The sun., 1917-09-06
I'LL, FAMISHED, TARS
SAVED BY PANCAKES
Bark Pursued by Hard Luck in
86 Day Run From
Africa.

A sea tale that seems oddly out OF
place In these days Of swift transatlan-
tic steamships and airships and sub
marines--a tale of sailing vessel
haunted by III luck, OF sailors suffering
from lack of food and dying from the
dread beriberi, a form OF paralysis that
has ravaged whole provinces of China
and Japan and the Malay Archipelago
was told last night when the American
bark Snowdon was towed into New York
harbor by tug and cast anchor of
Staten Island after an eighty six day
cruise from the Gold Coast OF Africa
with a cargo of mahogany. The climax
Of the cruise may come to-day. when
the members of the ships crew declare
that they will go before the United
States Shipping Board and lodge COM
plant against the master of the vessel,
Capt. william Hetch, for his alleged
refusal to put into a port for food when
the ships stores became so depleted
that there was nothing on board to eat
but hominy and pancakes.
The Snowdon. an iron sailing vessel Of
some 100 tons. was pursued by the jinx
of i'll luck throughout her voyage. Even
after she reached the territorial waters
Of the United States the misfortune that
seemed to have been loaded aboard her
with every stick OF mahogany did not
desert her and for Ave days she was
compelled by adverse winds to beat up
and down the coast, with her food stores
constantly getting lower. because she
was unable to find tug after nearing
Sandy Hook.
The Snowdon left Acia, on the Gold
Coast of Africa on June with a crew
of ten men and with every inch OF her
cargo space jammed with the valuable
mahogany. She struck bad weather al
most Immediately. and that continued
until she was able to get away from
the African coast When she was about
six or eight days out the winds died
down and the vessel was becalmed for
several days. The hret fatality occurred
twelve days after the bark had sailed
from Acia, when George Hitnet, a sa ilor.
became nj and died. He was buried at
sea.
on the twenty day after the
SnOwdon had left the Golden Coast an
other sailor. Oscar Nazeud, became i'll
with the disease and died that night.
He. too. was buried at sea The next
morning another man. the ships cook,
was Ill and helpless. leaving but seven
men and the captain to manage the ship,
a task which ordinarily required the full
energy of the crew Of ten. And one or
these had to cook for the others, which
of better, however, and two days later
three of the remaining six men fell III.
and that left but three men to operate
the ship and in addition care for the
sick men. These three men managed to
get the ship through three days when
two or three Of the others had recov-
cred enough so that they could help.
Seven days ago the sailors had be-
came well nigh famished. and n delega-
tion again went 10 the captain and in
sisted that he put in at a port for sup
plies. and failing that. that he hoist
signals of distress Capt Hetch finally
agreed to put up the signals, and they
few all day and all the next day before
they were seen by the captain of an oil
tanker out OF Boston. who sent a small
boat to the Snowden with supplies OF
food. From that time the voyage was
comparatively unsventful.
The Snowdon Is owned by the Snow
don Shipping Company, Inc, and was
built at Glasgow in 1877