The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1870-08-06
A sad Story Of tho Sea.

liko the GOmanE1c GaleS l0unu IN our sen.
sation weekliesj but the narrative is
nevertheless true, as the distressed fami-
ly Of the'adventurer, who still reside in
Jersey City, can testify:
Twenty years ago, gentleman in mo-
derate circumstances, living in Jersey
City, determined to try his luck in China.
Accordingly, he invested most of his
capital in goods suited for that market
and embarked on board ship bound for
Hong Kong, ria Liverpool. His family,
consisting OF his wife and seven children,
were left with sufficient means for their
maintenance until his return, which was
expected to be within four years. The
ship on board which our Jerseyman was
passenger, had fine run to Liverpool,
where she completed her lading. and
then started on q long voyage to China.
Once only, did the family of :he Jersey
man hear from him after leaving Liver
pool, and That was by letter received
by ship which spoke the Jerseyman's
craft, after rounding the Cape of Good
Hope. Months passed by and no fur
ther news of tho ship. She never ar
rived at Hong Kong, aud nearly year
after her departure from Liverpool, her
captain returned to that port with the
sad tale of her foundering in mid ocean,
and his own escape, with most of his
crew and passengers, from q fearful
death. The Jerseyman was not among
the saved. A dreadful storm, which
continued many days; drove the ship far
out of her course to the South ward, and
finally, after losing oil her spars, she
went down, giving her crew barely time
to lower the boats before the noble vessel
made her final plunge. The boats, con-
tanning the captain and most of his crew,
after tossing upon the sea for several
days, finally reached q group of islands,
where they remained six or seven months,
kindly treated by tho natives, until taken
off by n transient trader and carried to
Calcutta, where they secured n passage
to this city. But the boat in which were
the Jerseyman and five seamen, was
never heard of since the first night after
leaving the wreck.
Twenty years of sorrow, struggle and
privation for the Jersey family pass.
The noble-hearted widow and mother
fought against the ills of poverty, keep
ing her children under her own roof
tree, educating and fitting them we'll to
fight the battle of life, and had the hap
piness of seeing them become brave
men and good citizens, honorable
among the most honored. Daring all
these long years of sorrow and toll, she
clung to the hope that the husband of
her youth would return to her; his me.
mory was kept fresh in her heart, and
almost her only solace was the recollec-
ton of the happy hours passed with
him in their cottage home, and the be-
lief that once more she would be folded
to his heart. Twenty years rolled slowly
around; children became men and
women; and strange young faces were
seen around the hearth-stonc. The suf-
fering wife's hair was turning whito,
and her trusting heart was we'll nigh
broken from its long waiting, when, six
weeks ago, came letter from the wan
derer, reciting his sad history. The
second morning after the wreck, nothing
was to be seen OF the other boats. With
but small stock of provisions, the Jer-
seyman and his five companions, hoping
against hope, determined to shape their
course South of East, trusting to make
one Of the many groups of lands known
to lie III that direction. After ten days
toll, during which two OF the seamen
died from privations, the party reached
q small island, when they were imn,e-
diately seized by the natives and con-
dcmned to q life of slavery. Their
captors were cannibals, and long sought
to induce the white men to join them in
their horrible orgies; but finding both
threats and entreatics unavailing, they
finally desisted, and allowed their white
slaves to eat such food as they them
selves chose. One after another of his
white companions died, until the Jersey
man was left alone to his life of servi-
tudo among the savages, and so closely
was he watched, that although many
ships touched at the ishnd, he was
unable to communicate with them. At
length, a schooner from Australia
dropped anchor during night in March
last, in q covo near the hut occupied by
the Jerscymar, and being tho first to
discover her, he seized cnnoo and
padded off to her, before any of the
natives were astir. So long had he been
among the savages, that he had lost
nearly every recollection OF his origin,
and had forgotten his native language.
After gaining the deck of the schooner,
he was for some time unable to articu-
late word, and only after n copious
flood Of tears had relieved him, was the
strong man able to utter tho simple
word "home.'' Finally, after many