The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-06-13

! ton and thirst for week-to be SO
close to land that they could clearly
discern the red roof CT the lifeboat
station and could make out vehicles
on the roads and fishing craft off the
shore, and yet be unable to obtain
assistance. These two brave young
lads naturally thought they could
reach shore, but the captain knew
better. He decided that in their
starved and exhausted condition they
were not fit to attempt it, and would
only be drowned. And so, though
very reluctantly, they gave up the at
tempt.
Despair was now fast overwhelm-
ing them. They had already been
chewing rope and shoe-leather to ap-
pease their ravenous hunger, and fail
ing to satisfy their thirst with rain,
caught in their hands, they yielded
to the ever-present temptation to
drink the sea water washing up
around them.
Monday morning daWned, and
Fritz seemed so quiet that the cap
tain called him, thinking he slept.
Yes, he slept right enough, but it was
the sleep that knows no waking-the
poor boy was dead!
Meyers death seemed to the two
survivors a foretaste of what was in
store for themselves. To add to their
anguish at this juncture the wind
suddenly veered, and began to carry
the wreck out to sea. That was the
final blow-the castaways gave up all
hope and began to write, or rather
carve, their own obituary notice on
the ships bottom. The sense OF the
German was as follows:
I'VE have died of starvation and
exposure, after having endured count
less agonies for eight days on the keel
of this wreck.
HANS MESSEH,
RUDOLPH WISCHEMANN."
This melancholy task accomplished
and overcome by despair and their
growing weakness, the two castaways
fell asleep.
Meanwhile, some men on shore,
observing the wreck, vowed that they
could see several persons on it. This
being so, a lifeboat man called for
volunteers to go to the rescue. Man
ming an ordinary boat the life-savers
pulled away with a will. Their task,
however, was no easy one, for the
suns rays, reflected from the water,
blinded them, and they lost sight of
their half-submerged objective. They
were finally compelled to pull once
more to the shore, and landed near
Perwelk. From the downs there they
located the wreck some ten miles off
the coast.
Re-entering their boat they rowed
swiftly away, and in about ninety
minutes were close enough to the
hulk to recognize that the wreck was
a capsized ship, with what appeared
to be iifeless body firmly secured
to the keel and two apparently sleep
ing men lying beside it. The fisher
men shouted at the top of their
voices, and presently the two casta-
ways awoke and jumped up.
For some moments they stared va
cantly at their rescuers, apparently
thinking that their eyes must be de-
ceiving them. Surely help was not
at hand now, when they had aban-
doned all hope, after eight days of
suffering on the brink of death?
Then, like a fash, realization came
to them, and their frantic Joy battles
description.
The living men were first tenderly
helped into the boat and given q little
food, and then the body of poor Fritz
was unfastened from its lashings and
taken on board. Next the rescuers
turned about, reaching the shore
again about 1 o'clock, where they
were accorded a great ovation by the
assembled villagers. A doctor took
charge of the sufferers and COM
menced the work of coaxing them
back to health and strength.
1t is thought the Anna Rebecca had
sprung leak, and that it was this
which caused her to capsize so easily.
The wreck was towed into Memel by
the tug Roland, where it was visited
by crowds of people. The places on
the ships bottom where the three
men had lashed themselves to the
keel were distinctly visible, the per-
retual slipping backwards and for
wards of their bodies as the vessel
rolled having polished the oaken
boards till they positively shone-a
mute testimony to the length of their
ordeal which greatly impressed the
sightseers. The Anna Rebecca has
since been righted and made fit for
sea again.-The Wide World Maya
zine.