Show THE strathmore STRATH more MOKE letter from jirs sirs wordsworth the zay lady who survived he the wreck to her daughter the childers feb 18 1876 dearest JF I 1 daresay you never expected to s see e my handwriting again but I 1 suppose I 1 must be the veritable bad halfpenny and of course have turned up once m more re we are now on board the ship childers of liverpool on our way to rangoon rl wll will begin my story from the poor ship strathmore we had rather a tedious voyage I 1 was sick the whole way and if the sickness stopped I 1 had bad nausea I 1 could not eat I 1 loathed everything and when we got to the line low fever fevers set in in short I 1 thought I 1 should never reach new zealand though captain mcdonald showed showed great skill in medi medicine cing cinq and was exceedingly kind I 1 ind and attentive on 0 one no occasion curi curl curiously busly enough he jokingly threatened that if I 1 did not get better bolfer soon he would land me on tho the twelve apostles little thinking then poor machow soon hia hla words were to come true miss Jf her Hez henderson fenderson iderson the tho lady who mccu occupied pled pied the other berth in my cabin and who with li her hen er broiher brother er wis was going to krew yew bew zealand zealan d to join their fa father fitner titar titer always tended me with th the greatest kindness and gentle eie ele cue cie c ue ie during my long illness on the of june the ve very night before we struck I 1 felt ratu rather better and got up to join the ot other b er passengers in a game gam 0 a at t cards I 1 in n the saloon I 1 iliad had generally slept siept badly hitherto the fever always returning in the night but on this occasion being more fatigued than usual I 1 slept soundly roundly till bump bump bump I 1 was knocked violently backwards ack wards and forwards in my berth I 1 thought surely that is a curious motion 21 bilt but determined not to be easily alarmed I 1 en deavo red to compose mys myr myself elf eif to my horror there then followed a crunching and grating sound which could not be mistaken I 1 said to miss henderson ohi ohl surely there wrong we got out of bed and had bad just lit bt our lamps when charlie and mr henderson came to our cabin cabins mr henderson never spoke but charlie said in very quiet tones mother the ship has struck and is quickly settling down you have not t time me to dress only a moment to put on what you can 31 they left us we never spoke I 1 helped the poor child to dress she was pale and trembling but quiet and collected J edid idid did not take time to dress dresa myself fully merely putting on my dressing gown and the tweed tunic you bought me joiy sealskin jacket achet was unfortunately locked up BO so I 1 huddled on my warm shawl and tied up my head bead warmly this took us about three minutes at the end of which time charlie and mr henderson again appeared I 1 took your brothers arm and we went into the saloon liss bliss henderson and her brother following charlie thinking himself of some useful things he had forgotten left me in the saloon in order to get them from his own cabin thinking he remained too long iong ong I 1 followed him and begged him aim to come at once for I 1 had heard the captain from th the e poop call aloud in an agonized a tone NOW nov then come I 1 but whilst i I 1 llad had been waiting walting ag for him I 1 had bad run back to the cabin and got my rosary which I 1 put round my neck and seized a pair of blankets we made nade our way to the companion latch batch but it was partly fastened up so I 1 was forced to drop my load of blankets and creep through th the small smail aperture which was je left rt arm jn abins arm and fojto followed wed by miss henderson Ic and her brother we walked to where bome some sailors were endeavoring to launch a boat charlie noticed nodded to me tile that generally in shipwrecks tho the first boat launched is lost and though I 1 heard a sailors bai eai lors voice cry out all shoot any man who gets gots in before the woman I 1 said to charlie charile Cht irlie dont go in that boat remember wherever we go if there is 16 not room for you there is not room for me ile he replied IWO no mother we will I 1 ive lve or die ole together 11 we passed the joselyn boys percy cue j t abe the eldest a fine fellow I 1 heard ar say my to his younger brother we will stick together old boy whatever happens happen 8 11 I 1 saw poor captain mcdonald at the rigging and would have spoken to him but I 1 knew he was a brokenhearted broken hearted man mau kanand and like myself preparing for eternity I 1 had not the least hope of boing baing saved just then I 1 heard mrs mm walker who unfortunately had got separated epa rated froni from her hus bus baid bard and nd child ask charlie to look for him but he did nob not hear her he hoaas was considering how I 1 could be got into the port lifeboat life ilfe boat bont can lyou you get on the bridge mo mother he askea I 1 said yes though it was a place I 1 dared not have attempted tempted in daylight on a calm day I 1 got into it I 1 knew not how howl charlie and a sailor named jack wilson pulled me up into the boat boal by their hands the moment I 1 was lifted from the quarterdeck quart erdeck a sea swept over it some of the water splashing on my face that sea washed miss henderson froin from her brothers arms down to the main deck and BO so the poor child was lost losi her brother told me afterwards that all she salato said baid to him hith was 0 noh O T tom m wo we did not think it would end this way in the meantime the sailors were doing ever thing to have the boat ready on the very slight hope of her fi floating clear of or the ship which we thought then was rapidly settling down we sat eat awaiting our fate A few farewells were exchanged I 1 said goodbye good bye to my dear deai boy and a pang of anguish went through me tor his hia young life so soon to be taken it passed in a moment and we were preparing ourselves as well as we could to meet our god when wonderful to relate a heavy sea came sweeping along over the poop carrying ev grything ery thing with it to destruction destruct on but hut instead t ead of dashing our hoa boat to tb elecey pieces or tumbling it from the beams eams on n w which thi c h it stood down to the deck dec 0 it 1 caught a u gut it up and miraculously culous ly floated us between the main and mizzen rigging into the sea sen seal 1 I thought at the time weldern we wel were going quietly into eternity I 1 felt charlies grasp tighten and with a prayer on my lips I 1 think was gone we had hardly breathed when charlie suddenly almost threw me from him and wrenching an oar out shouted saved saved by a miracle up lads and keep her off the febi ship 21 jt was pitch dark lark in the deaton dead of a winter night we had few clothes and the boat having been stove in on its passage across the deck dech deck deek we were sitting al water Huge sprays washed over our shoulders and so surrounded by breakers and sharp rocks we did not know which way to turn for safety by dint of hard bard lamorand lab orand great caution we managed to keep cear clear of every obstacle and the boat was waa constantly baled to lighten her but with little success indeed had she not been a splendid lifeboat we should very soon have sunk I 1 sat silent in my corner trying to comfort and warm poor spencer joselyn who had hurt himself jumping into the boat percy poor fellow fell in bia hia leap and was waa drowned charlie gave me his coat to hold whilst he pulled an oar and I 1 think that which was in a pocketbook pocket book that he had bad saved must then have been lost by dropping out of one of his pockets into the water in the boat pd then being baled overboard we beat about all night not mowing where we went afraid of being icing dilfred out t to 0 sea without food or water breakers ahead and land ho was the cry all night once in the gray fray of the morning we got a glimpse of the ship sh she was leaning over a good deal and looked looke d very helpless and forlorn ands and so sad A little after day broke I 1 C was the arst first to see another boat I 1 gave a joyful scream and the second mate mr peters with some passengers and sailors came teus te usand and towed us to land when we came to the landing place I 1 gave up I 1 in n despair for iba lea I 1 saw w no nothing thing b but u t a high perpendicular rock before me impossible almost for a goat to nind find footing on you know lam not very clever at climbing at the best of times but weak and ill stiff with cold and dripping wet I 1 felt I 1 had bad no life in me and could not do it IL I 1 said charlie cha al e I 1 cant do it you must leave me nonsense he said and one of the seamen jack wilson added if there is anybody to bo be saved you will bep bed bethe sailors who had already mounted the rock soon managed to lower a rope with witha a loop in it in which I 1 sat and was pulled up assis assli assisted ted by charlie and young mr keith on either elther side I 1 was stunned with dolds cold coid and almost fainting so that it seemed only a few minutes tome to me till charlie came with the reeking hot skins of two alba crosses anc adl wrapped my feet in them oh ob how delightful it was borne one knocked down a white pigeon which was cooked on r some 0 m sticks blinks and antl given to me I 1 thought I 1 had never t tasted ted anything BO so good mr peter peters who all along ed had behaved with great presen presence po of mind and gallantry had been backwards and forwards to the wreck and brought off several boat fulls of people ile fie also pie pic picked up some wine spirits spin la etc in fact cupl a all nil I 1 that was portable and useful iksoon it soon boon got dark and we were obliged to move higher up the rock where a slight tent was erected and a plank was placed upon the rock for me to lie upon oi some of the sailors cove code covered ret rot ne roe with their coats but they the m were vere cr taken from me during the night t by bome some of the passengers and on oh the agon aron agony I 1 suffered buffered in my hobbs mr keity keith Kelty h and charlie had to move my feet and hands bands and when I 1 could bear it no longer I 1 went outside and st eat by bya a small fire they had lit it black jack gave me his oi own stocking stockings which were warm for I 1 had none the crew were all si st kind to me the next day mr peters brought the remainder of the from the tho rigging of the wreck the noble captain had bad been washed overboard shortly after miss henderson and the man at the helm a bright eyed little fellow called Dar keyon lon ion account of his i gypsey ilke like complexion who atas r a s washed away from his 1 w t iff with adart a part of the wheel in hi hand hali he had refused to leave it till hilche the ibe word to save hlin blin himself seif self wa given gilen H hen gil en cn but the captain never lil ii ili i I to ta give it there was a very interesting newly married couple called mr and mrs riddle mrs riddle biddle had bad waited for him for lor eight years and the poor man was frantic at the prospect of losing his young wife A mrs mm mobile another young married woman behaved with great heroism at the wreck atall times a merry laughing creature and kind to every one she tried hard bard to save the lives ilves of some of the children but without success she was waa heard to astr there thera no mo hope none then throwing her arms around her husbands husband neck she said 1 fr I will die with you to return to the island next day walter smith the and mike ORear OB eardon dori dorr an A ba B brought me a suit of manly garments mike giving me the shirt from his back Tr trousers omers my flannel petticoat and a monkey jacket completed my outfit but either the trow sers sera were curiously made or else I 1 was for wo did net not get on well together I 1 kept them though and they were most useful to charlie afterwards afterward I 1 will now only give you a few incidents incident of our haland inland life ilfe aa as charlie is writing a full account which you will receive with this letter I 1 was very near death several times had bad it not been for charlie charlies conz constant care and tenderness I 1 should really have gone it was such a long time of suffering and endurance the eggs saved my life twice and t there b ere was a little of the famous red Bed heart rum put away for the use ot of the sick by mr peters which did me incalculable rood I 1 felt 1 I could not nol last lonz long one morning the of january I 1 awoke quite cheerful and bri bright glit saying charlie ive lve seen talc the ship we never dreamed ef of any but the one that was to take us off in the afternoon as charlie went butof our little a hanty lie he shouted saila ho and immediately ran towards the flagstaff I 1 sank on my knees at the entrance and wept tears of joy joya soon I 1 saw the ship turn toward towards sour soun our oun island and then I 1 began to prepare charlie came back to t 0 give me one on or two articles of his apparel that I 1 might look somewhat more respectable le for my wardrobe was reduced to a flannel shirt and petticoat much the worse for wear and what I 1 considered very grand the polonaise you bought me everything as well as myself black greasy grenay and melling smelling horribly fishy though we did not notice it at the time what moments of delight were these we first hurried to one side of the iala aad ludi then to another scrambling hyer nyer rocks holes and slime silmo no easy matter Atlas atias twe arrived arri vedat vt durold our oun old oid landing place I 1 could get down to q a certain part 0 0 the loek lock in safety but from there I 1 had bad to be lowered into the boat in a bowline to the uninitiated abis this bowline a very carelessly c re beisly le isly made knot but it is ls strong notwithstanding TO BE br CONTINUED J |