Terrible Tale of the Sea

Feilding Star, Volume IX, Issue 105, 5 April 1888, Page 3

Terrible Tale of the Sea

: The particulars as to the recent loss of the Bhip Alfred Watts record, in the experiences of Magnus and Linuts, two of the crew, a remarkable story of the sea (says the New York correspondent of the Alta California). They lived for three days on a raft, and then passed nearly one month on a bit of wreckage, which barely showed above the water. Six men originally escaped from the wreck of the ship to a portion of the forecastle, over which the waves constantly washed. On this they rode with driftwood for oars for thirty-six hours, without food or water, A son of the owner of the vessel grew delirious then, and said he would walk to land. He swam but a short distance when a shark seized and pulled him under the water. The raft was then pulled near the ship. One of the sailors was swimming to the ship with a line attached to the raft, and when within a few feet of the vessel he threw up his arms with a horrible cry, and disappeared. A Etissian sailor then made an attempt to reach the ship, but swam only about two fathoms when be was seized by a shark.- Soon after the sea broke over the raft, washing another man overboard, who was too exhausted to make a struggle. The water was at this time swarming with sharks, and the only way to reach the ship was by rowing, and it took all night, with bits of boards for oars, to go the distance of 200 yards. They reached the vessel about dawn, but her decks were under water. A swell threw the spars overboard, and the vessel rose so that the two survivors of the crew . of twenty-eight persons were enabled to climb on to the vessel. They secured fresh water, atd found a box of codfish, on which they lived eighteen days. Then other provisions floated up from the hold and were secured, so that the men managed to keep alive for 31 days in this fashion. They were rescued by the barque Lizzie Perry, but she was wrecked on the south point of Barbadoes Island twenty days later. None were lost by this second wreck. The crew of the Perry sailed for Southampton on January Ist.