The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-11-02
A NEW ROBINSON CPrCOr
=, = IT NJ W ItVD TNNUN IRUNUE.
LIE WRECK OF THE WILD WAvE-REMARKA
EXPERIENCE OF THE CAPTAIN-AY INTEREST
NARRATIVE.

The WRECK OF THE WILD WAvE-PEv,nK.pr,
ENPEEIENcE OF THE CAPTAIN-AY IyrEREsTIy(
NARRATIVE.
SAY FRANcIsco, Oct. 5.-Among the passengers
who leave for New York, in the steamer for Pana
ma, to-day is Captain J. NJ. Knowles of the chime,
ship Wild Wave, which has been MISSING for sew
eral months and long since given IN as LOST viii
an on board. AS the Captains story is a very in
hlm for your readers. The ship left New York ir
september last, for San Francisco. where she ar
rived on the lith of January LEAVING again in baI
last on the 9th of February last, for Valparaiso.
Inc strong easteIly winds which prevailed for
some une alter starting, forced the vessel consider
ably to the westward Of the usual track of vessels
bound for the South American ports An Won't
well, however, until the night Of the 4th of March
oaPtaln movies had taken fair observations daily.
ana on the night in question supposed himself 81
least sixteen or eighteen miles from any land An
hour alter midnight he discovered breakers unon
the lee bow. The helm was put hard down bnt
the snip mls-stayed, and, while wearing. struck
upon sunken coral reef, and soon fell over on bo
side and bilged heavy surf broke over tha sbi,,
and 1t became evident at once that she mnst he lost
Her top-masts were cut away, to ease her as mncb
as possible but all efforts to relieve har ,,o+;n
failed. N0' i"''eii '''iy
Daylight at last revealed their nositior ond
showed that the vessel had struck the reef surround
ing oeono, a very low lagoon island a mile and \
nan OF TWO miles IN circumference the reef extend
ing in some places two miles from the shore So
landed In the course Of the dav the Captan suc
ceeded IN getting his nautical Instruments and =
supply. oil provisions ashore. During the ten DAYS
iohowlng they We're unable to get out to the wreck
more 'han tWlce In consequence of the surf While
upon the island Captain Knowles made very careful
observations, from which he ascertaned that Oconn
lies sixteen miles east of the position ascrihed to II
on the latest English charts, by which he had nav
gated the snip. 10 this error of the chart-whirb
Captain Knowles is confident will be also wood
by the Oillcers OF the slOop-Ofwar Vandalia soon
the loss of the Wild Wave is attributed
pom the l4th of March, started in his Iife-boat.
with his first mate, Mr.. James F. Bartlett of Rinr,
hampton. n. Y, and five men, for Pitcairn,s IsIanj
seventv-five miles to the southwark. eynectinr to
ma rehet there, not to be had at Oeono. which is
out OF the usual track of vessels in anv trade,
" ileh ne leit, the snip had not broken mp and the
captain got out his specie and carried it down with
nm. Pltcarn's Island, it will be remembered is =
fertile and pleasant island only four miles in cir
cumlerence, which was settled many wears ago bv
1he muti9eers oil the British naval brig Bounty. it
has long been iavOrite stopping place for whaors
and the Captain went there in hopes of meeting
some one of them who would carry himself and his
men to the Sandwich Islands.
Arriving at the island in forty-eght hours he
boat was stove and ruined Of course the nnfort~-
nate men were now without boat of anv dnsorin
lion, ana mad no tools with which to construct one
mere seemed to be nothing for then, to do hnt
possess themselves in patience until nnvt Eahr,nn
or March, when they might hope for succor Inv tbo
whaling fleet bound up the Pacific. The Island
apoGnds IN tropical fruits, which, with goats and
JaItAehS Ieit oy the late settlers, promised album
dant support meantime. SO the captain fitted m
deserted tenement. and made himself confortabIe
as possible. An old gun barrel picked IN on tho
Island, was mounted upon rude stock. so that one
man couId IRE 1t with match while aimed bv
another In this dual fashion the goats We're brong5
down for meat. S
In walking about the deserted settlement ono
uay, they found Old rusty TOOLS consisting of few
aAes, planes ana augurs. With these the CAPTAIN
tbe 70 pulld boat to get away with, and
ne par proceeded at once to carry the plan into
execution Of course it was no small nndertol,ino,
r roI ehey Had no saws, nor rigging nor iron-work
iol llasLenlng. They went into the woods however
troo me-; axe heWed single plank out of each
re, uh'h lne whole was ready to put topether =
In the meantime they found few nails, and burned
couple OF houses to get more With tbasa ond
mooueh pms they fastened the vessel and in ahont
49,, h"l na IL ready to launch, trim-lookng
oiioun ran schooner thirty feet in length. From
a quantity oil condemned ropes picked m ~, thn
lsiaiiu they made oakum to caulk the seams ne woI
as rigging OF the schooner. The sail of the life boat
;Jl1 olG san CLOTH also picked up at Ptcairns
sails Tor the John Adams as the new craft
was chrlstened. From bucket of tar and several
pouhds OF rosln, found in deserted tenement tba
oottom seams were paid, and the rest woro !
tainted with some refuse white lead from tbo
ame source. The hold was eight feet deem. and
we'll decked over. 1t only remained to oet set Of
;oiors: These the Captain soon provided an oId
hlrt furnishing the white stripes and stars, some
rimmlng from the church pull pit the red. and the
he blue for the field 0 iui iiisieu
AFTER three weeks effort, the Adams was launched |
rovlsioned with jerked goats meat, chickens frnit
lew cans ms OF preserved meats, aud an abundance Of
ofo 1nlee OF the sailors, fearful of the craft
eierred to remain where they were. So Cantain
movies, his mate, and two men set sail from Pit
arm on the Sd of July for Thit intending to call
at o T Island where he had left thirty-two
ere gale from the northwest, which lasted tbroo
ays, forcing them SO far to the eastward that tbev
ould not make Oeono. They bore away accord.
ngiy tor the Marquesas, 1900 miles from Pitoairns