The Washington times., 1905-01-30
THIRTEEN DAYS
IN OPEN BOAT
Survivors of Texas Tell
Story Of Suffering.
MEN GO MAD FROM THIRST
One Man Dies From Exposure Before
the Boat Is Sighted by Res
cuing Schooner.
MEN GO MAD FROM THIRST

NEW YORK. Jan 3o.-Rivaling in it's
details Ct intense suffering the most har-
rowing story of any shipwrecked mari
p,r of fiction is the tale brought to port |.
ny three survivors Of the crew Of the
steam dredge Texas who have arrived
On the Etruria.
Adrift with ten others in an open boat
for nearly thirteen days without food or
fresh water and on the sixth day picked
up by schooner when all save one had /
gone almost mad is the story of the dis
astrous voyage
The only American among the crew of |
thisty-t vro men engaged IT Hamburg |
early in December to bring the Texas, i
lust built at Dantzic, TO Galveston was !
Captain Minot. OF New York.
Took to the Boats !
The Texas was a little over two hun |
bred feet long and of about forty feet |
beam She WAS built of steel with twin |
screws,
On the second day out from Dantzic !
the Texas lost her starboard propeller !
and had to put into kiel for repairs. |
Going down the English Channel her |
pumping apparatus got out OF order and |
this necessitatad q stop at Southampton. |
Leaving the English port on December
49, the vessel was so ouffeted BY wind
and waves tkat the sixth DAY out found |
it still nearly three hundred miles from
| the Azores.
| On the evening OF that day the vessel
! began suddenly TO settle al the bows.
and il was discovered that a plate had
| been ripped loose
Water Pouring In.
| The water was pouring in SO rapid
Nv \
not cope with Inc emergency. and d big
suction apparatus, which formed part
| Of the vessels equipment. was put to
| work. Sixty tons of ccal We're thrown
| overheard and the hold was emptied
| enough 10 enable repairs TO be started
when the apparatus failed Just then
the CHIEF engineer discovered another
leak under the engine room through
which water WAS rushing fast;
Captain Mtnot gave the order to low
when a strong northwestern and a high
sea combined to make such an under
taking almost as perilous as sticking
10 the ship.
Mate and Nineteen Lost.
We got the boat. twenty-six foot
craft. overheard said Olaf Haga. one
OF the rescued men. .-and after much
difficulty thirteen OF US, including the
captain and the second mate. managed
to drop into It. We pushed of q little
distance from the Texas to walt for the
others A second boat was lowered. but
| almost Immediately was dashed to
pieces against the side of the big craft
There was only one other, q small yawl,
which was IN the hold.
I'VE stood by for an hour trying TO
find chance to get near the vessel,
but suddenly the light, which was all
we could see; disappeared. and We knew
the ship had gone down with the first
| mate. Mr.. BAIL, and the nineteen men
| who were on board.
Our boat had a mast. which We set
! / up, using a blanket for q sail.
Ran Before the Gale,
For two days we ran before the gale
On the third day the wind shifted TO
. east and blew so hard We had to take in
our mast and sail and use them for q
3 dredge anchor.
When we left the ship our stock OF
provisions consisted of a box contain
ing about ten pounds Of biscuit and our
l water cask held about eight gallons
= This was dealt out sparingly. but on the
seventh day was entirely gone. On the
sixth day one mGn. a Maori. died from
e the exposure and lack OF nourishment
Then began terrible experience. We
/ had to crouch down in the bottom OF the
l. boat to avoid being pitched overheard
n We We're divided into three watches,
t four OF us being on lookout all the time.
c There WAS water around US, but we
knew that to drink II might prove fatal.
. The men were warned. but after a day
f of horrible torture most OF them sue
= cunbed To their desire
One Man Goes Mad.
II could not resist the craving for
water" said Hans Petersen. but when
I had drunk once l found my thirst in
: creasing, and the more l drank the more
ii grew l do not remember our last
| few days in the boat"
"AII Of u.s." resumed Haga, became
| like madmen A German who had gone
: mad on the second day after our water
: had given out became so violent We had
| TO tie him to thwart to prevent his
doing violence to himself or to u.s.
.-Mutterings were heard on all sides
land half a dozen Of the men planned tC
draw lots as to who should be sacrificed
= for the rest Captain MinOt heard this
and forbid such discussions
III the worst comes 10 the worst,
he said YOU may do what you please
with any OF us who dies. But as Ions
as We all breathe each shall have ar
equal chance for life L have no doubr
that had We not been picked up Wher
II we were the next day would have wit
n messed tragedy
s. Peter Gerasola was the man whC
l. raised the cry OF "A SAIL
y A Sail in Sight.
y 81 was on lookout, forward" sai(
: Gerasola, "-and for hours l had sweep
9 the sea ahead without finding a specl
- of white in the dreary blue above tn
y sky line. Suddenly there seemed I,
- spring up little peak OF white ant
:. | then another I waited for momen
- until the white objects appeared to grow
II larger, and then 1 cried the news L
my companions
IS I'm an instant all seemed to wake int
lie life. Several attempted to spring UP