veered and struck us on
the starboard side, and over the SeySn-
ty-six went on 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 q small portion of the aft
deck was 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 gone. This included
every drop of drinking water that we
had.
The first thing we did was to build
a platform, as best we could, out OF
pieces of the deck, lashed together
= 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 a Flagstaff
and to its top fastened am old table
cloth, fished ont of the cabin, as sigma
of distress.
There was not n drop of fresh water
on the wreck, but from the cabin, aftel
y the most severe efforts, we succeeded
III getting a few cans of soup. Thii
was our drink, and we made the allow
ance a two-pound can each day for tn
six of u.s. We had but one drink day
which was taken AT about ten oclocl
), each morning as long as the soup last
ed. We also found few cans of beet
s which we ate sparingly, for we did no
know how long it might be before re
"A lief reached US,
4 For FIVE days the storm continue
!, and during nearly all of that time W
ii had to fairly cling to the wreck to say
E. ourselves from being washed ovel
II board
= Fifteen days had gone. We wei
n nearly famished and almost crozed fc
IL want of water. Our supply of cSnne
ly goods were gone and the last drop {
Of soup had been consumed. We foun
OF some hooks and lines in our submerge
lc cabin and had succeeded in catchir
ne some fish. These we ate raw, for "
As had no means of cooking them.
is "The fish would do for food, but Oh
ty thirst was agonizing. We had hops
1T for rain from day to day, but not
drop had fallen since we were wrecke
es After the soup was gone we drank Il
nd blood from the fish we caught. "
re- caught many dolphins. Their flesh w
lis too strong for food 50 long as we HI
Ia other fish, but we drained their bio
re- TO moisten our parched throats. Thr
ell OF the crew, negroes, known as To-
w Walter and Joe-with no other nam
an that we ever heard of-drank sea W
Ide ter. The mate, William Day; the ste
81 ard, Kennedy, and myself stuck TO I
tn nauseating fish blood
re- "In the afternoon of the 10th d
en- we saw British tramp steamer {
on' preaching. We saw that She sight
an us. and turned from her course.
were all filed with a desire to scre
up for joy, but no sound came from {
ieS' parched throats, The steamer pro'
up to be the Holy Wen, bound from G
ilie weston to Liverpool with load of {
ape ton and grain. under the command
aie 'm Capt Brown. For that captain and
'is crew | cannot say too much. Nj
.ne than they did could not have been d.
'eo. for us."-Chicago Times-Herald.
~. I'll PeculiaritIes of . Vipers Blood.