Fearful Sufferings at a Shipwreck.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1813, 29 March 1886, Page 3

Fearful Sufferings at a Shipwreck.

Here u a story of the wreck of the barque Lyuton, of Liverpool. which was wrecked during a hurricane, off Aspinvvall, or Colon, • town in Columbia. It is toM by the mate, Mr F. Johnston ;—"At 7.30 luo ili-faled vessel struck, end huge waves, seemingly mounUms high, broke over her. She began to settle down, aud all hopes of safer? were over. I rushed to the captain's Cabin and told Mrs Lindgard to get the children ready, aa the ship was going down. She snatched the infant to her breast, and while the cabin was quickly tilling with water the captain caught up Lucy, and we all maoe tor the muzen rigging. For some time we held on in that perilous position, the seas breaking over us all the wnile. Lucy clung to tue captain, and Mrs Limigird bravely held her babe to her bieasi. The barque began to break up. We seemed to be bunei in a boning, seelhicg mass of broken water, anddhe rain still pelted down furiously. At about 11 pm the vessel turned right over, aud we were all immersed tu the sea. Every one succeeded in catching he,id of toe keel garboard streak, aud strenuous efforts were nWe with hj ind and teeth to tear up the pillkato obtain a better bold. Not a word, not a ny or shriek did the captain's wife ntter. She held on to the wreck with one band, and with the other she ;pres.-ed the child to her boacm. 1 was cringing close to ber, and fur the purpose of giving her a little support I put my atm round her .waist. The storm raged on, if possible, worse than ever ; the water swept over us again and again, almost stifling us. At about 1 o'clock the buy Hall began to complain oi the cold, and Mrs Lmdgard put his hands into her besom to warm them, ut the same time clasping the chil l Hilda to her naked breast. The weary night, which seemed more like a year, dragged on. Now and again, when the waves allowed us, we could see two large fires on shore, which the natives kept on for the purpose of frightening the wild animals away. With the water breaking over ns we were becoming numb with cold, our clothes were being torn off, and our bodies were being cut and bruised. At about 4 a m a fearful sea broke over ns, tearing from the wreck the boy Hall and one of the sailors named Johnson, who never rose again. At length morning dawned ; and on shore, betwee.i -hil and 300 yarns away, wn could hear the people ahonting; but, on account of the heavy seas, no assistance could he rendered us. Bit by bit the vessel broke up, and as the day wore on Notberg was swept away. With her heir streaming in the wind, the captain's wife still bravely clung fur life to the wreck. The captain, who appeared to be very much exhausted, still held on with Lucy in bis arms. The child began to cry, and. with tears in her eyes, she uttered the painful request, “ Papa, papa, give me a drink.'' A lew hoars ro.led on without apparently any hope of rescue. The captain then held up Lucy in bis arms, and with a cry of despair, exclaimed, " have my little ones ! Ob, try and save mV darling children ! ' These were the last words be nttered, for shortly after he sank down alongside of ns, completely worn oat. It is impossible to describe the agony we suffered. Hungry and thirsty almost to madness, onr limbs eat and bleeding, and benumbed with cold, we still clung to the remaining planks. Never a word of c mplaint was beard from the captain's wife, Fhe gave ber child all the protection ehe could, and repeatedly pressed ber breast to give her child food. A little later another gigantic wave broke upon ns as we all lay huddled together, and carried away Lucy, the carpenter, and one of the sailors from our sight. It was the work of a second All seemed now over. Mrs Lindgatd, turning to me, sai 1 ; '■ Mr Johnson, my darling husband and cul.d ate gone. Who's to be next ? ’ A French barque had also gone down not far from us. ail banas of who hj, we afterwards learned, wo re saved. I► ur ll) _r the whole of the die nihil night the ship's hell uad been tolling, as it bad Inca swung backwards and forwards by the wind and tue waves. Ltie sunl ot the bed as it reached os across the water, r ing like an horrible deith knell m our tats. We were quite resigned to our fate. Wo fully expected never to see daylight on earth again, never to behold the faces of tho-m we loved. Day at lart da.voel, hut with nothing lat death staring us in the face. ll.storm etid Continued with aoat>«tei luiy. t beard the ceptain's w.L say faiutlv, 'N ) hj Mr JobuaUO '‘No. no ii.-pes. ' I repiiel. A few more hours i f terrible s'.tf nag pa- , t. We had hreu about 3-i lours oi rnewt-ck wh *:i we saw a boat puiiing •li t < us. A feeling of hope sprang up into "Ur lt« i ts. One moment we sew her on the Ip 1 f a wave, and lh.; next moment she di<appeaiel ; but on she come buffeting with the billows Tue boat Jre » nctr to us, and wasagiin and again carried li jn us t.y the waves. At last ■he managed to get alongside, and a pa Iml fellow j irrp-d over on to the )ba ik 4, an 1 made fast a r. pe to the wreck. " Jump f"r your hie," he said. Ibe captain's wife it would be no use being in the boat —it cni l not lire in men a sea Toe boat tihed will) water, and I sprang into tue sea and succeeded in catching hold of two of the oars. One wave came and barred me np. I held my breath and still fought (or life. I rose again, and exerted myself to get to the shore. I again sank, and the rolling waves brought me to th« surface. Twice I sank, and had given myteif np for lost, when two natives rushed into the water with rqpes, and hauled DM ashore, naked and bleeding. 1 was taken to a French doctor's house. The boat, which waa washed ashore, was got ready for another attempt at raaeae. Thu time ber crew sue needed in saving the captain s wife, child, the ■teward, and two a iilori named Christophers and Evened. All were taken to the doctor's boose, and onr wants were attended to.”