The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-05-19
All Who Remained of a Boat
Load of Fifteen Found in
Oirest Straits of Hunger
BOOT LEATHER
With Short Allowance of Bis
cults and Water The Fifteen
Men Who Piled Into Life
Boat From Burning Ship Far
Reduced To PrivatiOn
tBy the Associated Press.l


Boston, Mass. Nav l7.-Four sur
ViyorS of a boat load Of fifteen WHO
escaped in the third BOAT Ct The
freight steamer Columbian. burned at
sea May 8. were picked up today by
the United States Revenue Cutter Sen
eca 40 miles south Of Sable Island. ac-
cording to a dispatch received here
from the cutter tonight.
When their short allowance Of bis
cult and water had failed the men
maintained life by chewing boot
leather and the few stray crumbs of
hard tack. Rain water served them
when their water cask e dry.
The first two days after drifting
away from the Columbian they saw
three steamers too far ava to be
~signalled.
The dispatch from Capt. Johnston.
OF the Senaca, follows.
Ten a. m. forty miles south Sable
Island rescued lifeboat with Officer
Robert Teire, sailors Oscar Kendall.
Peter Belanger. Fireman Michael
Ludwigsen. survivors of fifteen.
Oiler Geo. Hull died tenth. Peter
Triel today. Others between. All
died of exposure and hunger. Short
allowance biscuit and water. Eating
biscuit crumbs n boot leather when
rescued. Saw three steamers first two
days. none since. Much rain. Fine
today. All under doctor doing well
(Signed) "JOHNSTON.'
eleven others Of the b ats crew
which left the Columbian when SHE
was burned south of Sable Island
May 3. had succunbed to i~njurie!
and privations and their bodies hao
been thrown overheard. The dealt
roll Of the lost freighter now stand;
at fifteen.
TWenty-SeVen Others Saved.
Twenty-seVen other members of tn
crew were saved by the Cunard line
FrancOnia and the Steame Manhat
tan after W. days of exposure. TIL
men Snatched from death by tn
Seneca today were n first officer
whose name was mo- given in tn
radio dispatch from hat vessel: Sea
men Robert These, Oscar kedall an,
Peter Ballanger, and Firemen Michae
Ludwigsen. The Seneca reporte'
that she expected to reach Halifax to
morrow morning.
Hope Abandoned.
The survivors had lived on a fey
ships biscuits and a cask of water
which long since had been exhausted
They had gone the limit Of hun1a
endurance. Hope for this missin
third boat had been abandoned afte
a dozen transatlantic liners search
ed for five days within a wide radiu
: of the spot where the Columbian burs
into flames.
:, To Sea-farinG men. it seemed i'm
: ipossible that a small boat could pas
. through the series Of gales hat sine
have swept the waters in which tn
boat has drifted and the news that tn
- Seneca a picked up survivors wa
received almost incredulously here.
Some Badly Burned.
A1fho,,oh tho survivors were 70
weak from their suffering to tell tn
story completely the evenue cutter
officers gathered that oIn Of tn
sixteen who had hastily piled int
. the third boat had beer so baby burr
ed that they died within the first fe
DAYS. 1t was decided to tighten til
boat by casting the bodies overboar'
9 Some who had tumbled from the
= hunks at the first explosion and ha
rushed on dec half clothed succumt
y ed to the cold: others eaken J
q hunger and thirst gradually sank I'M
, lethargy that was scarcely to be di
tineuished from death. Some no
e the survivors managed to keep tt
boat head-on to the seas when tt
d weather became rough but for II
q past few days little or nc effort cou'
I be made to guide the craft. Day /
2 dav. the number dwindled until Ii
FIVE vi were left sank Imply to tt
bottom of the boat and waited IL
end.
Push On To Halifax.
II When the lookout of the Senec
scanning the horizon for Dergs on Il
= ice patrol. sighted the small DO
p, through his glasses not a sign Of Ii
Cd was seen. The eneca put on {
Sc speed and racing to the feboa Sc
p her gig alongside. The emaciat,
survivors were quickly transferred
t The deck Of the cutter and brant
IS forced between the parcned lips. .
n all the men were in apparent ne
lie of hospital attention the Seneca W
le pushed under forced drausht to Ha
fax. the nearest port.