Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-07-10

plants, including some MOSES, species of
llchen, coarse grass, a plant resembling
small cabbage, and sort of cress.
Its winds are raw and piercing its summers
colo and frosty, It's winters those of the Polar
Circles. -
The interior of the island ia occupied by i'm
mense DOGGY swamps, where the ground sinks
at every step.
The rains in Desolation are almost inces-
SAINT, in their season, and the island is accord
ingly yeined with numerous torrents of fresh
water, some of which have worn out of the
solid rock tremendous cavities and gullies.
The only other season than that of the rains
is one OF almost constant snow.
The fogs of that ghas,ly region are well
worthy of the rains, being of a cloud-like dem
sity and lowering almost continually over
the whole face of the island FL ....
The sun of Desolation is usually hidden by
canopy Of lead-cOlored clouds. and appears on
the rare occasions when 1t ls visible, scarcely
brighter than the moon III other ATTITUDES. As
to the moon itself, and the stars, the clouds
and fogs rarely permit them tie betray their eX-
istence. # H..
No fish worthy of note, not even fishes of
prey, abound in the adjacent waters, by rea-
son. perhaps, of their containing poisonous
minerals or deadly exhalatiOns from the vol
canc fires beneath them.
Yet the dark grim sea inclosing DesolatiOn
has done something to repair the sterility of
the is and.
other marine birds are plentiful in some Of its
harbors
Seals also abound.
Strange and terrible landl
| Not single human being, so far as is
known, has ever lived there, save as is now to
| be recorded in these pages
Near the middle of dull, dismal afternoon,
| some eleven weeks later than the date of the
preceding events, the good ship Flying GhatderS
| drew near to the island of Desoiatlon, sbap-
| Ing her course toward It's nOrtnernmOst bay,
| called by Captain Cook Christmas Harbor.
| far breeze WAS blowing from the north,
and the ship was carrying every stitch of her
| canvas, including studding sails. .t.
! Her crew-both watches were busy about
the deck, and her passengers-a score in num-
| ber-had gathered in groups, mostly forward,
| and were gazing with great interest upon the
| wild, rugged shores before them so far as the
! fog suspended upon those shores permitted
| them to become visible.
The ship had come here for water, nearly all
her water casks having been stove or started
during a squall ten days previously, and every
soul aboard Of her having heen since that date
upon short allowance.
! Upon the quarterback stood Capt. Luke
/ Pedder, looking unllsu ally happy, with Will.
| Hawley beside him. ssalr 80.
! 81 mean to get our water aboard before
dark, Captain Pedder, and SO avoid losing a
night here, said the young executive, totally
unconscious of the plot to leave hun alone on
the desolate island, and of the extraordinary
adventures which were before him. The
| strange events that happened there, and in
| deed the whole of this thrilling story, will be
found only IN the New York Ledger, which is
now ready and for sale at all the bookstores
and news-depots. Ask for the number date
July ID, and in it you will get the continuation
of the story from the place where it leaves of
! here,