FEARFUL STORY FROM THE SEA.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 638, 19 February 1870, Page 2

FEARFUL STORY FROM THE SEA.

' O? NINETEEN SAILOKS, CAPTAIN'S WIFE, AND TWO CHILDREN. — THE SIIKVIVofIS EIGHT DAYS "WITHOUT ?Qol> QK WATER. The Cnnard steamer vyhich arrived on Saturday brought details of the wreck (if the whaling schooner Susan N. Smith, with the loss $f the greater part of her crow, the captain's wife, and two children. The Hartford (Connecticut) Cov,rant of the Ist inst. says:— Tb.e schooner sailed from Boston on the 29th of February, 186S, on a general whaling Voyage; in the Atlantic Ocean. Mrs. Kuunse ville, wife of the captain, with her two children, a little girl of eight years and a boy of six, on the 20th of April left for Barbadoes, — —WUfiKLShe was .to meet her Jmsband and join him in his voyage. Shi reached there on the 13th of May, and two hours after her arrival hqrhuaband.'s vgssjl came into port, And soon the family was united. Setting sail from Bariadx>es, with, officers and crew to, the number of 24, Mrs Rouu's,eville and children making 27 persons in all on board, %he vessel proceeded to the island of Dominique. On the 28th of August the win. I had b,een blowing fresh, and continued \a the night ; bat it was nothing ]ilce a gale «f wind. At two o'clock the next night so severe was the tempest that all hands were called to close reef the sails, which was done speedily, At three o'clock the gale tore the pails from their fastenings, and a heavy sea Washed the decks from stem to stern again, And every small boat was cairied into the ocean. The man at the wheel lost all control of the helm. He had been obliged to steer by the wind, as the compass in the m^dat of the gale gave no direction whatever, but constantly whirled around and around. This was the critical time. Could tha^»jjfinaJL_c.Qurse._lia.vp been taken the struggling vessel might have rode Tout the sfciriq in '"safety, bu,t the fatal turn of the wheel had lost control of everything, and it was now life pr death. Captain Jtounseville, who had left his wife and children in the cabin, when first his services were required upau deck, immediately seized an axe and went forward to cut away the foremast, in order that the vessel might right Up. Aftor cutting the rigging all cjear he foun.d that #ie mast would not fall, and commenced cutting that, but had only given two pr. three blows before the schooner began to go over gradually, and in half a miuute, at the longest, the masts were lying upon the -water, qnd the vessel w.is clear over. At this time the wind was blowing like a hurricane, a.nd roared like heavy thunder. The sea was chopping ugly, and dashing in wildly fipm all quarters. The going over and ail was so quickly done that the captain could »ot change hia position to get aft where his wife and children aud most of his crew were; for, as soon as the masts touched the water tho vessel settled down bodily, and he was washed away from the foiemist. After lacing in the water two. or three minutesmost of the time under— he washed against tho rigging of the main,ma,st and caught there, getting badly hurt in the breast as he brought up heavily against the spar. He got on to . the.rigging at the top of the mast by crawling through the rat.tlins, and there fonnd nearly t^e whole crew and the officers collected, and holding on to ropes and chains. While there ho scoured himself with a rope, and the first mate did the same. Just as the captain and mate had get secured, a very he^vy sea swept over the ill-fated schooner, and buried the mast 15. or 20ft under water. Captain fiouaseville says that he thinks he was under the water at least a minute ; he came up strangled and gasping, and when he could look about him he found that all were gone except "himself and the mate. Another furious sea swept over and broke their fastenings, and both weat under water. The captain does not know how Jong he was buried, but he never expected to rise again, though his head struck against something, and he' found he wns in the rigging at the | id of the mast, and by clinging in between the crosstrees he secured himself again. Here lie 'saw the mate trying to get hold of the rigging ; bat the poor fellow dropped away, and was never seen again. Captain Itounseville also found here one of the crew, who had heen washed away, holding on to the ■ rigging, and an hour later ar.otb.en man swam up and gat hold of the mast When daylight came two men were discovered sitting on the vessel** bow. These men had been Vi the forecastle, and when the schooner went over got oxit, and as the mast broke secured a place to hold on till the hull partially righted. Athah\pasfc Beven o'clock one of the officers came in swimming aud got. on the deck, but after speaking a few words to those on the bow, laid down and immediately died from exhaustion. He had been in the water about three hours, and was naked and chilled. At aboub the same time one of fie men found on the mast left and succeeded in getting on board the vessel, the only portion of which out of water was a part of the port . bow. The other man in. the rigging was washed away and drowned. Now left alone on the mast, Captain EounseviUa found it exceedingly difficult tp sustain himself. Every sea that washed over the prostrate spar buried bjin from two to. ten feet imder water, barely giving him time to catch breath as. e^ch wave in turn covered him. So dften were those seas upon him that three prfour timesumi:iut* he w (U under water, and tho waves dashed against him wi h terrific ; orce. At two o'clock in the afternoon the mast slewed around, and the men on the vessel got a rope to lain, and by its aid he was drawn on board to keep company with the other survivors there awaiting their fat c • Nothing of special interest occui red during ■ ilie following thirty hours ; all this time, i _ through the dismal watuhes of the night, the j ; : * jnen held firmly to their places, hoping for ■ / c v\nn\\\« day. On Monday afternoon

another of the crew swam towards the vp^el .and joined the others— now five in all. THe Svas seen for two hours before he came up, and was floating on a cabin door, on whic\i he had been for 3(5 hours-. All th-.it these live men had to hold thpin was a pprti-n of the rail, about Oft long and Sin wid«. Here they sat, with their feet on the sides, making fast to each other, O:i Wednesday, the condition of the weather and of the vessel wa3 such that the captain was able to go into the cabin. He had hoped that he might learn something of the f >tc of his loved ones, and it was also desirable that something to eat or drink s'lpuld be found, if anything remained, but %he cabin had been washed completely out, and neither the bodies were discovered, nor could anything be got to appease hunger or thirst. This was a .bitter disappointment, fqr it had been believe'l that, when tho cabin could bo exulorel. provisions would be obtained, and it had now been four days since a particle of food had been eaf-en or a drop of fresh water tasted. It was with heavy hearts that the sufferers returned to their narrow sitting place on t!>c rail, with but little hope left to encourage them. One my of hope came however,' as a barrel was discovered floating out of the vessel. Thinking that it might contain provisions of some sort, two of the men started for it, and, affcor two hours steady work in the water, secured it, but found to their disappointment that it was a barrel of Ensom salts. All through the week the captain and his four companions clung to the wreck — eight days without food qv -water. The testimony of all is that the thought of food scarcely entered their minds, but that buminp thirst nearly drove them to distraction, lij canio to be, through this dreadful parching, that none of them could talk. Each tongue was. swollen and hung without the mouth. As it touched the roof of the mouth it glued there and scaled off in large flakes. Such suffering as was experienced cannot be described.. It was fearful b,eyond telling. - On Sunday morning the first sail that had been in sight since the disaster occurred appeared, some distance off — too far off to be attracted. But two hours later another vessel came in sight, about three ini'es off; and here was new hope to the wretched men ; but the vessel passed on, unattrncted by the lqw liu?s of the wreck, These two la,st sad disappointments led to tho raising of a signal of distress, and an old blue coat was hoisted. At about four o'clock 'in the afternoon another vessel appeared about four miiea off to the windward, and before dark the captain of the vessel, Captain Oxley, of the ship Flatworth, en route from China to London, discovered the wreck, and by dark had got within 100 yards of it. He t>ot out a boat and sent it alongside. Captain Rounseville and his companions were so weak that they could 11 ot stand , and by another day at the longest must have perished, and as the boat cams up they slid into it helplessly, and were taken to the Flatworth, where every attention was paid to them by the kiud-hearted Englishman in command. When taken off two of the sailors were em tirely naked, as they had been during the whoie week. The sun had blistered them, as it had the captain and the others. All were the merest skeletons. A tcaspoonful of brandy was given each one to start with, but even this was too much for their shatr tered systems, and very soon after reaching the ship all were uup<mscious, and remainfd in that state for two days. On reaching London the survivors were removed to the Sailors Home, in Wall street, where they meet with every attention. Captain Rounseville is still suffering from the effects of his ten ible experience, and both mentally and physically is greatly prostrated. lie says if he c.mld have reached the cabin, where his wife and children were, ne would gladly have died with them, for he feels that though he has saved his own life he has lost all that made life dear to him.