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From: emigh@ecsvax.UUCP (Ted Emigh)
Newsgroups: net.philosophy
Subject: Re: Another small question (life raft)
Message-ID: <1220@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 10-May-85 09:54:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: ecsvax.1220
Posted: Fri May 10 09:54:00 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 13-May-85 23:45:56 EDT
References: <309@mhuxi.UUCP> <45200006@hpfcms.UUCP>
Reply-To: emigh@ecsvax.UUCP (Ted Emigh)
Organization: NC State University
Lines: 26
Summary: Life raft situation in the news 


I presume that you have read the news articles concerning a "real-life"
application of the life raft question.  A party of 4 were fishing some
40 miles off the Eastern Coast when their boat started to sink.  By the
time they noticed, their radio equipment was useless (?!?).  They
abandoned ship, and took to a life boat, without flares, water, food,
etc.

One died fairly quickly trying to swim to a nearby boat.
Another died from dehydration after a couple of days of drinking sea
  water.  The dead body was pushed out of the boat and lashed to the side.
  However, the body was lost during the night. Apparently nothing was eaten.
After 4 days, one of the two remaining people committed suicide.
Within an hour, the remaining member was rescued by the Coast Guard.

If we are to believe the lone survivor (who may be reluctant to admit
to eating his fellow passengers), there was no cannibilism.  It appears
that it is more important to have a fellow sufferer to talk to (and to
keep each others spirits up) than to have a quick meal.
We may learn more in time, as I am sure he will be offered great amounts
of money to tell his story -- particularly if there was cannibilism.
-- 

Ted H. Emigh     Genetics and Statistics, North Carolina State U, Raleigh  NC
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