The Republican journal., 1900-11-22
ACCIDENTS AT SEA.

perience of the steamship Castillo. At
first it would not seem possible that a
womana corset could jeopardize the
safety of a fine. large passenger steam
Ell, yet such was the fact.
The second mate reported to the mas
ter, Capt. Allen, that the compass had
suddenly gone wrong that the needle
was swinging aimlessly about, three or
four points to the left, then as much to
the right. 1t was impossible to steer a
course, and the ship was disabled.
Running to the wheelhouse Capt. AL
len found the compass playing games
all of it's own accord, and the quarter
master at his wits end. Two women
were standing there, by permission, to
see how the ship was steered, and after
moments thought the captain asked
them if they were wearing steel corsets.
This they readily admitted, and told
him also how much they admired the
ships machinery. The chief engineer
had just been showing them the cleo
trio light dynamoes. SO the whole
trouble was explained. The dynamOS
had turned the steel ribs OF their corsets
into strong magnets, and these, coming
near the ships compass, attracted the
needle, the point OF which followed
their movements like pet animal. The
fair passengers were requested to get
below and demagnetiZe themselves.
There are cases on record where whole
ships companies have gone blind. Blind
ness is an afliiction anywhere, but at
sea it is fatal one. Ii the officers are
blind they cannot set the course: if the
men are blind they cannot steer the
| ho ic ha
cook the food. Such was the cast of
the ship James Simpson. The crew
caught the strange disease on the Afri-
can coast and one by one became blind
After drifting about the ocean for many
days the crew recovered their sight and
brought the vessel to port in safety.
A well-known case of ships COM
pany going blind is that of the slave
ship lie Dodeur, which sailed from
Benny, on the west coast of Africa, in
1919 with a crew of % men and a cargo
of 100 slaves The disease appeared
first among the negroes. One moment
A man would be apparently as we'll as
ever and the next he would be stone
blind, with wide-open and very bright
eyes. A blind slave was not an article
calculated to bring a high price in the
market, and the ship being short of
water the captain concluded to save
water and get rid of the almost worth
less cargo at the same time by throw
ing the slaves overheard as fast as they
became blind. Seeing that he was like
ly to lose his whole cargo he stopped
that, and released the slaves, hoping
that fresh air and exercise would pre-
went the spead of the disease, but by
this time all the slaves We're blind and
Il
began, in their despair, to throw them
age such Il waste of property the cap
tain shot few of them. The crew
presently caught the disease and almost
all of them became blind.
1t was then that the stricken ship
spoke the Spanish SLAYER Leon. The
captain of the Leon called out that
himself and all his crew were suffering
from total blindness, and begged for
the Frenchmans help. No help could
be given, and the Spanish ship was
never heard of again.
As to the LIE Rodeur, she reached the
West Indies, steered by one man out of
1872, who still had the use of his eyes.
He brought the vessel into the harboI
of Guadalupe, and directly afterwards
went blind 1t is not known whether
these people recovered.
A curious suit of salvage was brought
in the courts in New York several years
ago A brig bound for New York was
struck by terrific storm in midoceal
and so shattered that she was kept
from going to the bottom only by con-
slant pumping, and it was evident that
even this would not keep her atloat
!, long. In her distress a bark was seen
bearing down on her. and the crew
i, were wild with joy. as they saw then
| deliverer from a Watery grave approach
TO their surprise, as the bark came
!. near, she hailed, and feeble voice
!. from her decks said through a speaking
trumpet that the crew of the vesse
had been stricken with African coast
fever, not enough men being left alive
to work the ship to port and those who
were alive were very sick.
= The captain of the brig asked if there
was enough strength left on board the
bark to get boat to the brig, as his
boats had been smashed. With great
difficulty three half-dead scarecrows of
sailors managed to launch a boat and
pull her to the sinking brig. Then the
crew of the brig took charge and soon
ferried themselves and their ''dunnage''
ONOI w UliC Udlh, W lllCll UHct llldllllSll
and brought to New York. When the
captain of the lost brig arrived in this
port with the bark he Immediately libel
ed her for salvage for bringing her in.
The captain of the bark, who was one
of her crew who had survived the fever,
objected, saying that in reality he had
rescued the captain and crew of the brig,
and they had merely worked their pas
age in bringing the bark to port. 1t
was a very pretty case, but eventually
was settled out of court.
In 1898 the crew of the German bark
Wallisohn, crossing the Atlantic from
Savannah, caught some strange, un-
known fish in the gulf stream. The fish
were poisonous, and the whole ships
company Of IA men were made helpless
with horrible pain and swellings of the
body. The captain says that ten times
he signaled to steamers for help without
one of them stopping to give aid.
Twice the helpless vessel weathered
severe storms, but in time the supplies
of food and water failed, and the bark,
drifting in midocean, seemed likely soon
to be manned only by the dead. SO the
bark was found by the German linel
Spree and DR.. Haenel sent in boat tC
help. He found the crew suffering
from some horrible disease and enor