Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-05-19
PICKED Up men
TAKEN TO SHORE
Revenue Cutter Seneca Ar
rives at Halifax With
Sailors Nearly Dead
UNABLE TO TELL
OF EXPERIENCES
Seamen sIn Such Serious
Condition That Little
Can Be Learned

Halifax, N. S., May 1s.-The United
States revenue cutter Seneca arrived
here today with the four survivors OF
the burned steamer Columbian, whom
she picked up from their small boat
forty miles south of Sable Island at
ten o'clock yesterday morning.
The condition Of the men is seri-
GUS, but it Is believed they will live.
A wireless message from Captain
Johnstone OF the Seneca told concisely
Of the rescued. Little could be
learned today from the exhausted
sailors Of their experience beyond the
fact that they had been tossed by
seas since May 4, when nre on the Col
umbian drove them into their small
boat. There were fifteen men in the
craft when they left the Columbian.
Eleven companions died Of hunger and
exposure and the four emaciated taken
on the revenue cutter were almost un-
conscious.
Enroute to Antwerp.
The Columbian belonged to the Le-
land and was enroute from Antwerp
to New York with a miscellaneous
cargo when the fire started at mid.
night on May 3. The crew had time
only to launch their three boats. One
OF these containing thirteen men and
the body Of the. chief steward was
picked up by the FranconiA OF the Gun.
ard line On May 5. Late the same
day another carrying thirteen men was
sighted by the steamer Manhattan and
her crew rescued.
Hope for the third boat had been
abandoned when the message from the
Seneca was received. The revenue
cutter was on her way to Halifax for
fuel and stores when man on the
bridge made ont a life boat apparently
empty Drawing near Captain john
ston found it contained four men more
dead than alive.
Left In hurry.
The men in the life boat had left
their ship 50 hurriedly that there was
no opportunity to supplement the life
boats usual store Of water and bis
cults. A single cask of water slowed
in the stern was soon exhausted but
fortunately rain fell and the men
suffered less from thirst than from
hunger One hundred pounds of hard
tack furnished their only food. This
was used up the first week.
Day after day the men made desper-
ate efforts to o.attract the notice Of pas
sing shipping. On the first two days
three steamers were in sight and for
nearly week the boat remained di-
rectly in the path OF transatlantic
traf1c, but none saw them. At the
end OF the first week they had drifted
about 1875 miles to the north away
from the winter track of the liners.
The immediate vicinity of Sable Is
land is carefully avoided by merchant
ships and apart from the Ice patrol
ships practically no craft Is found In
the vicinity where they were
picked up.
Bread Supply Used.
With hope Of rescue fast vanishing,
the men lost courage. One week
from the day they left the ship, the
last of the bread crumbs were eaten.
On that day one OF the fifteen men died.
Some OF the men drank salt water, and
one of them became insane and soon
afterward died. The first to succumb
was George Hull an oiler. Chief Of
ficer Teire ordered the bodies thrown
overheard. One by one the men gave
I'D until only four remained. Peter
Triel died as aid was in sight.