The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-06-13
ALONE ON THE ICE.
AN AMERICAN SAILORS sTORY-HORRORs
OF THE ANTARTIC NIGHT-SPLEN DOR
or THE SOUTHERN SRIES.
From the New York Herald.l

OF THE ANTARrIC NIGHT-SPLENDoR
or THE SOUTHERN sRIEs.
[From the New York Herald.1
II is probable that the Whole range of .
history fails to afford parallel to the mar
rative of the modern Selkirk, James A. .
King. who was left on the South Shetland .
Islands, among the snow and ice, by yes
sci which visited that. almost unknown re- +
cion in search of furs. For nearly sixteen
months. part of the time with helpless I.
companions and part of the time alone, he F.
battled against death. Without any tan
ribie hope of rescue, with the most horri-
ble of deaths staring him in the face, he
lived and returned to the civilized world.
The story Of those months of hopeless life,
of hunger. privation, cold and despair
would be worthy the pen of De Foe.
Simply as showing how much a man can
endure and yet live, the narrative is deeply
interesting; but when we try to realize the
terrible solitude Of this lone man, III a re-
ciou whore the very sun himself seems
frozen to the Polar cliffs, the mind wan
durs and the senses refuse the bidding of
the viii. The narrative Of Alexander
Selklk, mariner, as we'll the idealiza-
ton of the same under the form of Rob
iusUn Crusoc," falls far short of this story
Of Il New \ Iolk boy who went to the South
Seas i'll New London schooner. 1t is
lnpIelE q new IcItlCIlnS OF Iilc nOltO,
Truth is stranger than fiction"
THE SURVIVORS, NARRATIVE.
I shipped in tl!is city on July 2G. 1870,
as boat steerer, and was sent to New Lon
don to complete the crew of the schooner
Franklin, which was then fitting out in
that port rs tender to the bark Peru, then
in the South Seas. The Franklin, Captain
James II. Holmes, sailed few days after
and, after being nine days out, she was
forced to put back for repairs, having
sprung leak. She was put on the ways
and repaired. The Franklin sailed again
on August 26 of the same year and sight
ed the Falkland Islands after hundred
days voyage. We met the bark Peru,
Captain George D. Gilderdalc, about one
hundred miles of the Falkland Islands
and her commander, thinking it wise for
us to go to Cape Horn for wood and pro
visions, did so, after which we sailed
for the Shetland Islands, reaching there
after u voyage Of eight days. Running
into Potters Cove found the schoonerS
Francis Allen and Golden West. After
coming 10 anchor, the stores were put
ashore.
Thrd mate Townsend reported that he
had found 4 seal roollery on the other side
of Livingston Island, known 20 whalers as
North Bcash. This was the first instance
of finding Of seal at that place. The fol
I lowing six named men were to 90 ashore ::
I james y. Walsh, alias King. Of New York :
Edward Townsend, of Glen Cove, l. l.;
Charles Gardner, North Stoniugton, Conn. !;
Charles Pierce, of Grotou, Conn; Pedro
F Montaro, Of Brave Island, Cape de Ycrdcs :;
and William Hess, Of Camden, New Jer-
sey- ! he vessel sent out boats crews about
/ ten days afterwards, and the men who had
been on shore WAS one Of the number
/ turacd over 1,165 skins.
/ DESERTED BY TIE VESSELS.
Provisions for SIX days were then put on
shore, after which Captain Gilderdale
i promised to return in ten days at the far
! thest. We were then at place known as
/ Windsor Island, and remained twenty-five
/ days awaiting the return Of the bark Peru.
/ vt the end of that time, neither of the
vessels having returned, we STATED to go
/ to POttcr's Cove, which we knew to he Il
general rendezvous for the fuY-gatheIi lg
/ vessels. As it was daylight all the time, we
/ had lost our reckoning of time, so l can
not be exactly certain is 20 the number of
days that we waited Arriving at Putter's ;
+ Cove, St. George Island, we found that
/ both the Peru and Franklin had gone.
/ We We're then utterly alone.
THE HORROR OF THE SITUATION
was then fully realized. We were beyond
all hope of relief from stray vessels, for
. we were out CT the usual track and there
was no likelihood Of any vessels, only those
to which we were attached. visiting the
/ place. The tcrrors of the Autartic winter
were also before us. We found two casks
/ of bread left by the schooner Golden West
/ These provisions had been left because the
/ schooner had 1000 seal skins on board,
which were more valuable cargo than
bread. The finding of these casks alaycd
. our immediate fears of hunger, as we
knew this would sustain US for some time
!,
bly, cold our clothing. although of the
. heaviest furs, was insufficient to keep us
warm. Out Of some boards which we
found a hut was built, and we began kill
ing sca-dogs for fuel. We also laid in a
stock Of penguin and sea leopards for food.
| These we found III the snow. IN all
whaleboats there are carried tiuder-boxes,
with steel and twelve tiints.
THE TERRIBLE WINTER
had now begun in deep earnest The
| snow soon fell to such depth as to bury
the hut entirely, and so as to necessitate
. digging out from the door. This we did
III Il zigzag direction, so as TO exclude the
/ wind. The men took turns i'll going out
after the provisions. We had a quantity
of blubber i'll the boat, which furnished us
with a tolerable fire during the greater,
part of the time. The season Of night had
now arrived, and the aurora australis was
l"I SIdlueI IMAM llle AlCtlc aurora.
have seen it rs far north as eighty degrees,
having made the trip with Buddington,
late OF the Polaris. In SiXty-four degrees
south latitude, however the grandeur of
the aurora far excels that seen in the
north. The light, as it comes reflected
from the glaciers and mountains of snow
and ice, is ike 4 strip Of FURNISHED silver.
August is midwinter, and at that time the
aurora is at its height We We're five days
( IN the hut at one time, after heavy snow,
before we could rouse ourselves sufficiently
to dig our way out.
/ SCALING TIE GLACIERS IN THE TWILIGHT
was not, as may be imagined, either pleas
ant or safe work, yet we were compelled
to take long trips through the snow up to
our waists III search of penguin 1t was
l.l-L To oct l.SL vet Ir..,