New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-19
Columbian Survivors Reach
Halifax with Har-
rowing Tales.
SAW OLYMPIC PASS
BY IN THE DARKNESS
Member of Crew Had Accurate
Dream of Accident Before
He Left Port.

Usisax n S, May S-Driven oN
hurper 90 such an extremity that they
veya forced for several days 10 eat
leather was the experience OF the sur
,4vors OF the burned Leyland liner CO.
lumbar. four OF whom were landed mere
to-day by the United states revenue cut
ter Seneca after having been picked UP
from their small boat forty miles south
Of Sable Island at 10 a m. YESTERDAY
The condition OF the men was pitfuI' Du'
n IS believed they will live.
on reaching here the condition or the
survivors had improved greatly and bit
by bit their story was patched together
They left their ship so hurredly that
there was no opportunity TO supplement
the lIfeboats usual store OF water and
biscuit. A single cask Of water slowed IN
the stern was soon exhausted. but fortu-
nateIy rain fell and the men suffered less
from thirst than from hunger one hum
drcd pounds 81 bareback furnished their
only food This was used'up in the first
week
Day after day the men made desperate
efforts TO attract the attention Of passing
shipping In the first two days three
steamers were sighted, and for nearly
week the boat remained directly In the
path OF transatlantic traffic. but none
saw them.
With hone OF rescue fast vanishing the
men lost courage one week from the
day they left the ship the last OF the
breadcrumbs was 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.
one by one the men gave UP until oniy
I'VE remained Peter Tr'el died a. alu
was IN sight. Engineer Margetts' Fire
men Anderson. Antonio. Richman, Gus
lawson and Jakob. Cabin Boy Dickman'
Cook Schrimberger and Sailor Christen-
son all persisted in the second week.
The survivors we're Chief Officer Teire'
Scamen oscar Kendall and Peter Be
LANCER and Fireman Ludwissen.
There. an Englishman twenty-five years
Old and first officer Of the Columbian, to-
day said
II had Just got on the Columbians
bridge at midnight, MAY 9. with no signs
whatever % fire on board. when there
came q series Of explosions. One. l think
was "A bunker explosion. which almost
rent the ship IN parts. Just before that
I had noticed an odor as Of something
burning and was about 10 make an IN
yestigation. There were explosions among
the cargo. and ! think the first explosion
was i'm No. 9 hatch. There was no time
To get navigating instruments, provisions
or clothing. and the men had to tumble
into the boats in quick time. strong
southcrly wind was blowing.
.Ip the carly morning we saw steam
or's lights, but she passed by some dis
,ance off. We judged that IT was the
Olympic We had no dry matches with
which TO light signals, the waves having
washed over the boat and wet everything.
pay after day passed and the exposure
began to tell on the men. We had pre-
served some cracker crumbs, but the last
of these were served out yesterday morn
ing. For several days we had been eating
Their"
-.IoTe ne died Peter Triel told his boat
mates that before the Columbian sailed
from Antwerp he dreamed Of being
aboard a sinking ship and then being out
at sea IN an open boat for thirteen days
before being picked up. Triel was con
startly complaining that he would not be
able to last out the fourteen days and
that be would never see Antwerp again.
ON the morning Of the fourteenth day he
died. Fritz Jaka fireman, went violently
insane before he died.