Centre Hall reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1868-1871, 1871-03-03

A leaf from the journal Of an officer
Of the Saginaw, which went ashore in
/ the Pacific, is interesting. IL gives the
closing scenes just before the rescne.
after the sailing of the gig ON the
18th Of November. the thoughts Of the
oxiles dwclt upon the voyage Of the
+ boat, and they followed her in imagina
/ tion over the waste Of waters, and spec.
ulnted upon how long il would he before
4 help would come. Counting day after
day, and saying each night 10 each uthnr
-"the gig Is so many days out to day =
and working silently ON the boats, the
time wore monot0nously away, Occa-
/ sionally Of an evening. after an u ausnAliy
good supper of iish-tho nearest up.
pr0ach they had ever had 30 full meal
animal spirits would rise, and songs
and storytelling would enliyen the hour.
IL il not surprising, however, that the
stories generally ran on the subject Of
good eating, Up 10 December IL, they
had killed and eaten seventy-hve seal
and twelve hundred 'goneys. Christ
mas Day-Mery Christmas-is passed
over in the days journal with the simple
remark. uniform ration. sJanuary
comes ON, and the gig has been absent
over six weeks. Many ara getting de-
spondent, giving her up for lost, while
others simply complain of hunger, and
work patiently on the second cutter
which is about finished But work pro-
greSses slowly, for men eannot work very
briskly ON empty st0maehs.
AZ length ON the afternoon of the 3D.
of January, the carpenter at work on
the large boat (he WAS encouraged 10
work by double, l. e, half rationsl
raised his head TO wipe the Precipitation
from his face, when lac saw dark smoke
in the ofling. Hardly daring TO trust
his eyes, he stopped again To his work.
but with beating heart. Soon looking
again 10 seaward, he felt sure that what
he saw Was the smoke Of a steamer, and
then he shouted. In an Instant the
whole camp was in eommotion. Very
soon the vessel came in sight The Xii,
auea, and Hawaiian flag al her masthead,
seemed To those half.famished. half
clothed mariners, a rainbow in the
skies
From the diary the following extract
is made
january 8, $50 M-Hurrah !
Sail Ho! Commotion Great excite
ment Tools dropped as il red-hot Em-
bracing and general JOY throughout the
camp. A faint speck of smoke Was dis
cerned by Mr. Ryan have no reeollec-
tion how l got my glasses, but found
them in my hands ; III twinkling bad
look, and saw steamer ten miles away.
The steamer stood in towards the shore.
aud dipped her colors. We misod cur
largest flag and made responsive dip.
Many of the shipwrecked mariners re-
manned awake that night The arrival
of the steamer seemed hike dream
But tn morning dispelled all doubt and
fears, there lay the steamer kilanea.
The officers and men then learned the
sad facts about the volunteer party. How
four out Of five OF that heroic crew, after
a month OF storm and famine, fovnd u
watery grave almost within hail of VII
ling rescue and how one, triumphing
over famine and shipwreck, unmmdful
Of himself, and only intent upon saving
the eighty odd shipmAtes whom he Ind
left on the desolate island "A month be-
fore, boldly secured the letters making
known the shipwreck, and. exhausted rs
he was, reaching the shore, put them IN
secure place, so that any one seeing
the wrecked boat, and perhaps his own
lifelcss body and those of his comrades,
might know for what they had sacrificed
themselves, forward the dispatches, and
thus secure the speedy relief Of the sur
viyors ON that distant and barron tlet
The brave Talbot dead Sad, indeed,
Mns the news.