Year: 1875

Adventures of Two shipwrecked seamen in

 Suffering ard Danger. a--s4s ss@ '

 The narrative of the adventures on a raft of two of the crew, Henry Lamont and John Hooper, of the steamer La Plata, which foundered in the Bay of Biscay, is most interesting. When the vessel sank they managed to get on board the raft, which was made of compart- ments filed with air, and joined by a canvas band, forming seat. Seated on this band they were in sort of trough, and the water came up to their waists, their bodies below the waist getting gradually benumbed. ' Their only hope of escaping lingering death lay in their being observed by some passing ship. On Monday there was strong breeze and nasty sea. Several ships passed at distance; these they could plainly see, but by none of them could theyhope to be seen. Tuesday was, calm during the greater part of the day, and their hopes of safety were raised by seeing three-mastered schooner within half mile of them. They shouted with all their might, and thought they must be heard, but the schooner sailed on. Tues day evening the breeze freshened. The men were exhausted, and in the conflict between wearied nature and hopes of life, they sank into state between sleeping and waking. On Wednesday morning the one who was in his waking moment saw through the darkness the loom of 8 vessel, and immediately reused his companion. The vessel rapidly ap- preached, and came within hundred yards of them. With all the strength thatwas left to them they uttered their cry for assistance, and after afew seconds interval, a bright light told that their cry had been. heard. For two hours the light burned before their eyes, but just before dawn it disappeared, and when day broke no ship was to be seen. Hope was fast giving away to despair, when about two hours after daylight the miss ing vessel bore down towards them. This was the Dutch schooner Benklezoon. The master, when he heard the cry of distress, had immediately brought his ship to, and lay-to till the morning. In the meantime the shipwrecked men on the air raft had drifted to leeward. When the master of the Benklezoon found at daybreak that nothing could be seen, he conjeeturedg from the force and direc tion of the wind the point to which any floating wreck or boat would have drift ed, and bore down in that direction. But the sea was. running so high that the master of the schooner dared neither to lower boat nor bring his vessel along side the raft. He therefore beckoned to the two men to quit the raft and swim to the schooner. Thoroughly exhausted by their three days exposure they mis- trusted their powers of swimming even this short distance; but it was their only hope. Lamont succeeded in getting alongside. Meantime the schooner and raft had again separated, and the schoon- CT made another tack to give Hooper a chance He was still moro exhausted than Lamont but, thinking it was no worse to be drowned between the raft and the ship than be left to perish on the raft, he made the desperate effort, and struck out for the schooner. When he got alongside his hands were too be- numed even to clutch the rope which was held out to him, and he took 1t be- tween his teeth. The little schooner was lew in the water, and some of the crew leaning over and watching their oppor- tanity caught him by the hands and so pulled him on board. They were un- able to stand and almost dead from ex- posture and weakness from want of food, for 1t was then close upon noon on We'd nesday, and they had eaten nothing since the previous Saturday evening.