AN EXTRAORDINARY TALE OF THE SEA.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1110, 14 January 1885, Page 4

AN EXTRAORDINARY TALE OF THE SEA.

Some details have now been received of an extraordinary tale of the sea briefly reported a short time since. It seems that the GJ-erman barque Erederica Scali, on a recent passage from Stettin to Charleston, encountered fearful weather from September 2nd till the 21st of the same month. She had all her spars carried away, and sprang a leak. The crew pumped day and night, but the water steadily gained on them. On the 21st the men were in an exhausted state, and the vessel was hourly expected to founder under them. On that day a sail was sighted, and this gave them renewed energy ; so they pumped vigorously to keep their vessel afloat until they could be rescued. They came near to the vessel, but she did not seem to heed their signals, and at last Captain Hoppcbild lowered bis boat, and several of bis crew pulled alongside. A man was seen at the helm, and the crew of the Frederica Scali could not imagine why no efforts were being made to offer them assistance. When they got alongside the vessel they found her to be the P. I. Merryman. The man at the wheel had suddenly disappeared, and the men in the boat climbed up the sides of the vessel and reached her deck. They found the poor fellow who was at the helm in a swoon. By the application of water be was restored, but he had only time to tell them in a few words that nearly all on board were dead when he fell back and expired. A further search showed that there were two others of the crew still living, though in a wretched state from fever and shortness of food. These tuio men WPI*" +k° °-kovrav3. and an ablo seaman. Captain Hoppchild sent his men back in their boat for the remainder of the crew, and although they had great risks to run in the E. I. Merryman they preferred this to being at sea in the open boats, which was the only choice left to them. They brought all the provisions possible from the Frederica Scali, and the following day that vessel foundered. Captain Hoppchild and bis men paid every attention to the survivors, and they soon recovered. They informed Captain Hoppchild that they were from Batburst, on the West Coast of Africa, to New Tork. When their vessel left Bathurst, on August 20th, she had the captain, two mates, and five seamen. Shortly after leaving the African coast several men were stricken down with fever, and this conpelled the remainder to do double duty. When the captain and the mates died there was no person on board to navigate the vessel, and she was allowed to drift aimlessly about. Captain Hoppchild and his crew eventually brought her into New Tork, where she arrived safely.