The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1870-08-18
GALES, sketeRes, 9nttOotes, 1T.
A ROMANCE OF THE SEA.

a remarkable story reaches US from
Liverpool. Six sailors bearing the names
respectively of John Coleman, ID. Mccall,
MILDLY Baptistc, Joachim King Dilombo,
Charles Lance and Francis Edward Gray,
have just passed through succession of
adventures on desert island, which more
than realizes the most thrilling of many
romantic stories of shipwreck written for
our youth. The fine new iron clipper
ship Mercurius left San Francisco early
in January last on her return TO England,
having previously made her first voyage
from the Clyde to Sidney. She was com
manded by Captain Cuthbertson, an ex>
perienced navigator. and all went well
with her until the 25th of March. In the
early morning of that day, it being then
dark and raining heavily. the good ship
struck upon dangerous coral island
known as the Rocas Reef, in lat 3 81 S,
long, 1920 w. No one on board had
thought of danger until five minutes before
the AIercurius struck. The lookout man
then gave the alarm, breakers ahead j.
The Captain was called, the course was
altered, and her helm was put ''hard
over.'' But it was too late. A few sec,
onds of that intense anxiety in the endu
rance of which men seem to live years,
and all doubts were solved by the Mercu-
rius first grazing her side below the water
against the sharp edges of the coral, and
then striking violently on it twice. She
began to fill instantly, and as she was
hanging as it were over the ledge of the
l. To no
boat, in the hope of saving all hands
But while this was being done the ship
Iurched suddenly outwards, and went
down like a stune III four fathOms OF Wa
ter. Out of twenty-five hands on board
the Mercurius, the morning found but six
alive, ard these, after swimming two
hours, and until the tide fell, gained
footing on the ledge and proceeded to ex-
pore it.
Looking to the sea, the tops of the fore
and mainmast of the Mercurius were just
visible out of the water; looking over the
islands which were to be their home, some
fifteen acres of barren rock, lnterspersed
with patches of sand and connected by
narrow isthmus with another rock equally
barren. of the same size, met their gaze.
One cocoanut tree formed the only sign OF
vegetation. 1t was the sole survivor OF
those which were planted there some years
ago by order of Her Majesty's Consul at
Pernambuco, in order that the reef might
be seen more easily by the vessels on the
Brazil or Cape Horn route, in the direct
track of " hich it lies /; but there had been
wrecks here previously, and with the aid
| of articles left behind by the survivors,
! the shipwrecked men contrived to bend
circumstances TO their will. They found
| two iron tanks deposited in convenient
positions and filled with water, as well
as considerable quantity of broken tim
ber, out of which they built themselves
log hut They found, too, that pear. of
price, a broken knife, a hammer, two>
ounce weight and large copper bolt, and
with sthese clumsy tools they made two
boats out of the plankiBg strewed about
the rocks, fastening them with nails which
they extracted from the broken timber of
other wrecks. 1t does not appear that
the poor fellows had any thought of es-
Gaping in these boats, but they were ena-
bed to make fishing excursions and to
sail with signals flying in search of pass
ing ships in the early morning and in the
evening, when the suns ferceness was
subdued. They had no clothes, and ex-
cept in their huts no shade, and the tTop-
| ical heat was terrible. The majority of
the men saved were in their berths when
the Mercurius struck and SWAN to the
rock in their shirts and it was not until
one of their number had made hat out
of the fibre of the solitary cocoa-tree, sew
ing it together with needle made out Of
brass found on the island, that any protec.
ton for the head was to be found among
them. To add to their misery the reel
swarmed with venomous ants, which bii
the strangers numerically, and with an