DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

136 CASE OF THE PEESIA.
it I found it would not support more than one person so
1 left the doctor on it and swam towards a boat floating
upside down about fifty yards away, her bottom being
covered with native seamen, far too many for the boat
to support. I managed, however, to climb up and get
astride of the keel band on the extreme end aft and from
this position I saw a boat a short distance off, picking up
people, and shouted to them to come and help us, but
they rowed away, but as there were cries of help from all
sides I make no complaint about them not coming to our
assistance. About one hour after the disaster there
were on our upturned boat four Europeans left, besides
about twenty native crew, the remainder having dropped
off as they became too weak to hold on. The boat at this
time was righted by a big wave, and we managed after
great difficulty to get into her. I then realized that not
only had she a large hole in her bottom, but that her bows
were split open as well, probably smashed in the lowering.
She was also in a state of extreme instability for the air
tanks which showed she was one of the life boats were
vsome of them smashed and others perforated and the
smallest weight on the starboard side of her tended to
capsize her again, which before we were picked up happened
several times. About sunset we were most of
us sitting up to our knees in water, and there remained
when the sun went down of the original number in the
boat, thirteen native seamen and firemen, two Goanese
stewards, one Italian 2d class passenger, one Scotchman,
also a 2d class passenger, one English Steward, named,
Martin, and myself, i. e., nineteen only. Had it not
been for Mr. Alexander Clark, the Scotch passenger, and
Martin, the steward, who more than once helped me to
climb back into the boat, after she capsized so often, I
should have had no chance. At sunset I managed to
stand up in the boat and have a good look around and
saw only one boat to the eastward about one mile away
and one or two survivors still clinging to wreckage to the
southward of us. Though there was not much wind
there was a considerable swell on and nearly all the time
the sea was breaking over us.
Before the night was half gone several more natives
died in the boat from exhaustion, and as the bodies were
washed about in the boat we had to throw them overboard.
About 8 p. m. a steamer passed with her saloon
lights all showing, about one mile to the southward; we
tried to attract her attention by shouting, and the other
ship's boat, to the eastward, burnt two red flares, but she
took no notice, possibly thinking it was a ruse of a hostile
submarine. When the moon rose about 2 a. m. I saw
one or two more natives had died, including the doctor's
Goanese servant, who was sitting on the gunwale of the
boat next to me. At dawn next morning, Friday, the
31st, there were only eleven, all told, left in the boat. The
Italian passenger then helped to pick out more bodies at
his end of boat. About three hours after sunrise we saw
a two-funnelled and two-masted steamer to the southward,
and our hopes again raised. We managed to