Washington telegraph., 1852-06-09
Starvation Of a Captain & Crew.


The following melancholy narrative is ta-
ken from private letter, written February
18th, 1852, at Valparaiso, on board II. M.
S. Dido:
We arrived at Valparaiso on the 10th
prox.;; we should have been here much soon
er had we not delayed so much time look
ing after Captain Gardiner, gentlemen of
fortune, who had joined the Patagonian
Missionary Society, and had gone to some
small barren island off the Horn to enlight-
en- the inhabitants, wild as they were. We
received intelligence from Rio that we were
to look after Captain Gardiner at the Falk-
land Island, where we proceeded, and hear
inc there that vessel had left provisions
and clothing for him, expecting he would
call for them, we resumed our search tor
him to Staten small uninhabited island !;
there we found nothing that could lead to
his discovery, but large boat moored to a
tree. and on the hill was flagstaff, with a
niece of bed-tick for flag. We cut the
name of our vessel on several trees
and got under weigh the next morn
ino. We anchored at Gilbert's Cove, about
two or three days sail there we sent boats
ashore, and cut in tree was this inscrip-
ton; Dig deep, under this spot you will
find a bottle We dug, and found it, and
in tia note as follows:
Captain Gardiner-You will find is at
Spanish Harbor, at distance of about 60
miles from this place.
We proceeded to that place the next
morning, after speaking to two canoes of
strange-looking human beings, quite naked /;
they were painted and colored shells hung
round them. There were several other ca
noes of this description Of humanity in It's
worst form they caught fish and ate them
raw, and subsisted on wild herbs and roots
OF trees. How they could bear the cold. L
cannot tell, ten months out Of twelve it is
intensely cold. We happened to get there
in the summer. We gave them few arti-
cles of clothing, but they would not wear
| them. We left them, and resumed our
search after Captain Gardiner. We arrlv-
ed at Spanish Harbor the same evening, and
sent boats on shore as soon as we dropt
anchor, and then | beheld a sight, the like
of which trust shall never witness again.
Strewed on different parts of the beach were
Captain g. and two of his party. The first
we saw was Capt. Gardiner in state OF de-
lcomposition We supposed it to be him by
thcre being a watch hanging to his skeleton
form, and some distance from him there was
another We proceeded some distance to a
ave with lantern; when we entered there
was deadly smell at the end of the cave
where we found the remains Of the others
| There was furniture and cooking utensils,
as though they had lived there some time.
The boats crew were allowed to have clothes,
&C., as they found a large chest, containing
books, and clothing, and on the lid of it was
nailed his viii, stating that the first ship
that found them should have them. We
buried them with the honors Of war. And
cut on the wall was this inscription -
Proceed on about a mile and hait, you
will find three more do not delay, for we
are starving" We made the best OF haste,
and found them dead. 1t appeared they
had been Stunned by the natives. and had
starved to death. We had rough pas
sage from Rio here, as is generally the case
round the Horn.