The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-23

ST. JOHNS, N. F., July l9.--Thc exploits
OF some fasting man who goes wNhou.
food for five or six weeks are chronicled
with much detail. but the vastly greater
feats OF endurance represented In the mis-
haps OF fishermen of the Grand Banks
rarely receive any attention. Yet IS
doubtful II one OF the dime museum freaks
would live for q week under the conditions
TO which the fishermen OF Newfoundland
and Gloucester are constantly subjected.
The record "fast" In this business Ii that
Of William Warwick, q fisherman on the
schooner Little Pet who deserted from
her while harbored on the south coast
Of Newfoundland in July, 1908, and swan
to little islet whence he intended to cross
to tho farther shore. But he was taken
with q crump, removed his boots to ease
his swollen feet and was unable to get them
on again. He found 1t hopeless to venture
into the water again. On this barren rock
no remained for twenty-nine days, with
out food or drink, blistered by the sun In
tho daytime and benumbed by the cold at
night. He was but scantiy clad, and SUI
fered from internal spasms In addition
to the torments Of hunger and thirst. He
was at length discovered by telegraph
repairer who landed on the islet to Inspect
O pole. Warwick had feared at first to
climb the pole and break the wire, lest he
be punished for 30 doing when the repairer
came along to make good the damage,
and later when he tried to do 20 be found
himself too feeble to carry out his intention.
! It was feared at first that he Was 30 far
gone that he could not recover, but an iron
physique enabled him to pull through and
he was discharged from the st. Johns Hos
pital two months later looking none the
worse for his terrible experience.
A misfortune still more appalling In some
respects was that Of William and Michael
Fleming, Newfoundlanders fishing from
the schooner Jubilee in May, 1897, who
went adrift in their dory In thick fog
and were thirteen days and nights astray
in this frail boat, lacking food water
or shelter. At that season the frost Ia se-
we're on the Grand Banks, and ice foes cum
Der the region. They had to battle with
the foes at first, and these were too sat
urated with brine to assuage their thirst,
while later on, when they BECAME enfeebled,
dory drifted at the will Of the elements.
half filled with the spray. which beat
against her. while the two despairing oc-
cupants lay on the bottom. unconscious for
the last few days of their terrible voyage.
The boat was sighted on the fourteenth day
by bark bound for Quebec, which trans
ferred them to her deck intending to inter
them decently, but finding that life was not
extinct, took measures to revive them. This
was accomplished, though the poor wretches
suffered agony in the process, and on arrival
at Quebec both men had to have their feet
and legs amputated almost to the knees.
On May of the present year James
Bartlett and William Hewitt, two OF the
E1celda, strayed from their vessel on Guero
Bank while fog prevailed. They had no
provisions in their dory, and for two days
rowed in the direction where they thought
the land lay. But when the fog lifted they
being in sight. That night they drifted
into an ice foe, upon which they found
two dead fish, which they ate. sucking