WRECK OF THE DERRY cASTLE. THE STORY OF THE SURVIVORS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1874, 21 October 1887, Page 15

WRECK OF THE DERRY cASTLE. THE STORY OF THE SURVIVORS.

This is a thrilling story of the sea. Not one of those that the Marryatts, Coopers, and Clark Russells have evolved, bnt a true tale of misery, suffering, peril ; of eight strong men cast away on a desolate island for more than a third of a year, enduring and fighting hardships -which ate shuddering to relate. There arrived recently at the port of Melbourne, after a tempestuous voyage, a small sailing schooner of but 48 tons, the AwKrua, bringing with her the survivors of the barque Derry Castle, eight strange looking human beings, in clothing of stranger description ; hats made of birds' feathers,- boots made of Sealskins, their hair long and unkempt, and their faces covered with thick beards. Such men are not given to exaggeration. Let them tell their story : — We sailed from the port of Geelong, Australia, on the 10th of March last in the Derry Castle, an iron barque of .1367 tons, with 17,300 bags of wheat, for Falmdutb, England. She was commanded by Captain Goffee, and had a crew of 22 officers and men and one passenger on board. Early on the morning of the 20th March, with all sails set and the vessel making 12 knots an hour, she ran full head on to Enderby Island, one of the Auckland Islands, some 200 miles south of New Zealand. Five minutes after she struck she commenced to settle, head down, heavy seas broke over her, and the men were cither washed overboard or jumped into the tempestuous sea lashing the rock-bound coast, which could now be seen not niore than 200 yds distant. Eight— the passenger and seven seamen — managed to reach the shore, scantily clad, cut, bruised, and bleeding, but the remainder of the 22 souls perished in the waves. Daylight brought with it new horrors, for, pointed out by the ravenous sea hawks, ghastly sights were seen. Among the seaweed at the foot of the cliffs the captain, chief officer, and an able seaman lay dead, mutilated not only by the surf and cruel rocks, but by the savage sea hawks as well. The bodies were tenderly borne to 'shallow graves by the men who were themselves in living graves and given kindly sepulture. The survivors were in a most deplorable condition; they had neither fire, nor food, except shellfish, which was very scarce, and but little covering, while autumn had set in, and winter was approaching in a bleak southerly latitude. The men suffered severely from rheumatism and pains in their kidneys, caused by their feet being continually cold and wet from contact with the marshy ground. A thatched hut of grass was built, aud in this the castaways huddled for warmth. After being without fire for 10 days, the passenger bethought himself of a pistol cartridge he ,had in his pocket ; the bullet was extracted, a hole made in a board, and the precious cartridge inserted, its lower portion being filled with frayed rags. Eight men stood around to watch the outcome. Their hearts beat wildly, they quivered with excitement, and it was a long time before anyone dare strike tho blow which was to decide their fate. At last the rude hammer was raised, and brought down on the nail held on the fulminate of the cartridge. It exploded I the tiny flame caught the linen, the blaze spread, twigs were placed on, they crackled in fiery joy and lit up the faces of the shipwrepked men, who fell on their knees in silent thankfulness. But the reaction set in ; a, huge bonfire was built, and the men danced about it like veritable schoolboys. Never before had a fire meant so much to. them. The gold of commerce was as dross beside it. Thereafter a watch was told off, and constantly kept, and the fire guarded with jealous core. The sea cast up much whea,t from the doomed vessel, aud a large quantity of it was dried and stored for future use, .which, with seal flesh and a few mussels, made up the daily fare. A part of an old axe, left by former whalers, was found hall buried in the sand. It was sharpened with stones and proved a veritable God-send, .as the survivors then began to construct a punt, believing that a cairn, containing provisions for shipwrecked sailors, was on the main island some seven miles distant. From the bulkhead of the vossel which had been driven ashore, the nails were carefully burned out, the woed saved, and the work on the punt proceeded. ( For two months the sailors laboured on their little craft. The seams were caulked with sealskin, and the first of June saw it successfully launched. On the 9th of Junf, Sullivan and Renr.ip, volunteers, left their eoajrades, followed by their prayers, for the main island ; ami with Ihf: rough paddles sculled all day lonp and into the night when they reached tho longed-for bhore, and, to their great joy, found clothing, food, tea, sugar, salt, matches, tools, eta, hi the cairn erected by the Government of Now Zealand for the relief of castaways. One by one the men were conveyed to the larger island. They st,ill had no boots and sufferer! greatly from cold— as snow-storms were not infrequent, On the 9fch of July a sail was Been, and the little community was wild with delight. Signals were i»lioiwi, ami &L night Dies were lighted, and all waitid nnxiou&ly for the day; with the light the sailorh' fyes were made glad with tho sight of tho. taufc httlu craft, the Awarua, a Now Zealand schooner, which had come down to the island for a whalcboafc she had left some time before. Captain D.rew and his men made the castaways more thau welcome ; and on the 2nd of August iney left the inhospitable shore on whiqh «hey had spent ]3fl days of an existence auch as few men ever limi to tell the story of. But little more remains tb be told. On reading in the Melbourne press that the men were suffering from rheumatism and kidney troubles, Mes.srsH. H. Warner and Co., with characteristic generosity, at once sent to the Sailors' Home a suppjy bi their Warner's safe cure and safe pills for tho use of the afflicted seamen. After using the medicines, and being twice rescued — • this time from pain and disease — the grateful men unanimously scat the subjoined letter to the Messrs Warner and Co., who value ifc most highly as a candid expression from honesfc hearts. 'Gentlemen, — We are very grateful to you for the bottles of Warner's ' safe cure and safe pills you so generonsly presented to us on our arrival in Melbourne, when you became aware we were suffering from rheumatism and kidney difficulties, contracted through exposure while shipwrecked on the Auckland Islands. We have all used the safe remedies with the most gratifying results. In fact, we are now well. We can recommend with great confidence Warner's safe cure and Warner's safe pills for kidney' disease and rheumatistti, believing that what these medicines have done for us they will do for others.— Gratefully yonrs, , Nicholas Wallace John Husband F. Jehjtwald A. Nybbrg Daniel SuwivaK Hugh Looan , YfILLUU RbNNIE, Survivors of the barque Derry Castle.

— An enterprising physician advertises ;• — "I will pay half of the funeral expenses in casss where I am not successful,"