Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1857-06-04
DAILY VIRGlNIAN.
s.,cu,cwmus strain, u. =. ~,

ya,,c g. STRAIN, Lieutenant in the United
STATE. Navy. and ono of the brightest names in
il, history brenthed his last at A-pinwnii on
rbur,day nigh, April 30. His remains wer. IN
tered on the following Tuesday IN Mount Hope
Cemetery the corpse being followed to its last
ros,in, nl.ce by the officers of the British and
American war ships IN port. and by many oil inc
leading citizens OF AsplnwaiI'
.Ij,u,ennnt Strain was u native OF P"npsyiva-
min. but .mig,n,ed at an early age win o'- ia
thor tn Springfield, Ohio. Under the paifobage
Of General Sampson Mason. member oi Congress
from the Fourth Congressional district, young
Strain .nt.led the naval service III 1907 as 'n'o-
sbipman On the first Of January last his nnme
,to"d % On the list of lieu'cnants. which grade
II, attained ON September 81. 1850. His career
has been emnenty active. having seen twelve
wears three months sea service, Two years e'es'h
months duty on shore, and but three years ten
mouths unemployed; making period o, n'ne.
teen yenrs in the service. Since last oetoper ne
Ind been engaged on the coast survey, but went
nut n nm ssenrer in the Illinois on her lae depar.
ture from this po,t being ordered to join the soop
oi-war Cyane. ,.,..,,.
IN. nan,e of I.ientcnant Strain is indissoluhly
upt,d with the Da,ieu Isthmus. That portion
Of tho Western continent was sealed BOOK 10
civilized nations until the party led by STRAIN o.
ppn,d no tho volume to science ana the "of'u'
Relvinp on the assertions of aself styled explorer
y
dtion which attempted tho pnssnge from the fa-
BGe To the Atlantic, but after penetrating twenty
ix miles into the interior aud losing fonr o their
men by attacks of Indians, they lost courage ana
returned to their ships. second body attemp
ted the survey II short time subsequently Tor "a"
England was enthusiastic ut the pf"Jee' "'
Unr,,n shin cnnal. and n company bad been tor
med with n capital Of fl5,OO0,'00 to realize II.
II was confidently stated by certain engineer
that nowhere on the l,thmus did the land exceed
IiO feet in elevation, an assertion whieh NV. E"-
,,l;b o,neai,ion. fnilcd TO examine but which tho
American explorers cmphaticn'ly disproved .'e-
oernphers are now enabled to give thu true tea
lures of the ls,hmus and the knowledge Is que 10
the unilnehing courage anu "o''""""'" - wv
gallant Strain
Bnt n third party was to attempt the passage
one, too composed OF south Amerlonns-
men Injured to the climate ana LED ny ,he Pfh-
cIpnl engineer of New Granadn. a -lmilhf re-
sui, attended their labors. Last oi nll came ine
United States expedition, under the eo'nman' o'
S,rniu. who started with his pnrty oi twenty sev-
en- men Nil told, in the month OF January ie5a.
,h, noint of d.pariur. being Columbia Bay, aud
,h,ir ,bipet Dnrien Harbor. Relying upon the
s,nt.men,s Of former sol disdnt explorers they
only carried provisions with them for ten days,
mud g,ievously did they suffer on this account
but IN spite Of difficulties unparnled IN the hist'-
nv of explorntion with inevitable starvation star
rounding them, the party forced, or rather drug
ged itself to the other side. When all hope WAS
lost. III. gaan, Strain infused confidence into
the hearts of his companions,a ana MS gun oraoRnt
food to them; and when all appeasement of
their hunger seemed impossible. STRAIN thren,en
cd to shoot the first man who limited at an NJ
most iustifeble oannibalism. The salvation of
the party nnd it- final escape from tho most
fearful horrors are duo alone to h'm
Rut Though his name is 80 interviewer with all
TINT relates 10 the Isthmus of Daren, yet his "a
biIiiies and courage led him into other and stiii
more vnried scenes. He travelled across the en-
tire continent of South America on horseo OK;
travorsod the immense expanse OF the bfhzlis'
nscondel the Andes, pissed that immense rocky
backbone of the Western hemisphere and reach
ed the Pacific this, too, at u time when lie was
considered to he unemployed. The hairbreadih
scapes and strange adveptures OF this journey
will compare with anything in The early romance
of discoverers. One of his personal friends shys
that Strain would have walked to the North Pole
ON foot alone His scientific niiainments equal
led his courage aud pointed him out as TIT as
,i.tant TO Lieutenant Bergman in the United
Suites steamer Arctic, when taking the deep
sea soundings over the telegraphc plateau for
tho Atlantic cable.
Lieutenn, Strain WAS very popular with tho
officers oi the navy. particularly with the young,
or ones In society he was quiet modest and
exceedingly unassuininR' anu 'nos' ""o NM
him best say that ho made no enemies Death
cut him off before his prime for he had not yet
attained his thirty fifth year. This fnot cannot
bat remind US of another discoverer whose ui-
tmelv end we but lately chroncledDr. Kane.
Tho Arctic explorer was but three years the Sc
ni.,r of the gallant Strain. Both of them were
natives If the Keystone State, and both OF them
have left inperishable names in the annals of
their country and in the records OF the scientific
world .l.saz#
/. NEW AWTICLE-Gsents' Glove Kid Gni-