Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1903-02-04

tical instruments we're gone The COM
I pass ia the binnaele was uniniured.
! Then we rugged jury sails aud set our
\ co'ors by day, aud burned flare up
lights at night, but no suecor came. OF
all the provlsiops there was only some
beef and a partly damaged barrel of -four
saved.
| "Our cook did the best he could with
these over the galley Ere. Day after day
! we looked for help, bat none came, and.
\ Fl ,aiiy, as our stock of water and food
was getting lower, determined our only
chance lay in starting for land in our
long boat. We had but one boat, the
Other. being smashed in the hurricane.
TAKING TO THE BOAT.
| "Then when, on Oct. IA, we put the
boat overb board, we found she leaked
so badly that feared that our last hope
had been cut off But we hauled her on
board again and patched up the worst of
the seams, and the next day sailed away
for the unknown land In the west.
ave had for provisions about thirty
five gallons OF water and perhaps forty
loaves OF bread, baked twice to make 1t
harder, and some cooked salt beet, which
no one could have eaten except under
dire circumstances. Each person had a
| quart OF water twice, a quarter of a loaf
OF bread three times, and small cube of
meat, once each day.
1--WE sailed-the southeast trades favor
ing us-day after day, the men standing
their watch as they did on the barkep-
tine, getting what little sleep they could
| between their watches.
"Aft OF the mainmast of our little craft
| we built shelter of mast hoops covered
with canvas, for Mrs. Kay, and forward
spread a sail cloth so that one man at a
time could keep under, out of the flare of
! the sun.
! at was torture. We were so near to
! the water that the rays of the sun re-
( fiected and burned through and through
us. Then the water got lower on the
I eighth day. | cut down the supply one
gill on each quart for each person. Mrs
| Kay could not eat the beef at any time,
and the heat had made 1t SO bad the men,
although suffering for food, nearly
pushed 1t away when 1t was offered.
"For the first three or four days. too,
we experienced heavy weather, which
added greatly to our danger, besides
wearing out our strength. The water
came over the gunwsle, and we were
obliged to bail out the boat constantly,
| night and day. Our greatest suffering,
however, was from thirst.
"All these nearly forty days not a sail
nor steam vessel was sighted. The
horrors of pershing in that great ex-
panse OF loneliness nearly drove me
/ frantic at night. Yet the nights were
welcome because by the polar star i
could correct my deviation OF the day.
Knowing that our compass had no varia-
ton, the star helped me to compute my
course for the next day.
"On the NIGH of the ninth day | saw
| the lights of three passing steams hips,
| but they could not see our lights or our
signals. Then the morning of the tenth
! day the lookout forward shouted, Land
land!'
LAND AT LAST.
| 81 think Columbu felt no more joyous
when his men said the word than / did.
| | steered around the island, which was
south OF the Windward group. We
rowed into the harbor, and the inhaoi-
tants fiocked to the mole and lined the
beach as we came in.
| afterwards | found that we were first
! suspected as refugees from Barbados,
where the small pox was epidemic.
When our identity Was disclosed, every
person from the British commaDdsnt of
| the island to the humblest negro did all
| he could to better our condition.
"In the church a purse OF $50 was
raised, and Mrs. Kay was the recipient
OF many kindnesses from the women OF
! ST. George, our landing place.
Five days later we started north on
| the Grenada, which touched at the Is
| land, the men being assisted by both
| the British and American consuls. |
almost forgot to mention Whiskers, the
! black cat belonging to Mrs. Kay. Like
t. ue sailor, he survived all of the hard
ships, and my wife brought him home to
Brooklyn"
The men brought home were Roger
Steinhelm, OF Weymouth, N. s., mate;
Peter Healey, Of Boston, second mate /;
Charles F. Stream, OF New York, cook :
Frank Sullivan, William Reynolds, James
Gorham, John Mcdonald, Johannes
Hendrtrksen, seamen, and George San
| ford, sixteen years old.