A CHAPTER OF HORRORS.
Auckland, September 16. A description of the sufferings of the nine castaways of the wreck of the ship Garston, who have arrived in Auckland, has been supplied to the Herald by Julian Thomas, " The Vagabond." He states:—After rowing for twenty-six hours Captain Pye determined to row southward, in the hope of striking Hervey or Cook Islands, or falling in with some vessel bound to San Francisco, As a matter of fact thoy crossed tho track of the mail steamers to Sydney, and so the little boat commenced to sail southward; an oar for a mast, a bed-quilt or counterpane (put in tho gig by the steward) for a sail, a white shirt on splint stretchers for a topsail, Watches were set and relieved every two hours, one man at the look-out forward and one man at the helm. Bruoe and Annelsey, second and third mates, took their turn with the men. Captain Pyo navigated the boat and issued rations. A tin of meat was to last three days—about lloz a day amongst nine men, or per man, The biscuit, which soon got wet and mouldy, was served out in small portions by Bruco twice a day, Half a gill of water was given to each man. All shared alike. 'Hie captain shared his tobacco with the rest. Very uncomplainingly did tho men endure thoir lot for many days. They stood their alternate two hours of duty, and four hours of ! sleep or of rest, always wet through by tho seas which often swamped the boat. Always a hungered, always a thirst, they bore their lot like meu, They had no space to lie down; they were cramped in every movement. The tropical sun beat ou them during tho day, at night their bones were often racked by cold, yet the warmth of the southern seas saved them, In higher latitudes, under similar conditions, they must have perished. So the 9th day came, Nenrly half the provisions were gone, they had run, Captain Pye reckoned, over 500 miles, but could not make a southerly course; each day they were going westward, nor could they make headway, so he changed .his coucse to . west, hoping to strike Tonga or Samoa, On the fourteenth day tho mouldy biscuit was all gone; there was nothing but the meat left, On the second day that a tin was opened the meat would be rotten, but it was eaton with avidity. The rain luckily enabled them to fill their breaker, and the small allowance of water was never lacking. The men did not suffer so much from thirst as from hunger. , although some drank small quantities of salt water without an evil effect. They got weaker and weaker, and and the devil of despair entered into thorn, Who can wonder at it! Day after day, no sail, no laud, no hopes, nothing to view but tho seabirds on their track, no change, no variation, a mouthfiii of rotton meat to-day, tho same to-morrow ; all got up and lay down hungry. They ohewed the leather from their cap linings, tho reeds aud pitch from the captain's sun hemlet. Thoy tried to eat their sea boots, but these was far too tough. Waking or'sleeping they thought of but one thing—food. .Twonty days from tho wreck tho men became desperate, Only two tins of beef left. "Give it us all and let us have a meal,,' they said. "No" said Captain Pye. '-What if wo come and take it," said ono. Annesley lay too weak to move at the bottom of the boat, and the Captain would only have tho second male, Burco, to holp him, but Captain Pye looks a strong, powerful, determined man, " I will throw it ovorboard first," said he, "You fools, our only chance is in making this food last as long as possible. If you eat this to-day what will you do to-morrow ?" Then said one of the foreigners letting out the devil that was in him and others. "Thore are plenty of two legged animals in the boat." All pity was choked within them by their sufferiugs, lots must be drawn, and one after the other must become a sacrifice to support the lives of the rest. We all laugh when MrW. S. Gilbert's ballad of "The Nancy brig " is sung, little reckoning that such experiences have been real ones on the ocean, Captain Pye uow says ho would have overturned the boat, and sent all hands to Davy Jones' locker before he would agred to such a thing, " I had still my wits about me, and we should all have died together," but he would not cast lots. Tho skipper might bo a sacrifice, On the twenty second day there was only a pound and a half of meat left, but when near sundown Wallis Island was sighted, the sailmaker calling out " land," Another hour and thoy would have changed their course, and missed this, passing it in tho night, as they did the Samoan Isles, Thoy stood off for a timo to avoid the reef, but guided by the full light of the moon, tho castaways landed on Wallis Is land at 4 a.m on tho morning of August the 9th, the twenty-third day after the wreck of the Garston, after sailing over 1600 miles in an opon boat, King Tawhiao. Auckland, September 17, Tawliiao has received a letter from the Governmeut remonstrating with him for calling so many meetings of Natives, pointing out that injury is ctused by the wasteful expenditure of food and money, It is said Tawliiao has Bent messengers to the tribes telling thorn of the instructions be has received, and stating that ho will bo arrested in case he disobeys them, but that in that case they are not to think of him, but leave all matters to the care of Providence, Supreme Court. Hokitika, September 17. At the Supreme Court, a nolle prosequi was entered in the second charge against McWilliam for embezzlement, and against Stone for rape, and both accused were discharged. The Court sat all <!ay hearing the case Byrne against Dr Mcßreaty, of tho Kumara Hospital, for alleged unskilful tnatmeiit. The case completely broke down, the plaintiff finally asking for a non-suit, Alleged Horse Stealing. Wellington, Wednesday, Two men named Hawthorne and Hopkins have been arrested at Tinni, charged with stealing two horses and bridles from Taradalo. Thoy are alleged to have sold tho animals to a publican at Ohanga, and were making their way down couutry when arrested.
Hypnotism is now frequently employed at the Hotol Dieu Hospital in Paris to facthtato surgical operations. One woman, hypnotised againßt her will, saying that she preferred chloroform, chattered gaily during a long and dangertfufl oporatinn,
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Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3312, 18 September 1889, Page 2
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1,126A CHAPTER OF HORRORS. Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3312, 18 September 1889, Page 2
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