Slow Starvation

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 67, 21 March 1935, Page 3

Slow Starvation

COURT AWARDS DAMAGES United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. PARIS, Alarch IS. Damages totalling £ISOO were awarded against the canning company, Langousto Francaise, to the three survivors and widows of the two victims of starvation. The Court declared that the company was negligent, but tho men should have augmented the tinned food by fishing and rabbiting. A story of slow starvation was told when two Breton fishermen and a woman sued for damages tho company last month. They gave evidence that the company built a canning factory with a capacity of 26,000 crayfish daily on a sun-scorched rocky island near Aladagascar, in 1928. Fire destroyed the food stores in 1930, and tho company decided to repatriate all workers, except five Bretons and Aladame Lebrunon, wife of one of the former, also the Aladagascan factory superintendent. The survivors understood when tho steamer Austral left the island on ? Afarch 3, 1930, that she was

returning in three .months with supplies. Meanwhile they had throe or four pigs, eight goats and some tinned food. Alonths elapsed and tho occupants were forced to cat fish, penguins and rats. Scurvy resulted, killing three, including Aladame Lcbrunon’s husband. A baby was born but survived only two months. A fourth man went fishing and did not return. Tho Austral rc-appcarcd on December 6, 1930, and found three living skeletons who pointed to a row of rock-hewn graves.