The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-03-11
a. Das
Lose of the 5aTque pa
WaVe."
rrARrrl srrrERlNos or THE CREW

a. FEARFUL suFFERtNGs OF TIE GREW"
We Rav, 10 record one of the most miraculous ca
capes from, death ut sea IN many iorhns tn~I -.
ever been made public. The bark D1shtng ,rHU.'
a successful China tea clipper, is down a. missing "a
the sydney Morning Herald. Captain Vanuer'oru
Eas the master Of the vessel, and from BIN we lsAIH
the following particulars lie lett foocno" ono.y
20 bound for Sydney and ON the hlgn'vl nTins
"a the weather being thick and squalls coming
down MT intervals, Captain Vandervord TOOK w 'o
maintop-gallantsail at 10 p. N ana went peio" ~
lie ON the sofa in the cabin ; at haIf-pasl lohe meuI
on deck again and was just In uhfe : 49,
island right ahead he shouted to the man a ~
wheel 10 nut the helm down and the vessei Dau
nearly come round when her heel toucneu ~ se
reef which surrounds the island. Hall an hour aHer
taking the bottom the copper came over tne Mea' a.
side ;o sheets. and the foremost sunk III inches the
mainmast was cut away, but the ship De3ah . vreh~
up fast. The island proved TO be "aAS IsNnu'
small and uninhabited, surrounded by a reeis teHuoi-
ing it impossible to land il there Is any VIM oo"I"H
at all. Captain Vandervord says it is ~ miles OUT
of the position given in the chart, 10 oO ~, w.
f. The crew took to the long boat, and Captain
Vandervord secured a chart and nautical instruneh'ss
but strange to say no compass was saVed u OaseO'
colonial wine, a bag and a half OF bread ana TWO
buckets were put in the boat, but no water and ior
81 days the thirteen men were in the open ooat WIN
out seeing land or n ship, or receiving any ASSISTANCE
whatever. They left the wreck at 10 the morning
after. and with sail made of blankets sewn together
and fixed to an oar, began their weary Journey III
search of some inhabited island. Their suterings
NAV be imagined. EOT u utEb " NhJ' 10y
not a drop Of water. and the captain served out one
bottle of Cawarra daily between the thirteen that
saved their lives after that time they had ram ana
caught water, but except at the time II was actualy
raining a half pint of water each only a day was
served out and a handful of bread. To the credit OF the
men and their commander there was no insubordina-
ton, no attempt to obtain more than their share or
the scanty provisions and precious water silently
but resigned they passed day after day, the sun
pouring down on their unsheltered heads. Every
day Captain Vandervord got the boats position by
means oil his instruments, but when the weather was
dull Of course they went in all directions for want Ola
compass, aud especially on cloudy nights II was the
masters intention to make for the KingsmiH group
but the current was against them. and then n course
was steered for Ascension Island, and had any OF the
party been able to row they might have reached il,
but, weak as they were. all they could do was to
keep their boat before the wind with the blanket
sail. After 30 days of suffering. their mouths
parched, tongues swollen, wet with grateful showers,
scorched by a tropical sun, fully undergoing Cole
ridges +" Ancient Mariners suHerings:
" Water, water everyw here,
And al the boards did shrink;
Water, water every where,
Not any drop to drink,
And every tongue through utter drought
We could not speak no more than II
sH4f We had been choaked with soot ~ -aG
They sighted Strong's (Ualan) Island, the eastern
most of the Caroline group. Here the castaways saw
a canoe outside taking produce from one part OF the
island to another, and had they been able to get
some provisions Captain Vandervord would have
kept on, and tried to make one Of the islands Of the
Marshall or Gilbert groups adjacent. The boat re-
fused to trade with them, and they went inside and
were received by the King with the uttermost hOspi-
taiity he took the captain and mate TO live with
him, and assigned quarters 70 the men in the town.
After some days Captain VaDdervord and part Of
the crew took the boat and tried 10 reach Kingsmill,
and were fitted out by the King with sails, mast, and
provisions Of every kind, but met with a gale and
had to return TO Strong's Island. Altogether 80
days were spent on the island, when the ortiz put
in short Of provisions, and they came on in that yes
sci and arrived on Thursday ut midnight. Captain
Vandervord desires to acknowledge the kindness Of
Captain Beatson to himself and his unfortunate crew.
-FJi Times, January 2.