sailormen

[cappy]

a friend of mine told me a story passed to him by a very old sailorman of sailing ships about three young sailors in 1912 who skinned out a sailing ship on the west coast of south America as the ship was falling apart. they started to walk to the east coast of south America not having any true idea of the distance in true salor fashion off they set with not much in the way of food but took water with them they walked by day using a small compass and headed in an easterlydirection the 1st 2 or three villages they spent nights in were quite friendly and they could bum a meal of sorts and get water ...........thefurthereast they go the less friendly the villagers became and things started to get harder food was desperately short and water much the same the 3 sailormen were 2 Englishmen and one german this of course before any wars between the two nations so all were good mates and when they set off good strong healthy young men and used to hard times by there profession ............times got tougher but they thought they would soon see the east coast....not realising that the andes was to be crossed and they were rapidly loosing weight and were having to avoid villages as they were bing stoned and attacked by the village dogs they made spears with there deck knives and ate anything they could kill..................the andes eventually came into sight and moral bagan to fall just a bit but as they coudnt turn back on they went...now starving almost to death on they went helping each other day after day the cold taking its toll on all they ate grass and lichens but carried on down the other side they came thro some woods and sadly the german young man died they buried himas best they could and carried on now just two skeletons they carried on and saw the sea in the distance at last getting on to a beach and meeting some fisher men who fed them the story I think isa true measure of the spirit of seamen think even with stores an proper heavy weather gear that journey would be very very hard today the twogot backto the ukand one still was at sea on the coast in the 50s ive always also had a thorght for the mother of the german who would have never heard of her son again and no doubt died still thinking he may come home cappysalormen

[leratty]

Cappy there is a similar story about some sailors imprisoned on Tasmania in a remote part of it too where they were set to, to build a small sailing vessel. They decided to steal it when the time was right. This they did & got away intending to sail with out compass etc to NZ. Well they missed 'the land of the long white shroud' & came across Chile way down the coast. They then decided to sink the vessel so sailed back out to deep sea & did then used the dory to get to land with a story of having made it after their ship sank off the coast. They were well looked after, treated in some ways as heroes but as with all things there were some sceptics due to their lack of sun burn not lacking water etc. Anyway one of them got involved with a local lady.... & told her the true story, guess what she told the authorities when he broke off with her, ah the old story. They were rounded up & thrown into the local lock up, then British consul was sent for, he interviewed them got similar story out of one or two others so all hell broke loose. A RN ship in Valparaiso on his return was sent down to get them & they were sent back to Tasmania to serve not only their original sentence, but also an addition. I believe there is a book still available on this incredible adventure. When i read it it was a no of years ago, a terrific read. Sorry can not recall the name though it would be in my library but that is in storage.

[Bob McGahey]

The vessel as the Brig "frederick". it was completed but never registered. This saved the survivors from the gallows.

good story. Bob McGahey qld