South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-05-19

Then we found there were no dry
matches in the boat. In the hurry
Of leaving the exploding ship a sea
had swept into the life boat and all
the matches were dampened There
We had to sit, helpless to signal to
the Olympic as she swept by. a blaze
OF light. We all stood up and shout
ed at the tops of our voices, but she
was three quarters OF mile away
and ne couldn't make her hear at
that distance.
Saw Tramp Steamer.
Next day We saw a tramp steamer
which was about seven miles Off We
had hoisted my rain coat on an oar
as a signal, but il wasn't any use.
About o'clock that afternoon we
saw what | think was the Franconia
From what l have learned on the
Seneca we must have been witnesses
10 her rescuing our life boat. We
saw her steam up, stop and judged
at the time she was taking a boat
aboard. Then she steamed away in
circle as We thought, looking for
US but of course she could not tell
where We were and instead of coming
10 us she went away off and that was
the last We saw Of her.
The weather by this time had for
tunately Gained down somewhat 1t
days. Two or three times we carried
away sea anchors TO which we were
riding and the boat sweeping round
TO the seas, filed with water The
life boat having air tanks. OF course
could not sink, but there was the
danger of her being overturned. We
balled her out, | suppose a half dozen
times and rugged up sea anchor after
sea anchor with. bits of old canvas
"a n ma ma raA 70 = i -
the seas that way.
Puts Men on Rations.
BY this time / had put the men on
ratiOns. There was a thousand gal
lon cask of water in the boat and a
tin tank full OF biscuits. / allowed
each man a pint of water a day and
biscuit for each meal Then after
the first week the water ran pretty
short We got little rain on Thurs
day and some more on Monday, but
on Friday some Of the men started
drinking salt water and that was the
beginning of the end.
Gradually L cut the rations down
until Friday last there were but five
biscuits and less than a Pint of water
Tor the five who survived then. We
cut up some boots taken off dead men
and tried TO mix up a sort of a paste
with the broken biscuits but il WASH I
sight our last biscuit was gone and We
were painfully scraping the crumbs in
the tank together to mix with more
shoe leather.
Hull, the oiler. was the first man to
die. We tried 10 revive him with a
little wine. but IL was too late and aft
er making sure that he was beyond all
hope, We put his body over the side
and | said what I could remember of
the burial service over him.
Drank Salt Water.
Then Richmer, a fireman, died
about o'clock in the morning OF the
18th. Anderson, another fireman,
died the next day and so did the cook.
Chrimberg Gustafsen was the next
10 die. All these men went pretty
much the same way. They began 10
drink sea water and their sufferings
were frightful. The more they drank
the more they wanted. There was one
tin dipper in the boat and l tried to
keep this in my possession. but if !
was asleep they would get il away
from me.
1T was pretty much one continual
nightmare all the time. ] would get
the dipper away from men who were
swilling salt water. but the next min
ute they would be leaning out over the
gunwale OF the boat tapping il up like
COWS at a brook. Soon they would
go crazy. All OF them died singing.
| completely insane. l think it was
that water more than anything else
that killed them. The men who kept
TO the scanty portion Of fresh water
stood the exposure better
'Magetts. the chief engineer. was
the next 10 die. He persisted from
exposure. Then one of the worst OF
all our trials happened. Jakob, a big
! Oiler, a Russian who stood six feet,
started to drink salt water He went
insane and tried 70 kill the whole
boat crew. There were only five of us
alive then and poor Peter Prieve the
mess boy. wos sa weak he could not
stand. This was about o'clock on
Friday night.