Norwich bulletin., 1914-05-18

Boston. May 17-Four survivors of g. boat load of fifteen who escaped in the third boat of the freight steamer Columbian burned at sea on May. 8, were picked up today by the United States revenue cutter Seneca forty miles of Sable Island. according to @ dispatch received here from the cut ter tonight.
 When their short allowance of bis- cult and water had failed, they main tained life by chewing boot leather and the few stray crumbs of hard tack. Rain water served them when their water cask went dry.
 The first two days after drifting away from the flaming Columbian they saw three steamers. too far away to be signalled.
 The dispatch from Captain Johnson Of the Seneca follows:
 Sable Island, S. S. Seneca. 10 a. m, forty miles south of Sable Island rescued lfeboat with Officer Robert
 Teire, Sailors Oscar Kendall. Peter Be-
 survivors of fifteen. Oiler George
 Hull died tenth. Peter Triel today.
 Others between. namely Engineer
 Margetts, Fireman Anderson, Antonio.
 Richmer. Gustafson. Jakob, Boy Dyckmen, Cook Schrimberger, Sailor
 Christensen. All died of exposure
 and hunger. Short allowance bis cult and water. Eating biscuit crumbs
 and boot leather when rescued Saw
 three steamers firse two days. none
 since. Much rain. Fine today. All under doctor doing well.
 "tSisned JOHNSON" Story Sent Out From Haiifax. Halifax, N. S., May 17-After thtr- teen days of terrible suffering in an open boat, four survivors of the freight steamer Columbian were picked up in tho North Atlantic by the United States revenue cutter Seneca today. t-S Eleven others of the boats c. w which left the Columbian when sle
 was burned just south of Sable Island on May Sd had succumbed to. injuries and priyations and their bodies had been thrown overload
 ! The death roll of the lost freighter ! now stands at fifteen
 Twenty-Seven other members of the crew were saved by the Cunard liner F'ranconia and the steamer Manhattan after two days of exposure.
 The men snatched from death by the Seneca today were the first officer | whose name was not given in the radio despatch from that vessel, Seamen
 Robert Tiese, Oscar Kendall and Peter Bel'anger and Fireman Michael Lud- wigsen. The Seneca reported that she | was hastening to Halifax and expected to reach there tomorrow morning. The 1 survivors had lived on only a few | ships biscuits and a cask of water
 which had long since been exhausted | They had gone the limit of human en- l durance.
 Hope for this missing third boat had
 been abandoned after a dozen trans | Atlantic liners searched for five days | within a wide radius of the spot where l the Columbian burst into flames. That | was in the vicinity of latitude 41.1s north. longitude 59.35 west. To sea-
 faring men it seemed impossible that a small boat could pass through the series of gales that has since swept | those waters, and the news that the Seneca had picked up survivors was
 received almost with incredulity here
 Survivors Too Weak to Tell Story. Although the survivors were too weak from their suffering to tell tho | story completely. the revenue cutter. ! officers gathered that some of the if teen men who had hastily piled into | the third boat had been so badly burn
 ed that they died within the first few l days. It was decided to tighten tho boat by casting the bodies overheard 1 at once. Some who had tumbled from | their hunks at the first explosion an6 | had rushed on deck half clothed sue | cumbed to the cold. Others, weakened