AN INCIDENT OF THE OTAGO'S HOMEWARD VOYAGE.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 750, 8 November 1870, Page 2

AN INCIDENT OF THE OTAGO'S HOMEWARD VOYAGE.

[NORTH BRITISH DAILY MAIL.] la the record of remarkable escapes from being "lost at sea," we do not for a long time remember any more remarkable instance, than that of Andrew Barr, a young Glasgow sailor, presently residing with his father in Oxford street, here, and rapidly recovering from the effects of his accident. The lad, who was -only sixteen in January last, is an apprentice with tie well-known firm of Patrick Henderson and Co., St. Vincent Place, and as such formed one of the crew of their fine composite ship Otago, in her last homeward voyage from New Zealand, by way of Cape Horn. When rounding the Cape, ijhey had? a taste of the weather so generally experienced by the .mariner in that desolate and steamy region • but a day or two afterwards, on the 17th April, beiiig Easter Sun. day, and between seven and eight o'clock in '

the morning, the master, Captain Stuart, gave orders to have a. little more sail put on the vessel. To this end Andrew, among others, went aloft, his special business being to assist in unfurling the main royal, the topmast sail in the ship. Whilst so -engaged,- »y.~~ sudden-- gust ■df wind blew the rope 'out: of his haud, and the loosened sail struck* him oh the face and knocked him over, from an elevation, we should.,- say,.. ; of about 130 feet In his "descent the poor fellow struck on no fewer than three spars /successively, each time receiving cruel damage. First he came down head foremost .on the yard immediately below, the topgallantsail yard, whereby the scalp was laid open across almost from ear to ear j next he came in contact with the topsail yard, with equally disastrous result — the left thigh being broken, the kneejoint of the same leg put out, and the hip disabled; and lastly, the fore right leg striking the main yard, was cut and bruised from the shin up to near the knee. Thus maimed and bleeding ho rebounded from the belly of the mainsail into the sea. The accident had been observed by those upon deck ; and when the body of the unhappy lad disappeared beneath the waters of the South Atlantic, they had little idea of ever seeing it again, believing that there could scarcely have been life left in him before reaching the water. In two or three seconds, however, he came to the surface, and held up his hand. The signal was seen by them, and. as quickly as possible, the ship was put about and a boat lowered. As, however, the vessel was going as nearly as possible right before a fine breeze at the rate of eight to ten knots an hour, it may be imagined that the poor castaway must have been a good way behind before help could possibly reach him. The boat was manned by Mr Stevens, first mate, Mr Johnstone, third mate, and three of the crew, who each aud all put forth their best exertions in pulling back to the rescue ; but it was calculated that at the time they started they would be at least two miles away from the disabled swimmer ; and, be that as it might, they could nowhere descry him. They pulled on, and pulled about, straining their eyes across the waves in every direction, but failiug to catch a glimpse of him. At lasr, after cruising about for the better part of half-an-hour, they were resting despondingly on their oars for a minute previously to putting about for the ship again, when one of the men who had himself been overboard once in these same seas suddenly called upon Mr Stevens, who was at the helm, to " look out for birds, " and, if he saw any, to steer for them at once. Mr Stevens did so, and almost immediately saw a small troop of albatrosses wheeling over the surface of the water, .about a mile to the right. At once the rowers bent to their work again, and, , when about half the distance had been accomplished, Mr Stevens cried out that he saw him, and urged the rowers to pull for dear life, and recover their young messmate dead or alive. The men needed little persuasion to "put it on" to the utmost, and they were now rapidly nearing the spot, the great lumbering albatrosses having sailed away at the approach of the boat. Mr Stevens now shouted out to the lad to " hold on" and they would save him, and the spent swimmer heard the call, and it gave him strength to comply with it, till dexterously steering alongside, they got him by the collar and hauled him into the boat. His first words were to one of the men, "Oh ! John, don't hurt me," in dread of even kindly handling in his sorely wounded condition. As tenderly as possible they disposed him in the bottom of the boat, John supporting his head and shoulders between his knees, the head reclining on his lap. Immediately after making the observation we have mentioned he swooned away, but had recovered consciousness by the time they had reached the vessel again. Alongside, the question arose how to get him on board, which was soon decided. The others having scrambled up the ladder in the usual manner, the hooks were let down, and the boat hoisted up to the divits, with Andrew and his bearer remaining in it as they were The rescued lad was at once conveyed to the after-cabin, and every arrangement that could contribute to his possible recovery so almost unparalleled in its circumstances that, should he survive, it might, with entire, truth, be said that the hero of it had been snatched from the very jaws of death. As it turned out, the issue was to be favorable. The divided scalp was sewn together. Strange to say, "he couldn't help laughing " at the "feeling" of the operation while it was in progress— the broken bone was set, and, nature assisting the healthy young lad, he continued steadly to mend, so that when, ratherless than two months after the accident, land was sighted, he. was in a condition to be brought up on deck to see it.