Shipwrecked and Robbed - Bangor Daily Whig and Courier - Bangor Maine - 4 August 1892 |
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Shipwrecked and Robbed1 Experiences of the Nehemiah Gibson's Crew on the Brazilian Coast Captain Ezra B Risley, of the wrecked bark Nehemiah Gibson, has arrived at his home in Philadelphia. The vessel was owned in that city and wrecked a month since on the coral reefs off Concession, on the northern coast of Brazil. After being wrecked the bark was plundered by half breed Indians. Captain Risley was seen by a reporter to whom he gave a thrilling account of his voyage and its startling incidents. "I have been on the sea for over fifteen years," said he, "and was captain of the Gibson for the past six years. Had not the chronometer pointed falsely and run is some eighty-five miles out of our course, cargo and vessel would be intact to-day." Story of the Voyage "We sailed from New York on the 13th of February [1892], with a load of coke for Illana, with a crew of several able seamen most of whom were Scandinavians, two mates and myself. We had a faultless voyage making the 1300 miles in twenty days. From Havana we went in ballast at Pensacola, Florida, a three days sail of 400 miles, where we loaded pitch lumber for Rio Janeiro. "We were about sixty days at sea and about twelve miles from land, from eighteen to twenty miles west of Cape St. Roque, Brazil, at nine o'clock in the evening, when a tremendous crash startled all hands on board, and before we had time to realize our position, as the night was very dark, with another plunge the bark went crashing into the rocky reefs by Concession, shivering her timbers unshipping her rudder, starting her sternpost up and tearing her deck aft frightfully. We managed to keep her above water, although she drew seventeen feet, and was in but fifteen feet when she first struck. Natives Make for the Prey "Just as the day was dawning out ... from the coast a band of half breed natives, part Spaniard and part Indian, numbering 150. Their forms were half clad and their skins dark copper color and seated on their catamarans, they came skimming out toward us. They were all .... odd-shaped circular swords which they brandished in the air, while an incessant jabbering was kept up by them in their own tongues, accompanied by all sorts of gestures. "It was not long before they were all around and about us. Then they leaped on board our sinking craft like so many monkeys. For a while we were able to drive them off. But when the full complement arrived we gave up in despair and quickly gathering up as much food and clothing as we could we hurried away from the bark in our two sloop-rigged boats, leaving all behind to the mercy of the Indians. "They leaped and dived about in the water like fish and before we were out of sight they had their catamarans loaded with everything loose that was remaining about the bark. It was on the 29th of June and we drifted along westward, when toward evening the sea became heavy and it was all we do to keep ourselves afloat. The chast was so rocky we even were obliged to keep well about from land fearing another shipwreck. "About 7pm we have in sight of the Norwegian bark St. Louis, that was anchored on ballast ground off Macap, a small coast village containing about 200 houses, most of them the odd looking mud huts of the natives. The town is noted as a station for shipping salt to Southern Brazil. The captain of the St. Louis kept us over night and treated us well but, as there was no American Consul at Macan we again set sail about midday toward eveing we spied a barkentine lying at anchor about thirty miles west from the St. Louis. We reached and boarded her and were kindly received and directed by the steward to touch at Areana Branca, a small town near by. All Made Prisioners "We landed at Arela Branca about dark and were made prisoners by the Brazilian authorities and were not allowed to return to our boats but were placed in the building which they call Alfaudaga, a sort of bounded warehouse and were guarded by six police for two days. Though the services of a protodore, or messenger, a letter was sent to a New Yorks firm's agent at Mosoro requesting them to cable the American Consul of our condition." "About twenty-four hours later the American Consul at Pernambuco had is furnished with money and brought to his station on a Brazilian steamer where we took passage to the United States and Brazil mail steamship, Seguranca. We arrived home on Sunday evening, we tried to sell our boats to raise money to get home by the customs officials refused to allow us to dispose of them or their contents. The Nehemiah Gibson was built in Fast Boston, Mass, in 1868 and her tonnage was 704. She was owned by AR Dunkee & Company, of Philadelphia. The cargo was valued at $8000 and the vessel at $20,000. Both were partially insured.
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