The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1870-08-04
ROMANCE oE THE SEA.
From the London News, June ~.

A remarkable story reaches us from Liver
pool, Six sailors, bearing the names respect
lively of John Coleman, ID. M'Call, MILDLY
Baptist, Joachim King Dilombo, Charles
LANCE, and Francis Edward Gray, have just
passed through n succession Of adventures
ON Il desert island, which more than realized
the most thrilling Of the many romantic
stories of ship-wreck written for our youth
'fh" fine new iron clipper ship Mercurius
left san Francisco early in January last on
her return TO England, having previously
'4nadc her first voyage from the Clyde to
Sidney. She was commanded by Capt.
tuthhrrt,oI, an experienced navigator, and
all went well with her until the 18th of
March. In the early morning of that day, it
being then dark and raining heavily, the
good ship struck upon Il dangerous coral
island known rs the Rocas Rect, in lat
3.,52 s., Ion. $500 w. No one on board had
4 thought of danger until five minutes before
the Mcrcurus struck. The lookout man
then gave the alarm, ''Breakers ahead -
The captain WAS called, the course of the
ship WAS altered, and her helm was put
'.hard over But it was too late few
seconds OF that intense anxiety in the endur-
ancc Of which mensseem to live years, and
then I'LL doubts were solved by the Merc,lius
first grazing her side below the water against
the sharp edges of ;the coral. and then strk-
ing violently on ittwipel Sire began to fill
instantly, and IS. s9te:was hanging as it We're
oyer the edge of ~ r5tR. word was passed to
man the long bort, il The hope of saving all
hands,. But While this was being done the
ship lnrchcd suddenly outwards and went
down like 4 stone IN fathoms of water
Out of the y hands on board the Mercurius
the morning found but six alive, and these,
after swimming two hours, and until the
tide fell, gained y footing on the ledge and
proceeded to rxplorcit
Looking to the sea, the tops of the fore
and mainmasts of the Mercurius were inst
visible out OF the water; looking over the
islands which We're to be their home. some
fifteen acres of barren rock, interspersed
with patches of sand, and connected by a
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 atPernambuco,
in order that the reef might be seen more
easily by vessels on the Brazil or Cape Horn
route, in the direct track of which it lies
but there has 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 timber, out
OF which they built themselves a log hut
They found, too, that pearl of price, broken
KNIFE, a hammer, a two-ounce weight and a
copper bolt, and with these clumsy tools
they made two boats out of the piankine
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
T. of escaping in these boats, but thew were
enabled to make fishing excursions and tc
sail with signals flying in search of passing
ships in the early morning and evening
when the SUMS fierccness was subdued
They had no clothes, and except in their hui
no shade, and the tropical heat was terrible