Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-12-16
SAVED BY ALAsT MATCH.

SAVED BY A LAST MATCH.
A sulphur ma ch, the only one aboard
ship, and an improvised dislilling ap-
paratus are the features Of the yarn of
the wreck of the three-mnsted lumber
laden schooner Johanna Swan abandon
cd off Hatteras on December 2 Capt
Wallace Shack ford and the crew Of the
Swan landed a, New York Wedne sday
from the ocean Jug r. j. Barrett.
The Swan left Satilla river, Ga, for
Nsw York on November is with 49,
600 feet of yellow pine lumber telnw
hatches aud piled It fe on deck. She
ran into the great gale of Hatteras on
November 26 and was hove to under
closereefed canvas. a hurricane squall
on the morning of the next day ripped
the mainsail from the bolt ropes, broke
the main boom and started the deck
load forward. The schooner was put
before the blast, trailing the blight Of Il
big hawser 10 keep the following seas
from popping her. A great gust struck
her, the fore sheet parted and the fore
boom broke. The schooner broachtd
10, and comber rolled over DER star
board bow carrying away the forward
house and staving the maiD hatch. Tne
vessel fell into the trough aud threaten
to roll over ou her beam ends. 10
prevent this the men cut away shroud
and stays aud the masts fell.
The lore and main masts went by tnt
BOARD but the mizzen fell on the after
house, smashiog boat lashed ther'
apd carrying away the yawi on tbs
stern dayitS. La,er the mizzenmasi
rolled into the sea and the mau lashcn
themselves to wreck of the afierhouse.
Ga November 2S they saw schooner
SIX miles sstern, and they hoisted on
swo spars lashed together pair OF
drawers and lounge cover as sigma
Of distress The schooner kept on her
course.
The main deck of the schooner was
almost hush with the seas when hei
mssts fell, and the men had had moth
ine to eat since then. On Novemhei
% some of the crew swan into the can-
in aud fished out seversl CABS OF pea
and one can of blueberries. On he al
ternoon of this day they saw another
schooner eight miles away and sigma
,yd vainlv to her. Ga the morn ~ V'
November 80 the tongues and lts
ne men were swollen from lack oi W.
ter, which they had not tasted in iCnr
davs. The sea had moderated and tlt
men could go about the after deck
Mate Ernst Camron, an Austrian
American, and Bernhard Lilienblum,
able sesmep, 21 years old, decided TO
make a condenser out of tin tank
used for storing water for the skippsr's
washbowl. The sailor fashioned The
oblong tank holding about three gal
Ions, into square tank holding about
six quarts. In the top OF the tank was
a lead pipe, and TO this the mate a.
tached one end of piece OF hose. He
put the other end into the covered
top of wooden bucket The
tank was propped up foot or so
above the deck and under it the mate
pu. brnzier that be had hammered
out of q sheet of copper. A rail of the
schooner, dry aud resinous, was cut up
into matchwood by the men and piled
on the brszler. Ali that was needed
was a match to start the condenser
converting salt water to fresh. Capt.
Shackford had just one match slowed
away in dry part OF his clothes.
All hands gathered around him to
shield the precious bit of sulphur from
the wind Copt. Shackford struck the
match. 1t sputtered blue and looked
for an instant as if it were going out
Then it blazed brightly, and the skip
per carefully showed it under the heap
ed.up chips and shavings. The men
couldn't cheer, because their parc1
ed throsts aud mouths wouldn't lot
them, hut they looked happy. The
water was boiling in half an hour. l.
an hour the cover of the bucket was
removed, and enough water, somewhat
"smoky" and not oversweet, the mate
saws. was seen on the bottom to give
each nau two tablespoonfuls. at 4 p.
%. there were four quarts OF water 10
the bucket, and the men drank greedi-
10. Oue of them became sick. =
just before daylight on December 2
the German bark Anna came along ana
heard the after bell of the wreck ring
ing wildly. The Anna launched boat
and took off all bands. They were
very weak and were treated handsome
ly nv the German skipper.