Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1914-05-19
FIND FOUR OF FIFTEEN
 SEAMEN ALIVE IN BOAT
(Continued from pasg cue.)


 light. We all stood up and shouted at the tops of our voices, but she was three-quarters of a mile away and we could not make her hear at that distance.
 Next day We saw tramp steamer, which was about seven miles off. We had hoisted my rain coat on an oar, as a signal, but it wasn't any use. About , o'clock that afternoon we saw what I think was the Franconia. From what I have learned on the Seneca, we must have been witnesses to her rescuing her lifeboat We saw her steam up, step and judged, at the time. she was taking boat aboard Then she steamed away in a circle, as we thought, looking for us, but, of course, she could not tell where we were and instead of coming to us, she went away off, and that was the last we saw of her.
 "The weather by this time, had fortunately calmed down somewhat It was very rough the first three or four days. Two or three times we carried away sea anchors to which we were riding, and the boat sweep ing around to the seas, filled with water. The lifeboat, having air-tanks, of course, could not sink, but there was the danger of her being over turned. We bailed her out, l suppose, half a dczen times, and rigged up sea anchor after sea anchor with bits of old canvas and managed 10 keep her head-cn to the seas that way.
 Beginning of the End.
 By this time, had put the men on rations. There was a 1000 gallon cask of water in the boat, and tin tank of biscuit. I allowed each man pint of water day. and biscuit for each meal. Then, after the first week. the water ran pretty short. we got little rain on Thursday 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, I cut the rations down until Friday last, there were but live biscuit and less than pint Of water | for the five who survived then. we cut LID some of the leather from boots taken off dead men and tried to mix up a sort of paste with the brlken | biscuit, but it was not palatable. When the Seneca hove in sight, our last biscuit was gone and we were | painfully scraping the crumbs in the tank to mix with some more shoe leather.
 l Put Out First Body. l Hull, the oiler, was the first te die. We tried to revive him With 1 little wine. but it was too late, an6 l after making sure that he was beyond all hope. we put his @ body over thu side and I said what l could remem Der of the burial service over him.
 "Then Richmer, fireman, dlet about ? o'clock on the morning of thu l12th. Anderson, another fireman, diet the next day, and so did the COOK Chrimberg. Gustafsen was the mex to die. All these men went brett, much the same way. They began t' drink sea water, and their suffering were frightful. The more they dranl the more they wanted There wa one tin dipper in the boat, and trle' to keep this in my possession, put l I was asleep they would get it ava from me.
 | Insane Men Dle SlnSlns.
 "It was pretty much one contlnua nightmare all the time. l would ge the dipper away from them who Wer swilling salt water, but the next min ute they would be leaning over tn gunwale of the boat tapping like COW at a brook. Soon they would g crazy. All of them died singing, com nletely insane. I think it was tha water more than anything else tha killed them. The men who Kept U the scanty portion of fresh wate stood the exposure.
 "Matettes, the chief engineer, wa inc next to die. He perished from eX nosure. Then came Jakobs, a pli oiler, a Russian, who stood over feet. He started to drink salt water He went insane, and after trying U kill all of us, died about o'clock Sat urday morning.
 "Prieye died yesterday morning. H had a dream before we left on tnl trip. that the ship would burn and h would die after being fourteen days Il q boat. He told this to us agaln ah' again while we were adrlft, ano doubt it if you will, he assured us w would be rescued on the fourteentl day. That gave us a little encour agement, but later he died, We all Tel that death was waiting for us, am that no hope was left. l know l ha made up my mind there was nothin more to be done except to walt 10 what was coming.
 Snatched From Death.
 "Then we saw the Seneca. She Wa abort seven or eight miles away iron us. taking some soundings. We go out the oar and started to row to ward her. We thought we were max ing great time, but they tell me WI w were hardly moving the boat at all Tbon WIG saw we were seen from hef for she steamed toward us, ana w all keeled over. l never expected u he alive today at this time yester day."