FRIGHTFUL SUFFERINGS AT SEA.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 66, 1 August 1874, Page 9

FRIGHTFUL SUFFERINGS AT SEA.

J.HE sinp Arracan was burnt at sea in lat. 3,26 N. and long. 65.30 8., about the middle of February last, when the captain and crew had to take to their boats. One of the boats, with, the chief offioer and four men, arrived at Cochin on the 17th March, and subsequently the captain and eight men managed to make their way in the long-boat to Aden. The third boat, the pinnace, with the second officer and four men has now arrived at Calcutta, having been picked up at sea by the City of Manchester. A passenger by the latter vessel furnishes the Friend of India ' with the following particulars, which were obtained from the second officer :— " On the 20th March, we picked up, in the Arabian Sea, lat. 756 N. long. 63*5 E., a Bma!l boat containing the second mate and four men of the barque Arracan, all dreadfully emaciated and sunburnt. Two of them were so weak that they had to be, luted on board. The poor fellows had been tossiag about iv that open on a tropical sea for 32 days. Their 10 days' stock of provisions ani water was utterly exhausted on the 9fch March. During the 11 days which followed, they had eaten only two birds, four flying fish, and c few barnacles from the boat's bottom, drinking only sea water. Evary kindness was shown to them, aad in a few days the doctor and volunteer nurses brought them all round, though it was feared that one or two might not rally." The details are supplied by Mr Webster, the second officer, whose steadiness and decision of character, under most trying circumstances, cannot be sufficiently admired: — "The three boats kept together until Friday night, the 20fch February, when they lost the captain's boat. The following Monday night the pinnace was stove by a heavy sea, so that they were obliged to throw over many things to lighten her. After this she would not go to windward, and they soon lost sight of the mate's boat. They mended the boatsjside as well as they could, but she continued to leak so badly that the had to keep one man constantly baling. Had it not been for this necessity for constant work, Mr Webster thinks he could never have kept the men from killing each other. One of the men accidently broke the compass. They had no chart, only a sextant. Mr Webster kept the boat by the wind, and hoped, how vainly he did not know, to make the Maldive Islands. March 9th he wrote : ' Divided the last morsel of bread between us. All in good health except the boy, and thankful to God for His mercies.' Two days after one of the older sailors, Davis, proposed casting lots. The mate refused to have anything to do with it, and told them as always afterwards, that there should be no man-eating in that boat while he lived. The same day, in the afternoon, while Mr Webster was asleep, the four cast lots, and the shert lot fell to the younger boy, Silly Homer. He went apart to say his prayers, but as Davis was prepariug his knife to kill him the mate awoke and prey ented him. After that he threw over-Doard all the knives but two, one for himself and one for the older boy, and made Billy stay by him in the stern of the boat all the time. The two elder sailors, Davis and Layford, were much displeased and plotted to kill the mate, and tried to do so more than once, but the older boy, Francis Stobie, warned him. After that the mate and boy kept alternate watches, so that the men could do nothing unobserved. The heat was so intense that they spent much of the day-time in the water, regardless of sharks, which they saw occasionelly. They chewed lead to moisten their throats a little. They tried to eat their boots but these were too salt ; also their oilskins, and some jelly fish which they caught by diving, and dried, but they were too bitter, and devoid of nourishment. Mr Webster read to them from the Bible and Spurgeon'o c Morning by Morning,' and prayed with them every day. This seemed to quiet the men for a time, but they would grow discontented and mutinous again, with spells of delirium. One day Davis swore he would either kill the boy or sink the boat ia 12 hours. He had already tried to do both, beside refusing to work repeatedly. The mate felt that he ought to shoot him. He raised his gun and snapped it at him, but it did not explode. Two minutes after, just as he had put a fresh cap on, a bird flew over the boat, and he shot it dead. The men rushed for it. It was quickly picked up, divided, and devoured, inwards, bones, and all but feathers. Davis then returned to his duty. The day before they were rescued was the worst. Layford knocked off work, and told Davis that he wished he would kill him when he was asleep. • Very well ' said Davis. A few minutes after, Davis struck him with a marlinspike. The blood gushed out, and Davis drank' it eagerly, giving Stobie a little. A struggle ensued for the tnarlinspiko ; Layford got it at last and threw it overboard. Then they tried to kill each other, bruising and biting each other like wild beasts. Both were too weak to succeed. When exhausted, they would ask forgiveness, shake hands, and kiss each other. Soon the delirium would return, and they would begin again. The next day would have decided the fate of one or two probably had they not been picked up. The boat was some five miles south of the steamer's course, and was only recognised by its lug sail. The above statements are substantiated by all in the boat."