THE SCHOONER SARAH PILE—SUFFERINGS OF THE PASSENGERS AND CREW.

Otago Witness, Issue 1630, 26 August 1871, Page 3

THE SCHOONER SARAH PILE—SUFFERINGS OF THE PASSENGERS AND CREW.

(Xnrni^tli- Pilot.) The schooner Sarah Vile, from Ovalau, Fiji Islands, bound tor Sydney, put into this port on Monday morning, about 7 o'clock. The vessel had on boaul 14 passengers, including live young children, and a crew of si\ men. From some of the passengers — viz., Mews Hayes, Sullivan, Smith, and Sutherland — we have obtained particulars respecting the voyage and the treatment received by those on lioaid the vessel, on which we refrain fioui commenting 1 at present, a.s Police Court proceedings have been initiated against the captain and owners ofthe ship. From the relation of the hare facts, however, which arc given, w ithout the slightest exaggeration, from a diary kept by Mr Hayes, and endorsed by the others, it will be seen that those or board experienced some terrible sufferings through want of food, and at one time it was feared th.it two of their number would I have died trom exhaustion. The vessel left Ovalau on Thursday, .hint; 24th, and crossed the bar at rive minutes to 7 o'clock, and on that day, ths first of the voyage, the last joint of fresh meat and the last loaf of fresh bread were placed upon the table. Mr Hayes, whose suspicions were aroused in consequence of something that had fallen from the captain at the dinner table, during the afternoon made enquiries of thesteward, and ascertained that the articles enumerated below constituted the total supply of provisions (and I these are alleged to have been of the worst description) for 22 people for the voyage, which occupied o2 days :—2oolb: — 2001b salt beef (hardly one week's supply for 20 persons), .")00 yams (there being no potatoes on board). 1201b (lour, IS 211) tins of preserved meat, 1 dozen tins jam, 1 dozen fruits, f)lb oatmeal, lewt rice, tea and codec which lasted the voyage (being served once a day

only) ; a small supply of sugar (of which Mr Hayes lias kept a sample, and described AH black, iilthy, and utterly unfit for use) ; 1 dozen boxes of sardines, 12 tins of butter, 41b cheese (described by Mr Sullivan and Mr Hayes as " mouldy and maggotty'"). On the first day of the voyage, in addition to tho joint of fresh meat before alluded to, there were three small pigs, each weighing abou£ six pounds, which were eaten at the lirst meal. From this time the sufferings of tho passengers and crew commenced, On the second day there was no bread, but simply " weevily " biscuit and salt meat. On Saturday, the third day, the 14 passengers and captain had for dinner one 211) tin of preserved meat boiled for soup, and after-. wards squeezed in a cloth and placed on the table. On Sunday there was one 21b tin of preserved meat only, in addition to five pounds of lingtish, described as so bad that more than half of it had to be thrown overboard. On Thursday, the J3th ult., there was a very small piece of salt beef and biscuit. On the thirteenth day out (it will be recollected that the whole passage occupied 32 days) all the pro\ laion that was served out to the hungry passengers was half a sardine each, and the children began to cry piteously for food, which the men supplied them w ith for some time from their share, This state of things continued until the 22nd day out, when there was absolutely nothing to cat except starch, a very few yams, and some cocnanuts, with a small allow-, anee of bad water, and one of the crew became so seriously ill from exhaustion, that he was counselled to knock off work. We may mention that Mr Hayes has informed us that when two days out, feeling unwell, he applied to the captain for permission to make half a cup of coffee, and was informed that his request could not be com* plied with because w ater was scarce. On the •23rd the people on hoard began to eat starch with a small quantity of hiscuits and cocoanuts. On this they since subsisted, and the sailors who, having to work hard, felt the want of food more than the others, frequently complained of weakness and illness, and still for the safety of the ship they were obliged to remain at their duties. Fortunately for the lady and children. Mr Hayes had a small quantity — a few ounces only — of concentrated essence Of meat, which he had brought from Melbourne with him, and this he doled out to theunfortunatc creatures, whose sufferings, he says, were very great. The starch, while it lasted, was served up in the form of, and described to the passengers as arrowroot, until the deception was discovered through the instrumentality of the steward. On Wednesday, the 20th, the passengers and crew bad nothing but a very small quantity of biscuit.-, maggotty, and full of weevils', and a short supply of bad water. Besides the hardships enumerated above, there were many minor inconveniences expeiienced. For instance, there was not sutheient light afforded at night, and it is stated that frequently there was neglect in exhibiting .safety lights on tho vessel. There was no water for w ashing purposes, and the little that was served out to drink was umvholcsome, and, in fact, utterly unfit for human consumption. On the 23rd, when it "was blowing hard, and the schooner was sailing at the rate of eight and a-half knots an hour, at a quarter pavt 7 o'clock the man at the binnacle complained that he could not sec the compass for want of light, and there wero no ship's lights, because it w as stated there was a scarcity of oil. The passengers complain that on one occasion, when the "famine" was at its highest, a large ship Avas sighted, and the captain pi omised that he would send on board and obtain a cask of beef, but he afterwards, although the weather was calm, and the vessel could have been easily boarded, allowed her to pass, despite the solicitations of those who were so much in w ant of food. When lobby's Light was sighted on Monday morning, the unfortunate people insisted that the schooner .should be brought into this poit, instead of yoiug on to her original destination, as it "was feared that being very light if she stood off she -would not be able to get to windward again, and accordingly she was taken in tow by the steam tug. Some idea of the state which those on board the Sarah Pile were i educed to may be formed from the fact th.it when a request was made for a supply of food, and a piece of pork weighing about lOlbs. was thrown on hoard, the greater number of the passengers and crew ravenously ate the meat, without waiting for it to lie cooked. The Sarah File was towed into .Newcastle early on Monday morning, and the passengers, who had paid £12 each for a passage to Syddey, were compelled to go on to the latter port at their own expense. The above is' the plain statement of facts related to us by four of the passengers, who have laid the charge at the Custom House, .Newcastle, and which they state will be made the subject of police proceedings immediately. I'nder the | circumstances, it would be out of place to j offer comment upon the case as it at present I stands.

With regard to the Court of Appeal, the Lyttelton Times of the 12th hist, has the following :— '' In Chambers, yesterday, His Honour Mr Justice Gresson, in reply to Mr (Jarriek, stated that in all probability the next session of the Court of Appeal would not be held until May, 1572. The Judges were in communication with the (■Jovernliient, and it was probable that, after the present year, there would bo two sittings, namely —in May and Ko\eiober. His Honour also stated that it \\ab likely the printing of the cases sent up to the Judges would be resorted to in most instances, so as to save the expense of copying."