A BRIG WATERLOGGED.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 28, 8 November 1871, Page 3

A BRIG WATERLOGGED.

FRIGHTFUL SUFFERINGS OF THE ’ CREW. ONLY ONE SURVIVOR. From our own correspondent at Auckland we have received the following, which was supplied to him by the obliging purser of the ‘ Nebraska,’ Mr. 11. Craig. The p.s. ‘Nebraska’ arrived at Honolulu at 3 a.m. on the 21st October. Experienced fine weather and smooth sea all the way from New Zealand. At 7 a.m. on the 22nd the ‘Moses Taylor’ arrived, having left San Francisco on October 11. She reports as follows:—At 8.30 on Oct. 19 sighted a sail bearing down, which proved to be the remains of a waterlogged brig. Sent a boat alongside in charge of the second officer, who reports all the bulwarks, except from the foremast, forward, gone, and the sea rushing all over the decks. The officer then went aloft, and found tho c osstrees surrounded with canvas, and a qur dity of fish in a bag. When on the point of leaving the foretop to descend, he noticed an object c.cap out from under some canvas spread over the forecastle. Upon descending, the first words he heard were—“ My God, am I saved.” After calling his crew, and searching for any other survivors, they left the wreck for the ‘ Moses Taylor,’ with, as it afterwards proved to be, the Captain of the ill-fated brig. After re-

ceiving every attention, and being sufficiently revived, be related one of the most heartrending cases of hardship and suffering we have ever heard of. He said : “My name is Luder Hopkin, Master of the brig ‘ Schclchoff,’ of San Francisco. I left San Francisco on June 23rd, 1871, with a cargo of timber from Callao, and several passengers'for“Navigator Islands. Was water-logged in a hurricane on July 3, 1G c lat. 9 N.;10ug.117 W. In all we had fifteen souls on board. The following memo was taken out of a scaled phial : —“ Written on board brig ‘ Schclchoff,’ Monday September 10. We have suffered hard from hunger and thirst. Crew, passengers, officers beg to send this to San Francisco, California, and publis'li this in the papers.” In the Nautical Almauac were found the following entries : July. Cycione. Vessel water-logged. Sept. 5. Andrew Sausen died. ffSept. 18. Louis Nesser died. Sept. 22. Bart. Elanele died. Sept. 21. On the wreck 80days, 92 days from San Francisco ; no rain ; nothing to eat. Sept. 30. We are on the wreck 89 days. Four dead ; please put this in the papers. Monday, Oct. IG. 105 days on the wreck. All hands dead except captain and a passenger (Crane). Captain Hopkin reports that a barque passed them sufficiently close for the survivors then alive (eight) to make out a lady on board with a_red and wbito shawl on. He made all the signs he could with pieces of canvass waved by all hands from the foretop, but she took no notice, but squared away. After moving to the foretop they steered the vessel with ropes while their strength lasted, and only came down on deck to catch fish, that would be washed on deck. Crane, the passenger, lived until 24 hours before the ‘Moses Taylor’ sighted the brig. Captain Hopkin kept life in by drinking bis own mine, and bad come down to the forecastle the day befoie lie was taken off for the purpose of fishing up some bluestono which lie knew was below, to mix with the ink he had left to make poison with which to take away his own life if possible. lie found himself so weak, however, that he could not get back to the foretop, where the remainder of the lish was. The only water the crew could get was by spreading out pieces of sheepskin to collect the dew at night, and suck the wool every morning. When on hoard the ‘ Moses Taylor ’ he would repeatedly ask if he was “ really saved.” lie had dreamt so often of being taken off that lie thought he was still dreaming.