At Death's Door
Six Days Without Food or Water
On the first day of July last Romaine
Meuse of Tusket, N. S. , and John Frost of Pubnico, N. S., two
of the crew of sch. Madonna of this port, were lost in their
dory in the fog, while visiting their trawls. In a boat, not over fourteen feet in length,
in mid-ocean, without compass, food or water, a terrible death stared them in the face.
They judged they were about 120 miles from the
coast of Newfoundland, toward which they started to row. But becoming bewildered as to the
course, there was very little prospect of finding the land. They had one small sail, and
sailed and rowed, as they supposed toward the land.
Being very weak for want of food, they tried
to eat some of the fish which they had taken from their trawls, but they could not swallow
it. On the third day Frost gave up and lay down in the bottom of the boat
to die. But Meuse held out and continued to look for some passing vessel.
Many times he would start up, sure of seeing a
sail, but it would only be a passing cloud. So matters went on until the sixth day, when a
vessel was seen in the distance. Meuse aroused his companion, to make an
effort to assist him to row toward the vessel. After some difficulty they succeeded in
attracting attention from the vessel, which proved to be the John S. McGowan,
of St. John's.
The famished men were taken on board and
kindly cared for, and were landed at St. John's where they joined the Madonna
when she called for bait. |
