Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-10-25
On A SHIP
Cape Nome Miners Tell of Terrible
Suffering ON Board the
Schooner Hera.
Deceived by the Ships Agent as t.
Provisions Two Hundred on
Board.
Two Buried at Sea-Rich Widow
Duped by New York
Actor.

Sedllle, WASH, OCts --f1dll-Sish ASo
and reduced to skeletons by hunger,
thirst, fevers and exposure, nearly 200
passengers from the Cape Nome, Alas
ka, gold fields arrived yesterday on the
schooner Hera. They reported two
deaths during the voyage of twenty
eight days, both the victims being men
who We're in sound health when they
came aboard the vessel.
The dead men, who were buried at
sea, were j. S. Ryan and George Lam
by. Ryan sickened through bad and In
sufficient food and water, and grew
steadily worse until Oct. Is, when he
died. He was given absolutely no med
ical attention, and the rude nursing of
sympathetic companions, themselves
hardly stronger or better off than him.
self. was well-nigh valueless, because
no drugs or medicines had been provid-
ed in the ships stores.
Larnby was Trailer, and sank under
the system of semi-starvation sooner
than Ryan. He was confined in ILL
ventilated quarters; from the first day
and there, as natural consequence of
his surroundings, was taken with ty-
phoid fever. He died Oct. 81.
News of the wretched pllghtNof the
Hera's passengers had reached here
Sunday night by the steamer Lakme,
and the local officials of the govern
ment Immediately sent out the revenue
cutter Grant and the tug Sea Lion TO
find the schooner. They came up with
her Monday afternoon about fifty miles
off Cape Flattery. and helped her into
port, meantime conveying food, water
and medicines to the suffering passen-
gers.
The passengers say they were gross
y deceived as to the fitness of the
schooner to care for them. They de-
clare the agent of the vessel at Cape
Nome guaranteed them that plenty of
fresh and wholesome provisions were
in store and that competent attend
ance would be given to any who might
fall sick during the voyage. The Hera
was represented to be fast boat, and
they were made to feel that the rate
charged for passage was far too low
for the alleged extra quality of the
schooner's service.
They say they had been out only {
few days when the hollowness of the
agents promises became apparent. The
provisions We're reported so greatly re-
duced that the passengers We're put or
limited allowance before 200 miles hat
/, been covered.
/ Fresh meat sugar and butter ran on
| in turn. The menu consisted of sal
pork and canned mutton. There wa.
la little dried fruit on board. but only
enough TO supply the table three time.
with dried peaches and twice viii
] dried prunes. From that time on fol
nearly twenty-four days their fooc
consisted of flour and coffee. Their
was plenty of flour. but tie water wa
short Had it not been for rain storms
which fell for few days they woult
have been without water also. Fou
days ago the last of the unpalatabl
salt horse was consumed.
j When the Hera anchored out in tn
stream the majority of the men wer
so weak that they could not carr
their gold dust ashore without heir
Several passengers We're so weakene
by the terrible experiences that the
had to be carried ashore and take
care of.
But severe as the journey was an
q in spite of the difficulties and hard
ships undergone at the gold fields. til
passengers unite in declaring Cap
Nome the greatest camp on earth, an
many of them will return in the spring