The Penn's Grove record., 1899-09-08
SAILORS AS CANNIBALS.
Terrible Tale Of the Sea Re'ate1 by Two
Seamen Of an Inflated Bark.
KILLED AND ATE A MESSMATE.

Nine of the Crew - the Bark Drot Los.
with the vessei-suIv..ors on Raft
Drew Lots For Death-NIctim S.oicaliy
Submitted to His Fate-OnIy Two Sea-
men Saved After Terrible Experience.
CHARLESTON, s. C. (SpeciaD .-Shlpwreck
cannibalism and raylng lunacy form tho
fabric OF n narrowing tale ofthe sea brought
to Charleston by Captain Robert Milburn,
OF the British steamship woodruff, bound
here from Hamburg. The story OF the ter
rlble suffering was emphasized by the APP
pearauce OF two OF the actors in the hor-
rible tragedy. They are Maurice Andersen
aud Goodman Thomas, survivors of the
crew OF the Norwegian bark Drot, which
sailed from P~ascagoula for Buenos Ayres
on August 3. The men were picked up from
q raft by the Woodruff $50 miles south OF
Charleston. Andersen is n ravlng maniac.
with only little chance of again becoming
Il sane man, while Thomas Is so weak and
exhausted that 1t will be a marvel II he re-
gains strength and RECEIVERS his health.
Andersen Is a Swede, while Thomas comes
from Stevanger, Norway.
The Drot was wrecked in the West
Indian hurricane, off the Florida Straits,
on August II. Nine members OF her crew,
melt ding the captain, went down with
her, while eight others succeeded in get
ting on a rat formed from a part of the
vessels deck. The following day the raft
broke In two parts, two men remaining on
one portion offt, and six on the other. The
German steamship Catania picked up ons
Of the two seamen and carried him to
Baltimore. The only survivors OF the
party OF six are Andersen and Thomas.
The men lived for DAYS on the raft without
water, and with only snch food as was
supplied to them by a small fishing line
one OF the men had in his pocket.
After enduring untold torture the fisher
man lost his mind and jumped into the sea,
carrying his fishing tackle with him. The
five remaining men were then left with
neither food nor water. Two OF them sick
ened and died, and the three survivors
drank their blood and ate their flesh as
soon as the breath had LETT their bodies.
Andersen and Thomas have declared these
sailors did not die OF violence, and In view
of their frank confession in regard to the
killing of another comrale, 1t is probable
that they are telling the truth.
When only three of the original six were
left alive, 1t was agreed that one should
die to supply food and drink for the other
two. 1t was determined to east lots to
settle who should be the victim. A German
seaman, whose name cannot be learned,
lost. Faithful to the co npact he had
made, he met death without a struggle or
a protest. Andersen and Thomas killed
him with a knife and drank hts blood.
They lived for two days on his flesh.
When discovered BY the Woodruff the
raft presented a terrible spectacle. The
two crazel seamen sat beside tho three
bodies. Thomas vas throwing bits of
human flesh tc sharks. Two OF the dead
bodies, half stripped of flesh, were decay
ing. The men were enaciated, covered
with sores and stains of blood and nearly
mad. They told the men OF the Woodruff
that they had agreed between them to cast
lots to see which should kill the other. IL
the steamer had arrived Il few hours later
there would have been bGt one live man on
the raft.
The men will be kept in the hospital un-
til they have recovered. There Is no belief
tina the courts will handle the case.