Show FAMOUS D HEAD INE HUNTER F A A tropic nightmare by FLOYD GIBBONS shipwrecked Q shipwrecked HIP WRECKED on the african coast the theme of the LJ story that christian brodersen of valley stream N Y is going to tell us today and though a tale of shipwreck usually involves a battle with the sea and a grim fight against thirst and starvation find that none of those dangers bothered chris shipwreck is one thing but shipwreck on the african coast is another involving perils far more horrible than anything old father neptune has to offer it was on may 25 1903 that chris brodersen signed as a steward on the steamer lulu bohlen sailing out of hamburg germany for the west coast of africa after an uneventful trip with stops slops at madeira and palma in the canary islands the ship arrived at monrovia liberia on june 16 there they took on 40 kroo boys and sailed that same afternoon for cape palmas on the liberian coast but the ship never reached cape palmas and neither did any of the crew on the rocks twenty miles ort off shore at 1130 that night the lulu bohlen ran on the rocks 20 miles out from shore off the mouth of the San guien river they know it then but fires lighted by the treacherous natives had led the ship off its course and they were in for trouble the passengers including about forty women and children took off in boats manned by most of the crew the captain second officer chief steward and a few others remained behind on the wrecked ship following the captains instructions the boats headed for the trading post at river cess 60 miles away they drifted all night close by the steamer and started for river cess at daybreak they reached it that evening to find that the natives had already started looting the lulu bohlen and had part of the cargo drawn up on shore near the post from that moment on life was a horrible grisly dream for the passengers and crew of the wrecked ship the minute the boats were beached they were surrounded by a horde of natives who snatched the small belongings the passengers had saved from the wreck and vanished with them into the bush it was only with difficulty that they reached the protection of the trading post stockade and even then the natives threatened until the trader gave them gin to keep them quiet week of terror at the post the natives swarmed around the post day and night says chris we had to watch our boats incessantly as they ing to smash them to prevent us from getting away after about two days some of the crew started back to the ship to get the captain and those who had remained with him that left only 16 of the crew to protect the women and children and never in my life shall I 1 forget the week that followed day by day the natives became more restive and more threatening again and again the trader gave them more gin to keep them from attacking the post and slaughtering its inhabitants anyone who ventured outside the gates now was stripped of all his belongings and ma inick x 47 it 51 A ak 4 the boats were surrounded by a horde of natives whatever of his clothes took fancy of the blacks when the gin gave out the trader was forced to part with other articles of his stock before the week had passed he had lost everything he owned and still the natives threatened and demanded more things had come to a critical point the natives with no prospect of more loot from the trading post were about to attack and slaughter those inside then in the nick of time a german steamer the kurt hove in sight inside the post the trader ran up the distress signal nal the company flag turned upside down and tied in a knot and the steamer sent a landing party to investigate rest of crew found in sad state the kurt took passengers and crew of the lulu bohlen aboard and then proceeded down the coast to look for the rest of the crew those who had set out in one of the boats to bring back the captain and those others who had remained behind on the wrecked ship we sighted them says chris about 30 miles from the wreck and the landing party that went after them found them in terrible state they had barely got outside of the river mouth when their boat was wrecked in a heavy surf they swam to shore only to be met by a crowd of natives who followed them stole everything they had including most of their clothes some of the natives even bit the plumper ones in the arms and chest until the more civilized blacks drove them off those fellows never had reached the lulu bohlen they had followed the shore line for more than a week walking first then staggering and close to exhaustion for the entire time they had had nothing to eat for their supplies had been lost when the boat overturned in the surf the steamer kurt proceeded on down the coast when it reached the scene of the wreck they found the lulu bohlen her er keel broken in the middle and her decks awash but no sign of th the captain the mate chief steward or any of the rest the kurt moved on down the coast at kinoe they found the captain but none of the others the captain had bad paid two natives to take them to kinoe in a canoe that was the last he had seen of them they found the missing men at last in a native kraal says chris instead of taking them to kinoe the blacks in the canoe had put them on shore at the mercy of other natives they barely escaped being made into pepper soup we got back to germany about the end of july and a month later british french and german gunboats gun boats shelled the coast villages to punish the natives for wrecking ships hips and for cannibalism 0 service |