SUFFERINGS AT SEA.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3292, 10 July 1879, Page 2

SUFFERINGS AT SEA.

; V Amojifc dreadfulcase^of.jthf f suffering of a Sydney vessel's crew iroiri siarration bn our coast;"'says tH^!:!SydhVy i'-ETening News, "has just transpired. It appears that a flitter'liaoied^ fchV< ChanW>leit the port of Newcastle oa the 3rd inst.. in charge of Charles Smith iofift- tiif«Pßtner seamen. Their destination was Lake Macquarie, ; but before it wu jeached a, stiff 'westerlygale drdve #c VeWel out to sea some 60 miles, and every_effortJailed to get the craft back again against the constant land]jwindsf/fhat continuously^ prevailed. Day after "day passed, and tfre little craft was tossed, about by, .violent f winds, M.ti<k oWe oV twifctHWfivr* Wpes of regaining the land, but again advene gales s wept Ctb'e^fiterHiiiea ward. There being very little provisions on board, the crew were on short commons for the first 12 days, when the last piece of bread and the lastf £itit of water twere divid*d.i The succeeding four days were passed without a partiole? of'fo6a,.'ahlith»3suffering* of the poor fellows is described as most heartrending. -Another day and they would have probably succumbed to starva;tidhV! The;men appear. tolha|r# had a very vague idea of where they Irere till the steamer Agnes Irving, Captain Brace* %'irdle, "fell in%ith=thenvori ihl IBEfc ibst., at 9 a.m., a little north of Port Mac- " quarie. Thfefi CdttdF'j was 'observed flying a blanket as a signal of dis. tress, and when ;communicate<l'withT*he men said they were starving, and were unable to keep tlieirl^ky.weatbei'beAien craft free of water. A boat in charge of jfff(!wpH! emmrbttfozmmnt with provisions, and op. ils getting alongside the cvitter;U^nWWStmim, declaring J^thejr #* nofc take him away he' would drown himself. The other seaman then got into the boat, acggthe master, Smith, also left, declaring that the vessel was sinking. They were taken .on, board the, .steamer,. And under r^he 'careful and kind'treatment they received steadily recovered; aijid ,iwere landed- at Sydney -yesterday.,; V^Then ,l^e cutter was last seen she^was drifting to the