The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1898-06-09
LOCKED UPTOF FREEZE
AWFUL TORTURE OF TWO
STOWAWAYS.
Suffered Cruelty by Thirst-Causht the
Drops of Water Trickling Down the
Mast-More Dead han Alive When
Rescued. 8

From death in a shipwreck to death
by starvation and thirst in a steamers
cold-storage DON seems a stretch.
Jacobson and Harry Christensen near
ly met their doom from both such
causes, and that within the last few
weeks, say the San Francisco Call. On
Dec. 10 the schooner Vesta was totally
wrecked near the Carmanah light and
had it not been for the heriosm of the
mate all souls on board would have
persisted. He carried a line through
the boiling surf to the shore, and by
means of it the shipwrecked sailors
reached a place of safety. The wounds
received on that occasion can still be
seen on their bodies. After reaching
Seattle some of the men came home
overland, but the sailors in question
slowed away on the steamer Umatilla.
They got in the cold-storage chamber
on Dec. 80 at $3.50 a. m., were sealed
up at Port Townsend and did not get
out of their prison until Jan. 2, at AIS
p. m. They we're then more dead than
alive and had to be carried on deck.
Their tongues were swollen and lacer-
ated from licking the sweat from the
mast in order to allay their thirst, and
they were so weak from hunger that
they could not stand. The chief stew
ard saw to it that they got both food
and drink, and when the Umatilla
locked yesterday morning both the
men were able to go ashore. "Al that
we suffered during our lives did not
compare with what we had to endure
during the past three days. said ia
cobson on board the steamer. "The
Vesta was caught in the gale that
wrecked the steamer Cleveland and We
had a terrible time of it. Waves were
washing over the BOAT continuously,
and had it not been for the mate, who
swan ashore through the breakers, we
would all have been drowned. AS 1t
was, christensen and 1 have been in
the hospital at Seattle. From where
we went ashore we walked to the light
house, where our clothes were dried
and food given us. From there we
went to Neah bay in a rowboat, and
from there to Port Townsend, where
we were paid off. Christensen and I
then went to Seattle, where we were
sent to the hospital. When we were
discharged we could not get a ship and
no sailor boarding house would take
us in, so we resolved to stow away in
the Umatilla. We got into the fore
peak and hid among the cargo, but on
the way to Port Townsend it got so
cold that we crept into a place where
we were protected from the wind. That
was the freezing chamber and there
were a lot of trunks and valises in it.
We went to sleep and were awakened
by the crew closing UP the place in
which we were hiding. The baggage
was being sealed UP by the custom
house officials in order to save search
ing when the vessel got to San Fran
| cisco. But we did not know that fact
and went to sleep again, intending
to show ourselves on deck when the
Umatilla had left Victoria and was on
her way to sea. You can imagine our
feelings when we tried to get out OF
| tuS CudIubci anu Soulu " lhCh We
kicked and yelled, but no one could
hear us and for awhile we gave up
Then we got hungry, but the hunger
: was soon swallowed up in the raging
thirst. Whether I was cold or warm
hungry or full, 1 know not. All l can
remember is that all-consuming thirst
A certain amount of moisture gathered
on the iron mast and that We licked of
every time it gathered. When it would
all be licked from our feet as high as
! our heads we would pile up the bag.
gage until we reached the roofing and
then we would begin at the bottom
again. Finally, when the crew of the
steamer was getting ready for the com
ing docking of the ship we made our.
selves heard and the seals were broken
We were taken on deck and coult
barely gasp 'water!' 1t was given tt
us and then in a little while we go
hungry. That meat they gave us tast
ed better to me than anything 1 eve
ate in my life. We are all right now
but l never want to go through an ex
p~erience like that again."
Luckily the cold air was not turned
into the chamber or the two mel
would have been frozen to death.