Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-09-08

scurvy- stricken sailing Shll
Planet, from Mexico tt
Queenstown, by Fred w. Bry
ant, second mate of the steamer Grown
Point, of Philadelphia, is one which
no invention of Mr.. Clark Russell coulG
surpass in interest. The Planet, de
layed by head winds and hurricanes
was 167 days out, and her food had
gone bad" when she slgnaled tho
Crown Point and asked for a tow. Hel
cratic movements had already at
tracted attention; something was clear.
ly wrong. Mr.. Bryant was sent aboard
her and the case explained. A hawse1
was then attached, but it parted with
the first strain, and his captain decided
not to try to tow, If Mr.. Bryant would
undertake to sail the vessel into port
with such help as her sick crew could
give.
The young man thought he could do
1t; it should be but a week to Queens
town. He found that the first mate
had already died; the second mate and
the captain were dying. There was no
well man on board, and some were
suffering terribly. The vessel belonged
In Hamburg, and of the German crew
but one man spoke English, and he
employed this language promptly to
inform his new officer that there were
other foes besides the scurvy ON board
the second mates terrier, which
guarded his berth and would not leave
1t, had hydrophobia, while the vessel
was infested with poisonous 'schmall
schnakes NIT feet'-that is, scorpions,
which had escaped from the logwood
of which the cargo consisted.
Another trouble was that the ships
medicines-and Bryant had to be pre-
scribfng physician as we'll as sick nurse
and navigator-proved to be labeled in
German, which he could not uhder-
stand nor his ignorant interpreter
translate.
The Grown Point had left good pro-
visions for week, but the ship was
beca1med and they ran short. Worse
than lack of food was lack of sleep,
which he could not be spared to take.
From the log-book which he kept dur
ing that dreadful fortnight some en-
tries have been published. They need
no touch from any romancers pen to
heighten the picture.
Friday. Called at 1.30 a. m. to go
to second mate. but went on deck first,
and found ship staggering under main
royal with nearly gale of wind blow
Ing. Took in royal, foretopgallantsail
mizzentopmast staysail, gafftops and
out jib. Saw second mate, who ap-
pears to be delirious and wants me
with him all the time. 1 saw that he
couldn't possibly last long, poor fellow.
y Second mate died. Nobody
but the boy Max and 1 was with him
at the end. 1 am pleased to say that
he lost consciousness about four o'clock
and his death was a very peaceful one.
Took in maintopgallantsail
What with the death of that poor man
and a gale blowing, my hands are
pretty full. do wish 1 could get some
sleep. 7.30 D. m. Buried sec
ond mate, Max reading prayers for the
uead from the German prayer-book
Blowing a gale with mountainous sea.
Ship plunging heavily at times.
Sunday. Breeze dies away again.
and We are becalmed. This is perfect
ly sickening, and 1 feel nearer dis
heartened tonight than l have done
before. My head is very funny, and
am afraid to lie down at all, for I feel
am thinking of three or four things
at once. l hope 1 shall not go off my
head. 1 don't think have far to 60"
His strength held out, however, and
port was reached in safety. The res
cued crew, already recovering under
his care, thanked their exhausted pre-
server with three deep-throated Ger
man cheers rs he left the ship.
The story became public through the
testimony necessary to adjudicate the
salvage. and Mr.. Bryant was thanked
by the British Board of Admiralty, and
promoted by the owners who employed
him-a happy ending to q grim and
gruesome voyage.