Perilous Voyage of a Brig.

Evening Star, Issue 6895, 6 May 1886, Page 2

Perilous Voyage of a Brig.

On Friday evening the look-out man at South Head descried a vessel in the offing making signals of distress. The pilot steamer Captain Cook was immediately communicated with, and in a very short space of time slipped from her moorings and went to sea to render assistance. The vessel was picked up a few miles north of North Head, and proved to be the brig Swan, from the Caroline Group, laden with island produce. Her master, Captain O’Keefe, reported that he was seventy-four days out from Yap, and short of provisions, his supply having given out the day before the vessel made port. The crew, ho said, were in a starving condition, having had to subsist on one scanty meal per diem during the past twenty-four days. Four of the seamen were laid up, and the others were so weak from the want of proper nourishment that they could scarcely attend to the navigation of the ship, A pilot having been put on board, the boat returned to the Captain Cook and obtained provisions, such as tinned meats, bread, etc. _ These were quickly put on board the brig, and eagerly eaten up by the crew, who were afterwards enabled to “ turn to,” and bring the vessel into port. It seems that the Swan, with a crew of seventeen men, includingfourEuropeans, fourManilamen, four Chinamen, and five Yap “ boys,” left Yap on February 7. On board there were ample provisions for a passage of thirty-eight days, and Captain O’Keefe fully expected to cover the distance between Yap and Sydney in that time. The weather, on starting, proved favorable, and the vessel bad a fine run to the line, and then to lOdeg south. Here there was a change. The wind came in from the southward, and for days the vessel had all her work cut out to hold her own against a succession of southerly and southeasterly gales, whicheventually forced her to run back to the line. The supply of provisions at this time had become short, and the captain determined to run to New Ireland and replenish his stock. The vessel managed to get south of the group, and there was blocked by strong north-west breezes and heavy rain squalls. The vessel was then run to the eastward to longitude 164deg east, and the crew were put on short provisions. The wind, on reaching the position indicated, still held north-west, and took the vessel in the vicinity of New Caledonia. The provisions at this period of the voyage had dwindled down considerably, and the whole crew had to subsist on copra and tea for breakfast and tea, with a 21b tin of preserved meat and a tin of preserved beans for dinner. The copra formed the principal part of the vessel’s cargo, and had those on board not had it to fall back on for food, some, if not all, must have died of starvation. The copra, which is made out of dry cocoanut, before being eaten was squeezed to extinct the oil, and then baked by the cook. Fortunately, Captain O’Keefe had plenty of wines and spirits onboard, and these were served out liberally. Whilst the crew were_ on short provisions a bottle of beer was given to each man daily, and champagne and brandy were served out every morning and evening. Frequently the men came aft and wanted to “lay up,” but the captain by perseverance kept some on deck, and was enabled to make progress. The wind in the .vicinity of New Caledonia favored the vessel, and a course was shaped towards Sydney. All this time a good look-out had been kept for passing vessels, and on the 17th inst. the first—a steamer—hove in sight, and all hands were on deck to render what assistance they could, in order to reach her track. For this purpose the brig had to tack on several occasions, and so managed to get within three or four miles of the vessel. The signals of “distress” and “ short of provisions ” had previously been hoisted, and the captain fully expected to see the vessel alter her course and come down to his assistance. This was, however, not the case, for she kept her course, and soon passed out of sight. The starving crew returned to their work in despair. The steamer was steering to the westward, and apparently bound to Sydney. She was a three-masted vessel, with a black funnel. The Swan is the property of her commander, and, strange to relate, another of his vessels—the Two Boys—which reached Sydney a few weeks ago from the Caroline Group, ran short of provisions during the trip, and had to call on Cape Moreton for a supply,—‘Sydney Morning Herald,’ April 24.