The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-08-25
Mother, MarOoned on Reef,
browns Children to Save
Them From CannibaIism
Father and Six Sailors Go Down
in Waves While Building
Raft for Escape
Tale of Horrible Suffering of y
Victims of Enroll Wreck on
MiddIetOwn Island
Special Dispoich 10 The Cali

Special Dispoioh 10 The Call
" VICTORIA. B. c., Aug. "a
" Such story of consummate
misery of soul and body wreck
ing anguish as is uncommon even in
the grim chronicles of the sea is
brought by Captain Glib and his Off
GERS OF the Makura. which arrived to-
day from Sydney, y s. w, at which
port the shattered and bruised re-
mainder of the crew OF the bark Err
roll were being nursed back to health
after an experience hard TO duplicate
IN the annals OF marine history
Five men alone survive out of a
company of p who set sail from Co.
quimbo for Newcastle Two of the
five the doctors regard with pathetic
interest OF the one they say, Poor
fellow, he never can wholly rally from
the strain" The other is partially
paralyzed, and OF third it is said that
While q physical recovery may be made
the mind today is derelict. the heavy
price for suffering overmuch.
Tale But Half Told
In broken gasps. rather than con-
nected narrative. these hapless surviv-
ors tell their narrowing stories. 1t
forms an epic OF tragedy in its bald
horrors. There are many gaps in the
story, thought upon shudderingly. but
or which the tongues OF the survivors
refuse TO speak. The tale is one of
successive misfortunes; the battle with
the storm. the wreck; the challenging
Of death when seas were fought with
for safe landing on the surf pounded
Shores OF that deserted atoll known as
Middleton island; the agony of discov-
cry that the reported provisions for
shipwrecked mariners were nonexist-
ent at this hoped for haven; the awful
fortnight following. in which no morsel
Of food nor yet one drop OF water re-
lieved the agonies of the despairing
ones on whom the tropic sun poured
pitflessly; the making or the raft; the
drowning OF Captain Anderson and two
others. enfeebled by their sufrerings in
attempting to launch IL; the ultimate
going mad Of the captains wife, who
stoically had shed no tears when her
husband thus perished. bravely fighting
with fate before her loving eyes, but
found the limits Of mortal and mental
capacity for endurance stripped when
she heard the whispered talk OF canni-
balism as last recourse and, laughing
aloud in madness. cast her four little
ones and then herself into the eager
and then oblivion.
Provisions Not Found
OF the trip 70 Sydney the men can
tell one nothing. Nature demanding
her toll. and even yet when the Makura
left the antipodean port, they moved
and spoke as men but half awakened
from a trance OF horror To complete
the record Of suffering one has TO patch
together the story OF the vain search for
water. the frantic hunt of the starving
seamen for the lifeboat and cache OF
provisions which the sailing directions
- led them to believe had been placed
there for such as they The maddening
forcing home Of conviction that the ex-
pected succor was not at hand led to
the final abandonment of hope and
delirium and death by starvation, ex-
haustion and madness Of the majority
Dull eyed they saw Captain Anderson,
the second mate and seven Of the sea-
men go down TO death in the sea while
trying to float the fragil raft that they
in their pitiful weakness had managed
to patch together. Dry eyed, but with
sob in her throat. the shippers wife
had looked upon this tragedy, gather
ing her four little ones about her the
baby not yet ! year of age. the oldest
only s. Then came the day when hear
ing the men discussing in. low tones
the last recourse to cannibalism the
thread snapped and with loud hyster-
teal laughter the widowed mother made
sacrifice OF all her treasures to the god
OF the sea and went to meet her hus-
band in its depths.
Expected to Find Aid
The shipping directions carried by
Captain Anderson stated that all essen
tial supplies for shipwrecked mariners
would be found on Middleton island, a
typical coral atoll; also a lifeboat by
which escape might be made from this
so seldom visited locality Such pro-
vision was. it is said. maintained from
1870 to 1882, but after that abandoned.
Had this small mercy still been ex-
tended the cruel tragedy of the Erroll
which was the old corisbroke Castle.
but rechristened, need not have been
s-o,&s,-~d IN pa~e . r-~r.~.