Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1867-08-07
Vol. 81, No. 81.

the thirst excited by tropical sun.
and with but a scant supply of water
and provisions obtained from the wreck
may not prove uninteresting.
/ When the captain and his boats
crew of seven men embarked on their
Iperilous voyage of four hundred and
fifty miles to Honolulu, over tempes-
tuous ocean, the stock of provisions
left on the shoal for the subsistence of
the remaining twenty-scven souls con-
sisted Of about two hundred and forty
gallons OF water, some of which was
brackish, and bread enough to last two
weeks if used moderately. The bread,
however, had got saturated with salt
water, and was in state of pulp. This
constituted all the provisions saved
from the wreck, exclusive Of that which
the captain took in his boat. As he
disappeared in the shades of night on
the afternoon Of the 10Th, various were
the emotions of those who were left
behind. Would they ever see him
again, and would not his boat be upset
or swamped in the heavy trade wind
sea that rolled between them aud Hon.
olulu? Any accident to the captain
might consign them to linger out for d
/ few weeks miserable existence, evil
IDENTIFY to perish in this out-of the way
place, scarcely ever visited by vessels,
and indeed studiousIy avoided by ship
ping on account of the known danger
GUS character OF navigation in its
neighborhood
! Out Of the whole number of men on
the shoal but five were American born
the chief officer and four others.
/ The remainder were Portuguese and
Hawaiians, and on those five depend
/ ed the contriving and the adoption Of
measures of proper economy in the
use Of provisions and the maintenance
of discipline. But they proved them
selves equal to the task, for Yankees
are always ready to meet any emer-
gency. First, all hands were put on
a regular allowance to each man of q
handful of soaked bread-which was
reduced to pulp-twice day, with
two half pints Of water. Some pieces
Of white twilled cotton, such as is used
for boat sails, had been saved from the
wreck, and with these tent was i'm
prOvised to shield them from the hot
sun.
Here they were tolerably comforta-
Die, for the climate is so mild that thick
clothing at night can be dispensed
with. Here it may be mentioned that
when the ship commenced breaking
up, the American portion of the crew
were endeavoring, under the direction
of the officers, to save something of
value for the benefit and preservation
of all, while the Portuguese, with char
!, acteristic regard for their Individual
/, interests, were busy in securing each
, his kit of clothes, so that while they
:. and most of the Hawaiians landed with
outfits, the Americans had nothing but
E what they stood in.
i Fortunately the shoal on which they
were cast abOunds with sea birds, of
\ the kind known among seamen as
. Molly mocks." We are unable to say
what name they are known by among
ornithologists, but presume the pecu-
liar cry which they make at times orig
/, inally furnished sailors with a reason
: for calling them Molly-mocks,' name
by which they are known from Cape
Horn to the Arctic Ocean, for they arc
to be seen in all latitudes They visit
these low islands and shoals for the
purpose ofincubation, laying their eggs
in countless numbers on the sand. Al
though they are essentially sea birds
and subsist entirely on flesh, yet their
eggs, when fresh, are quite as palata-
bic as those of Shanghai or a Domi-
nique. The men of the Wood used to
go out every morning and collect sew
eral baskets full of them, and found
them excellent eating, either boiled or
roasted. The young birds, too, before
they are fedged, are quite fat and ten
der, and when skinned and hung up
short time, eat well. The lagoon
abounds in turtle and fish, the former
of which were easily caught, and
good deal Of diversion was had among
the sailors in getting astride of a big
fellow and seizing him by tho fippers,
amusing themselves by his Intellectual
attempts to dive. There was plenty
of fish, too, in the lagoon, but they had
no ish-hooks, but managed to make
one or two out of piece of wire
! They had one cooking utensil, cop
per kettle, saved from the wreck, and
and in this they did all their cooking.
Their frewood was from the spars of
the South Seaman, still lying on the
shoal So it would seem there was no
danger of starvation so long as the
turtle and the birds lasted
But the subject of the supply of wa
ter for drinking purposes was the one
which most engaged their thoughts
Should help fail to come before many
, days their already scanty stock would,
even with the strictest economy, be
: entirely exhausted, and then, like the
case of Coleridgo's Ancient Mariner
there would be
water, water, everywhere,
And not drop TO drink.
But Yankee intelligence and energy
here came into play. The second day
after the captain left, they set to work
to make an apparatus to distill fresh
water out of salt. To.do this they had
a deck pot, two gun barrels, and