The San Francisco call., 1905-08-23
FAMINE CAUSES
MUTINY At SEA
Steamship Reaches New York
From Jamaica After Long
Series of Catastrophes
TROUBLE AMONG CREW
Accidents, Lack OF Food and
Storms Add to Horror of
Trip of a Banana Vessel

NEW YORK. Aug. 22.-The steamship
Athos. seventeen days late, with eight
passengers and a cargo of decayed
bananas, and the bones of naif "a ten
sharks on board to indicate the perils
of her voyage, arrived off Scotland
lightship last night.
On July the Donald Steamship Coin-
pany's steamship Athos left Port an
tonic, Jamaica, for New York, six
days voyage. Three hours cut of port
an eccentric rod on the engine broke,
and from that hour until last Sunday,
proceeding sometimes only an hour d
cay under her own steam, the Athos
drifted at the mercy of the storms, in
constant danger of famine, once with
out drinking water, and receiving sup
plies from time to time from passing
vessels, until August 20, when the dis
abled steamship gave up and signaled
the steamer Altai for tow. The Al
tai brought the Athos to New YORK.
From July 80 to August Z one to
two breaks daily in the engine We're re-
corded. On August Z the catching of
sharks IL recorded. The Chinese on
board attempted to eat the sharks, but
the meat made them i'll and the fish
were thrown into the sea.
On August s the disabled vessel
sighted the Adirondack and signaled
the last tank of water was opened and
was found to be tainted with the juice
of the bananas. Some dolphins were
caught two days later, and on august
Is the famine was further relieved by
the steamship Montevideo, which sup
piled provisions.
For nearly a week, between August
10 and August Il, the engines shaft
was useless, and not only was the
. 70 drff oh Txyhi o.
pairs were under way. but for two
days of this period high seas broke
over the helpless steamship.
Finally, on August IS, the coupling
fiange broke. and the Athos abandoned
all attempts to reach New York under
her own steam, after twenty days of
continuous accidents. 1t was dectIed
to accept the offer of a tow. This did
not come for two days, during which a
second food famine was averted by tie
steamship Vera, which came alongside
the Athos and supplied eatables and
drinkables. Worse even than the dam
gers of the sea and famine, the passen-
gers say, was the odor of the decayed
banana cargo.
Passengers of the Athos, on landing
to-day, reported that the famine caused
small mutinies among the ships crew
of eighteen Chinese. Trouble first
started among the coolies over the
dearth of tobacco and rice. negro
helper was stabbed during one of the
fights, but the officers and passengers
were not seriously menaced. AT one
time the only water to be had WAS
ocean brine, which had been boiled and
condensed. One swallow a day to
each person was all this process fur
nished,
The passengers were John Douglas
Donald, son of the owner OF the Athos;
Miss Jeanie Damshee, the boys aunt
Mr.. and Mrs. Morris Lunn of Rosebank.
Staten Island; and Keith and Fred
Saunders, of Bay Ridge, N j., boy
friends of young Donald, and Henry
Tamke The entire party were guests
of John A. Donald. president of the
Donald Steamship Company, who sent
them on the Athos for summer va
cation trip.