TWENTY-FIVE DAYS IN AN POPEN BOAT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 34, 5 February 1876, Page 4

TWENTY-FIVE DAYS IN AN POPEN BOAT.

y VlXFrom the New York. £fer(sf, Nov. 12.] V received, at. .the ■■\Jff^W:))ojiß^\hiß\ yesterday that the Vbrij^ Centaur, frdm Greytpdrn, Niparagpa, which, bad just arrived, picked up a roan In 'we Gulf si x teen days ago. '< He '&&&nsn{ >os€ii'-\ bdatj; anil said he .was cast away tv**enty-Bix days before fro^ |hebarqpe Toronto of GlasgowM "Th^qMtaway is a swarthy .Manilla sailOT, whogivea the name of Antonio 'Maximo, and ia ;Kbout tw&nty-four years ' 61111^-' -Hb^ had : tblot his 'pitiful .::itory..Vtbytt«'--'^*^'wtJ.6f i the Centaur |hrough the cOok,^ -w^ is himaelf a in.< ;his « own way , having, 3^^*^^lrj^ighfc' i *io , ' : csbnivey all, the* •' the dieaßter wbioh almost ? . I^^^'/f af)tal to. Hi i ca » , as i t did to the rest \ " :: <^^^^^lE^ipUa|eß-^thirte;eii": in' all." The Vaecood cmate of; the Cen taur ; fiVst ; ip\s'A ■}fll|BSfir^ .of, . 'An^o*!]i^ '. At %hbxi^ r^i^ti<df^ days after we left v said, : ,'* tfie look-out on -;'- ther^ntaiur^saw what be and hiß ship--aoateß supppsed to be an : abandoned -b^V^'^Bj^iherj^at; *wa;Bt approached 'thertS'was noticed rolled up in tbe stern what appeared to be a bundle. Then i^^|.deOidejd to approach closer. Ab toe dentaur neared- the boat the 1 illl^tMtfed .^feeble si^ns 6( *jfc & matioo,^at aild -'lMl^UDled'tlie'-.b^nMr ; ? 'bf.^Hha^ttVs b ßin^ hrig 'put diPectW/i'o-$^ it at ' first very close. All hands then law >yijF!i*^}J:a j haggard, wild- looking and skeleton-like man, contriving, by |Ithe^r^te^ to hina, Then the ship taok|^ iiringipg: up beside t^ . was at once boardeol Wiliiath Reading, r : rthe firat mate r of v lh«T. penlaur. r , ...The 'Ama^B^*^^\^nto^AnMiA9 ' id speak.' :VA;:ro^^ 'AWttqffte^on' b6ard v ;qf/ine Ceotaur. Captain L, G. .Stiriley, the master of .the brig, picked, up r tbe, wasted form: in hifl arms and conveyed it to the cabin^ V. TJhere ' a bpd waft, made rpn ■ ben,cbes,Tand condenaed milk and other light artioleß ; pf^fbojd^wer v unfort6n"Ste in'anV strength was partithighs, it w v qs ; aay, were^ no stouter -Viban>,a" ! ma'6V : \wTlati"'''' His body wbb wasted and his, head was swollen, to: -aj ■■^rifflSHttbl-f^i^ fleflh on his nose wbb raised J80«b to leave but ya mere >f si-Bgefltion of a nose, and it ; nearlyjh(4, altogether his* sunken eyes. V Searoely -■ anyone then thought he could , A Burviye^'-'but^ theses trateeßj.pf Buflforinsf have nOw totally 'disappeared,, and- the rescued sailor . Jooks like a man, and^ a : sturdy dne^ag'ain. Th'e boat in which \ he was found wbb also Becured, and is now oh' boar d^ the ' Centaur. 'It is an -■', ord^rat^'^ritißh' long-boat, about 22 '. feet in length.! On the stern are most of the letters contained in the name of the vessel to which it belonged , an d th e ' .port t^Vjtfbieh she belonged .-- the '•■ A day or more after tfe^ some r . feeble effbrtß*:- td' ] don verse 'with his rescuer?^ ,bnt the voice . would seem nlmoi^^^oke him and to die in his throat*":: ~Wheri~ he did find power to epeafe^ intelligibly, the) first request i hel Vmade was^-fpff a;pipe]and spme tobacco. This unmißtakeable evidence of his recdyeriy;caused general laughter. V ::. ; oiiw;t"ia.?.i"^U. .i^o; .-.-- -A. .'■'■■ ..-••'■", A ■;:-' ;';. L ;^y^dy'A«TONlO■S'-STOBTi , -■ ' '-*"'■_ v The barque iTorontOy which had left V Greejinooky r about , four , r monthß previlying at^avasßa or Navaza, -'' a Bmall guauo" island off "'the coast of HayJJQ about the^ end' of Septeinber^ She had taken? ueaVty half a cargo oi. ■■ guano " on ,board f - when bad; weather A thTe^eio.^ and at, ft o'clook on a Sundayjop'rnibg, probably the 3rd of Octd- f ber, it udßa'fe to remain r ■ longer neat ;' r : leiijcl ,' the; captain ordered ; the ;b^|r^'-iefr%p^Beß,''' 1 i\>ur hours afterA wtio&iism6A;Bayß, a hurricane set in, , dunoj^thej^a|ch r pfSniith, the second mate. After nightfall, the hurricane atil^ increasing in violence, 1 the main- ; maft ol jthe ivdflsel - ga ve way and toppled. oy t^; l At^houf latdr; tbe foremast f olX, lowed^tbemiiendiaßt alone remaining.' A The^trWhgjße^ condition into which the ship was put, and ialw^ob^jp^ing, tJbat she was close to the ; preciß^pji|i x ßhoi'© ?: ofi 'ahotherv island, ; .rushed below and aroused the captain. \ Antoni^.Bßjß this skipper was addicted f ■;.,'; to his cup*.y When the captain reached the deck, he ordered all bands ihta the Vlpng boat. was evidently ; brea"Kifg^^ otter boate on ,bpard r .bm all the orew went into the. ;pame, boat. They numbered fourteen persons. A^pf; these, ten. were : ; English', including the captaiu, the first andTlMcond mates, and the carpenter. Therett*eretwd^ltaTiansv one African, and Antonio Maximo, the Manilla ma^whpsp jife only was saved. r ; The ' aliap rapidly iflto tlie 4 f%i\WhMAi^on was permitted to save anything or prdvideutbeinadlveß with any provißions. Scarcely were tbey in the boat than it was swamped, '■„_ and tosped^abod t ;on the/ crest of the \ .^'.wave'rjike^Vßtraw^^^The sea in fierceagititioniiboiled around them, tossing them out ojf the boat and against; each other until one; by o°Q, they dropped into Jt lb^:dee'p, leaving. .Antonio alone perilously; -clinging to tth'e side of tho " boat^i %t finally drew himself into the • frail uveasel. ffiy morning the sea was A com|)kraiively^; c storm had ; passed „a^ray, and. the lonely Bailor found himself without oars or sail, food ■V'dr-. BbeUeVyfednftiDg ; helplessly out to V : jjf^^#"te^!wßtinct of a. man bred Ar^^e^oienfß"^'an instinct sharpened PSiii^lM hunger and the privations of hiß terrible Bitua--VVii*i^^^-"f-':V'VV-: v '''' : ;- : '-..-*-,.:-y,- '

tion — Antonio at once set to work to modify the severity of his fate, -.fife cut with ran -old broken knife r the 'r only, - implement ""-; left to , him, strips iof canvas from;, the boat's lining. A |. part of tbis canvas he made into a sort ; of dipper with which he- baled out the i^wa^eVfrpm hta boat. Another por.tioja; :hp u^ed aa a covering at ; night. V % nia I covering was sadly needed, for the only | clothing- he r had was a pair of , drawers ; add oi undershirt, and the rainy, season ifhad* just set' in. During^ his exposure | in t^he boat, he estimates that it rained j [about half .".. the time. This rain was a ; godsend to hino, for without it he wo'ld j. hdve;;^ ied ; of thirst. , : With a square j|iiectr of driftwood he constructed ,a I four r pronged spear for catching .fiih. |In each comer of this piece of wood he (made a hole in which a pointed slip of ! bamboo waa- inserted, long and sharp-/ jpoihted. On the reverse side, in the centre, tbroygh another hole, cut with |his old knife, was fastened a handle, iand with this rude implement Antonio. JBpeared fish , enough to sustain .. life for . some time. At night time little ■ birds ;%rodid alight on his boat or in the water joear it, and sometimes he succeeded in fcatohing one. These; birds were very jtame and; easily caught. «aOnce he was jreduced to the extremity of having to |Uve for three days On the body of one idf those little birds dried in the sun. jl^ut it must not bosopposed thai these jwere, his, only privations. There were jtimes when he had neither fiah nor |flesh to Sustain bim, and then, in order tp q keep" his ebbing life from flinking jaway, he was driven to expedients that;; panaot be calmly contemplated. Part of the time he subsisted on .the drifting J" sea-grass," as he, called it. All the implements of his ingenuity, saved with himself and the f boat; are now in ppsjsessidn^of Captain Stanley of the Cen-. taur r The people onboard the Centaur )iave been trying to determine the exact lengthof time Antonio was exposed in the boat. V" He is'.himaelf V n{{ little con- ' fused 'about^ ; He is quite positive, however, that he was; in tlie long-boat ■'** three Sundays,'* Vaind no futtire' ' expteriende through whidh'; he may passrrjthpiigh he is etill but 24 yearjs qf jagdr— can wipe out bitter -fafi cqHeooot)S of : those" three dreadful; ; ;SaibbfetfisV i .'' i '"V.V .V •' ■''■*-''■■''•'■"