The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-09-23

destruction III Porto klco 0ther Wes'
Indian islands. The captain brought his
ship about and tried to run ahead Of the
storm. The hurricane tore the masts Out
of her, and a helpless hulk was left &c
oppose the awful storm The waves
swiftly hammered the hull to pieces, and
the captain and seven men were swept
over the sides, leaving the mate and
seven others clinging to the wreck.
They saw that the hulk was filing and
must soon sink. During a luIl in the
storm they managed to knock together
some large fragments of the deck into a
raft. They were not able to keep upon
it any food or water, but they had TO
trust themselves to it or go down with
the hulk. They got aiieat and cleared
the wreck. when the storm fell upon
them with double fury
The raft was lifted on the crest Of a
gigantic wave, and when it fell 1t broke
Ia two. To the smaller fragments chung
the mate and n man. Ia an instant
the two bits Of lotsam were far apart.
| The six remainingtsm men hang on, and at
last the storm died down, and they We're
/ able to move about. They were exposed
to a terrible rain, which drenched and
chilled them, but gave them water to
drink.
Attached to the deck from which the
raft was made was a small locker, and in
this they found a fishing hook and line.
For several days they depended on this
to bring them food. Their catch was
meager, but it was enough to maintain
life. The fish were divided. and each
man ate his portion raw. At first they
turned away while they devoured the hor-
rible portions, but suffering soon killed
all shame and feeling.
The rain bad ceased. and they were
perishing Of thirst. One day one of them
hooked a large fish, and while he was
pulling it in he went mad. He jumped
overheard, carrying fish and line with
him, shrieking II am saved" They could
not drag him back, and so lost their only
means Of obtaining food.
The survivors minds retained 10 mo-
ton Of the period OF time that elapsed,
but it is easy to fill in the blank between
the loss of their fishing line and the day
when they first took human 6csn for
food. Two Of the crew were deathiy
sick. The others saw that they must die.
The other three were still strong and
stood by with a knife ready as soon as
EletF IeilOWS HEdttS ctdScl 10 DSdt- AAey
say that the men died before the knife
was plunged into them, and it may be
so, but the blood trickled from the first,
and they drank 1t. Then the second
died, and they deserted the first corpse
for him.
They ate only parts OF the two bodies,
but they had learned the taste Of blood,
and, being made mad with their thirst
and the horror OF their position, they de-
cided that one who was still strong must
die to save the others. They drew lots,
aad the strongest, a big German sailor,
3a pears old, lost. He made no struggle
against the edict OF fate. but barred his
breast SO that they might strike him to
the heart. What followed need not be
told. The sickening story is already more
than men should know.
IN the midst OF the horror the sharks,
summoned by the spilled blood, began to
leap at the raft. Several times they al
most overturned it. The two survivors
beat them away with billets Of wood and
threw fragments OF the dead men over
board to appease them