The evening world., 1909-03-01
DREAD BEREBER|
SEXES SEVEN ON
HOODOO SHIP
Captain and Six of Crew in
Staten Island Hospital,
All Near Death.
DEATH TRAILS VESSEL.
Chapter of Disasters Begin
When King George Leaves
Hong Kong,
DEATH TRAILS VESSEL.

Capt W. B. Tucker and six seamen'
Of the Standard Oil ship King George
were reported to be In danger OF death
to-day In the Marine Hospital. Staten
Island. They were taken to the hospIt al
yesterday from the ship, which had just
arrived from Hong Kong, 100 days out.
The Marine Hospital surgeons are
sure that the men are all suffering from
ber,-beri which some times comes to
these shores from tropical seas. Its eff
OF the symptoms suggest scurvy. The
men of the King George are sure that
scurvy has been loose on the ship and
that tire beri-beri is complicated with IT,
hut this the officers and the surgeons
deny,
Voyage Began With Hoodoo.
The King George sailed from New
York, March L, 1905 nearly a year ago
She is ful-rigged British three
master. She made the China Sea in
III days snd went TO Hong Kong
taking a tow TO the Whan Pc 10 dis
charge her cargo OF oil. Then Capt.
Tucker took aboard cargo of bamboo
and cane ware and mating He sailed
for home Oct. 49,
Two days out the chapter OF disas-
ters, some OF them petty and some seri-
Gus, began. The cooks monkey Jumped
overheard In a ut OF melancholy Capt.
Tucker put about in an effort to rescue
the monkey, for, he said, 1t never did
any ship any good to have long voy-
, age start with a suicide. But the
monkey had ben grabbed by a shark.
The crew had several shark hooks
overheard at the time, and an hour or
two later they caught the shark which
swallowed the monkey. They cut the
shark open and took the monkey from
Its belly, but Il was not In condition to
be useful any more as monkey
In thirty-two days the King George
made the Straits OF Sunda. between
Java and Sumatra. Here. at the vii
lage OF Anger Capt. Tucker took on
fifty baskets OF sweet potatoes. It was
the only uncanned vegetable food that
the ship had aboard on the res, OF tho
voyage.
Alexander Mckenzie, the cook, was
complaining of pains In his ankles and
his legs began to swell, even before the
ship left Hong Kong. He grew stead.
ily worse, died and was buried at sea
Just before the King George rounded
the Cape OF Good Hope on Jan. 8 BY
this time the potatoes were all zone,
and nearly all the other members OF
the crew were III with what they SUD.
posed was scurvy.
Animals Died Aboard.
Nearly all the pets on board were
E dead by this time. The crew had
caught seven Chinese kingfishers that
fiew against the sails, and had put
them in cages But they all died
crossing the Indian Ocean. Saigon,
the Chinese tailless tomCat died Jan.
81 The Sea Dog as the crew called
the captains Pomeranian terrier, gave
birth to eight puppies nthe way out
These all died except Buffalo scotty
and Mary.
Roger bruce, known to his shipmat.s
as the Duke of Portland. was the Gus
todan of pets. But of tho Cape the
Duke was stricken while he was at the
wheel The wheel got away from him
and the ship was set right again as a
smart gale was blowing He was kept
in the hospital 10 rthe rest Of the trip
II was all that Capt Tucker and the
other six men could do to drag them
selves up and down the decks during
the voyage across the Atlantic. The
surgeons say that it is a wonder they
reached here alive. Covered with bar
nacles Ms she was tho King George
fairly flew toward New York after she
caught the southeast trades Jan. ls.
She footed II Mt the rate Of eleven
knots an hour much Of the time