THE RESCUED PORTUGUESE CASTAWAYS.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1489, 23 November 1878, Page 3

THE RESCUED PORTUGUESE CASTAWAYS.

By the courtesy of A. Rose, Esq., Collector of Customs, we give the following further particulars of this remarkable case of preservation from death : Deposition of facts by the (.wo Portuguese seamen lost overboard from the Amerique, full square-rigged ship about 1000 tons, Capt. Bernardo, a crew of about twenty men and five passengers, carrying a cargo of salt and port wine, and bound from Oporto to Rio Janeiro, South America. Statement made by Antonio Duval and Jose de Silva Pinto, the two seamen of the above ship, who were picked up by Captain T. F. Milman, of the ship Rangitiki, on l Thursday, sth September, 1878, at 9 a.m., about the latitude of Sierra Leone. Our vessel, the Araerique, left Oporto on the 13th August, 1878, and when twenty days out—that is, on 2nd of September, 1878, the seaman named as above, Antonio Duval, was washed overboard as he was standing on the forecastle of the Amerique. The captain, Bernardo, luffed the ship, and lowered a boat with five men, to rescue the man overboard. They succeeded, and on returning the boat, with the six hands, was capsized by a heavy sea. Four of the men succeeded in getting on to the boat (the boat sometimes righting and at other times being bottom up). Two of the men disappeared altogether on the first capsizing of the boat. Same day one of the remaining four died from exhaustion. We tied his body to the stern of the boat, but hunger compelled us on the second day to eat part of his legs. The remainder we tied again to the boat, but that was devoured in the night by the sharks. Another man became demented on the second day and jumped out of the boat, the sharks immediately eating him. The only two men now remaining being the present survivors, named Antonio Duval and Jose do Silva Pinto. Those men further state that the captain lowered a second boat when he saw the first boat capsized—whilst being lowered from the ship—but no men were in it. The ship made three tacks to try and pick them up ; the first two tacks the boat was to windward, on the third tack the ship passed to windward of the boat about two miles distant, and so lost sight of the sunken boat. The accident happened about 7 a.m., and the ship remained beating about until 2 p.m., but finding it hopeless to get them proceeded on her voyage, haring doubtless lost all sight of the boat. This statement was made and elicited verbally before me at Lyttelt.on, the 21st November, 1878. (Signed) Alex. Rose, Collector. Signor Guillermo Garcia y Garcia, Peruvian merchant of Lima, now in Christchurch on business, kindly giving his assistance as interpreter. Copy from official log book of the ship Rangitiki : <; Thursday, September sth, 9 a.m., hit. 9 - 0 N. long. 2120 W., picked up from a sunken boat, two Pori uguese seamen, viz., Jose da Silva Pinto, and Antonio du Yal, belonging to the Portuguese ship Amerique, from Oporto bound to Rio Janeiro. Four others who were in the boat wore lost from exhaustion or drowned. They slate that they had hem in the sunken boat for three days without. food. “ iVGdieal treatment, was afforded thorn, ami when restored they were placed in the watch. (I ~ fTtios. F. Milman, Master, (Signed) g_ Maxiibwb> Ch i e f Mate.” “ True extract. “ (Signed) Alex. Rose, Collector of Customs. “ November 21st, 1878.” True copy of translation of statement made in writing in the Portuguese language of Antonio Duval and Jo?c do Silva Pinto ; “ The Portuguese shipAmcrique sailed from Oporto on the 13th August, 1878, bound to Rio Janeiro. At about Sierra Leone on tire 2nd September, and after twenty clays’ voyage, the A. 13. Antonio du Yal was making his service on the forecastle when a heavy sea shipped carried him away. “ Immediately after, the captain brought the ship close to the wind, lowered boat, and sent it with five men to rescue him. In this they succeeded, taking the man on board the boat. “ When the boat was coming back to the ship a heavy sea capsized her. By this time the ship had the royals and topgallant sails furled. She had the jib and two main staysails set and a thick rain was falling. “ At the time the boat capsized we were six men on board of her, four of which succeeded in clinging to the boat, the other two men wore seen for some thvc.o minutes, disappearing after that for ever. “By this time the ship was to leeward, a little while after she tacked to the cast, made a little distance, and tacked again towards the sea, coming to the windward of tire boat in sight of us. She backed her sails in front yf us, hailing us to go on board avjiu.ming, which was not passible foy on account ot the great distance to the ship, During all this time the ship was drifting, going far to leeward, while they were trying to lower another boat, in which they did not succeed. As she was to leeward she tacked towards ths

land again, made a long way, and lacked to* wards the sea again, coming in this time so far to windward of us that it is probable they could not see us, and so she proceeded on her voyage. “We were four remaining in the boat, Antonio Duval, Antonio A. Fonco, Manuel da Guinia, and Joso da Silva Pinto ; the following day, after so much struggling with the sea, Manuel da Guinia died; ho was in Conde. Wo kept him fast to the stern of the boat, and, as wo were awfully hungry, we commenced to eat one of his legs. The boat was full of water, and we could see the sharks eating the man.

“ The day after, at six o’clock in the morning, Antonio A. Fonco died ; he was born at Spisendo. “ At last we remained only two in the boat, and all we could do was to weep and cry for help. At about seven o’clock in the morning of the sth -wo sighted a sail; wo got greatly rejoiced for it—the ship getting more distinct every minute; but we feared that she would pass at a great distance, so it is only for God’s help that they saw us. The ship backed her sails, and a boat came off with five men. They saved us and carried us on board, and wo got quite certain that we were at last saved.

“ We were taken to the cabin, where wo stopped until we recovered; after that we went to work to the best of our abilities for the British ship that has saved us. “Jose da Silva Pinto, born at Spisende— Portuguese. “ Antonio du Yal, born at Fao —Portuguese.

“ It is the true meaning. “ (Signed) “Guillermo Garcia y Garcia, “ Peruvian Merchant, of Lima.” “ Signed in the presence of Alex. Rose, Collector of Customs, Lyttelton, N.Z.”