The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-19
TWICE ALMOST RESCUED:
THEN ABANDONED HOPE
Olympic Passed BY at Night
Saw Other Boat
Saved.
FOUGHT CRAZY COMRADES
They Ate Boot Leather Mixed
With Cracker Crumbs
TO Keep Alive.

HALIFAX, n. S.. May 1s.-After cheat
ing death In every form for fourteen
trying days four men are now lying in
private ward OF the Victoria Cen
eral Hospital here fighting the battle
FOR life all over again. The four are
emaciated wrecks, little better than
so many parcels OF skin and bone.
but they are the only survivors OF the
fifteen men Of the Leyland liner Column
bian who took to No. lfeboat when
their ship was destroyed by fire a fort
night ago yesterday.
When rescued by the United States
revenue cutter Seneca yesterday they
were all at the last stage OF utter ex-
haustion. Not one drop OF water or a
crumb Of food remained in the boat.
and the four, who had jug. sent the body
OF their eleventh companion to a sea
burial, were without hope OF surviving
the day when the rescue ship hove in
sight.
They collapsed when taken Oh board
the revenue cutter, but stood the jour
day fairly we'll. once safe ashore. how
ever. they relapsed again. and tonight
all four are critically ILL.,
Robert There. the youthful second Of
ficer of the Columbian. who commanded
the boat. was in the most critical state
OF the four. Cold and exposure had SC
swollen his feet within his heavy sea
boots that gangrene set in and he prob
ably will have to lose both members
Peter Ballanger. n Frencf Canadian
seaman, who was the most exhausted
OF the quartet when rescued was also
critically III tonight. oscar Kendall
and Michael Ludwigsen, the other sur
vivors. had high temperatures and were
much exhausted.
Fought Their Crazy Comrades.
Hunger. thirst. cold. exposure. tenn.
pestuous seas, insane companions dyins
in the raving OF delirium and tryinl
to murder them, the frequent alterna
ton OF hope and despair and the know
edge that they depended for rescu,
purely on chance were some OF tn,
factors that combined to bring then
to the last gasp OF utter prostration wher
the Seneca sighted them Sunday.
OF all the agonies that the men en-
dured-the pangs OF hunger and o
thirst, the sight Of maddened comrades
the deaths OF fourteen OF their numbe
mono was so poignant as the sight O
great liner. agleam with lights iron
stern to bow. sweeping by in the nigh
ignorant OF their nearness.
1t was the olympic. There said to-da,
and they could not alarm her because
wave sweeping over their craft had we
all the matches and the fog and tn
darkness hid them. as well as dulle
their cries for aid. This was twenty
four hours after the fire, and the mex
/ day two more steamships passed then
but we're too far away to catch sight c
the little boat tossing in the swell c
the SEA.
All hope had been abandoned theI
The eleventh man had just died. Flo
three days six OF them had lived o
/, 1--WE biscuits and u pint OF fresh wate
This was now all gone. Less than
= handful OF mouldy crumbs RENAME
e In the biscuit tin and death hovere
{ nigh when tho Senecas smoke wa
q seen. That cloudy pillar with its me,
< sage OF cheer spurred the exhauste
men to one last despairing squirt {
energy. Oars were got out and labc
: riously they pulled across the cutter
}. path.
The boat was seen by the waite
on the Seneca and taken for fishel
mans dory. but Capt. Johnston, VIII
was on ice patrol duty 800 miles ava
when the Columbian was destroye
ing to the missing boat and that morr
d ing had discussed the chances OF sigh
ing Il with some of his officers.
u when "a fshermens dory on the pc
bow" was reported TO him he altert
!. the cutters course and steered dow
d on II.
!. There Commands TO the Last.
"a Quickly II became apparent TIL
this was no fisherman's dory laborious
rowing toward the Seneca. From
mast swaycd tattered oilskin coat.
mute appeal for aids Three haggal
Y. forms painfully toiled on the oars, viii
. .. - r.r..