In 1759 the London press reported the discovery at sea of the cargo sloop Dolphin and its emaciated crew. The Dolphin had embarked from the Canary Islands the previous year and was bound for New York. Days into its voyage the ship encountered severe weather, suffering considerable damage and losing its bearings. The Dolphin spent the next six months adrift in the mid-Atlantic – but was only carrying supplies for a six-week voyage:

“The captain and people declare that they had not had any ship provisions for upwards of three months – that they had eaten their dog, their cat and all their shoes… in short, everything that was eatable on board.”

As might be expected, the eight men onboard the Dolphin discussed the prospect of eating each other:

“Being reduced to the last extremity, they all agreed to cast lots for their lives, which accordingly they did… the shortest lot was to die, the next shortest to be executioner. The lot fell on one Antony Galatio… They shot him through the head, which they cut off and threw overboard; they then took out his bowels and eat them, and afterwards eat all the remaining part of the body, which lasted but a very little while.”

Galatio was both the only passenger and the only Spaniard onboard, so the lottery may well have been rigged – if it happened at all. Whatever the reality, eating Galatio sustained the crew for another fortnight. The captain managed to stave off more talk of cannibalism when he discovered a pair of leather shorts in his cabin. The shorts were cut up into squares and distributed to crew members, who survived another 20 days on this “miserable allowance”. No charges were laid against the captain or crew for the murder and consumption of Galatio.

Source: The Gentleman’s Magazine, London, Vol. 29, 1759. Content on this page is © Alpha History 2019-23. Content may not be republished without our express permission. For more information please refer to our Terms of Use or contact Alpha History.