The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-10-02
TALE OF THE SEA.
Wrecked on a Bleak Island, StarV,
ing Sailors Tell a Horrible
STORY OF DISASTER.

STORY OF DISASTER.
They Watched Their Comrades Die
From Hunger and Exposure to the
Storm-Real Story of Marooned
Mariners That ChiIls the Blood
Four of Them Perished From Hun
ger and Exposure.
The story of the wreck of the
American bark Prussia, on Bleak
Staten Island, Terra Del Fuego, "The
land Of fire." is thrilling one Si2
of the crew have been landed at New
ork by the steamer from Montevido'
Four perished and three are in hos.
pital at Punta Arenas. The Prussia
WIS owned in San Francisco and
sailed from Norfolk, Va, March IT,
with a cargo of coal for Sen Francis.
co.
On June 19 she was off Staten Is.
land. 1t was bitterly cold. Capt
Johnson was trying to make New
Years Island light. A storm came W
in the night and the bark was ashore
wreck before the danger was real.
lied. She broke up at once. Every
man umped overheard and II of the
13 reached a strip of land which was
somewhat sheltered by overhangine
rocks.
They kept warm as best they
could throughout the night. Al
dawn Sabata, the cook and Ham
mond, sailor, were missing. The
Prussia was gone. The strip of land
was not more than 800 feet long and
impossible cliffs kept the men from
escaping across the island.
The captain was so exhausted thai
he died early in the morning and
wa sburied on the beach. The mer
collected what wreckage they could
made a fire, constructed what shelter
they were able, secured some cans Of
provisions. few biscuits and bar
rel of pork and talked over means OF
escape.
Carpenter Carl Stark was set te
work at once to build small boat
He had no tools and had to make
them from iron in the wreckage. Al
hands helped, but it was slow ted
ious job, and they feared that thell
provisions would not last.
1t was decided that two of theil
number would try to work over th'
mountains. and the lot fell to Porthi1
and Hosteth. These two scaled tht
high rocks and started across. Afte1
few days Porthin returned, crawl
ing on his hands and knees. HIS fee
were badly frozen and Hosteth, he re
ported had frozen to death.
The food had given out. The rock
were covered with limpets which tn
sailors collected, and they killed SOM
seals that entered the cove. Th'
seals, Rainey says, seemed to acQuir
wisdom, and after a few had bee1
killed avoided the place. The boa
was finished after 80 days of har'
work and Mate Hunter, Stark an
Heine started off to find New Year
Island and sent rescue party t
their mates.
It was only thirty miles to the is
| land. but the frail shell in which the
risked their lives had to be favored
and they avoided the open sea an
worked in and out of the bays an
inlets. It took them six days {
reach the lighthouse and they tnln
they went 100 miles.
Lieut.. Delgado, who is stationed
the light, called for volunteers an
with six men in a whale boat, Wit
Hunter acting at pilot started to re-
cue the men still on Staten lslan'
The weather grew so bad That the.
too, spent six days at it, anc COZ
sumed more than half Of the pr
. visions they had taken aboard.
The bad weather lasted and tee
. had to wait six days longer befol
: yenturing on the voyage back, WI
. little left to eat. Luckily, the Voya:
to the light was quick one, taklf
only one day. The sailors were car
fully nursed at the light and sent
by the tender Orestes to Punta Are
as. Porthin was in the worst snap
and it was feared that be would 10
both feet.
From Punta Arenas the six M
e who arrived at New York last we
l, were sent by steamship to MonteVl
q go.