Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-04-26
THE NEW CRUSOES.
Tale of the Survivors of the Wrecked
ship Stratitmore--TyvO Hundred DAYS
on Desolatc Island.
From the London Telegraph.

ship Strathmore--Tvvo Hundred DAYS
on a Desolatc Island.
From the London Telegraph.
Seldom has even the quiet and lonely
sea furnished a tale more remarkable.
as regards human suffering and human
endurance, than shat of the emigrant
ship Strathmove. The vessel-a fine
new clipper, In the Australasian trade
sailed from London to New Zealand on
the 18th of April, 1876, carrying gem
eral cargo and SO souls, including pas
sengers and complement. As months
rolled on, and no scrap of tidings came
to hand respecting the handsome ship,
apprehension deepened into certainty.
She was given up at Lloyd's for lost,
entered the fatal catalogue of the craft
mot since heard Of" and tears were
shed by the friends of the ships COM
pany and passengers, as for those never
to be seen or heard of more. Mean
while the Strathmore, doomed to diff
ferent end than that imagined, carried
her perilous cargo safely round the
Cape and out into the great Southern
Ocean, and had gone on prosperously
enough, In spite of an insubordinate
and drunken crew, until she reached
the neighborhood of the Crozet Islands.
This is solitary group, comprising
the Marion Rocks and the "Twelve
Apostles" midway between Prince Ed
wards Island and Kerguelens Land,
and about 22o southwest of st. Paul's,
where the Megera was wrecked. The
captain, deceived by foggy weather,
thought himself to the southwark of
these islets; but on the night of the 9TH
day of June the vessel suddenly ran at
full speed upon submerged rocks, and
in an instant terrible confusion took
place of whatever order and seaman
ship had before prevailed. The first
intimation of danger conveyed to the
the passengers was the frightful crash
and grinding of the ship, followed by
the voice of the captain crying that all
was lost, and that each must shift for
himself. Were not this man dead, the
accounts which we receive of his be-
havior would call for the severest COM
ments; but he was among the first to
perish, overturned, apparently, by the
heavy sea, in the boat which he and
the chief officer fastened to launch.
The after part of the vessel was soon
covered with water, but the bows were
jammed upon the reef, and when
morning broke, certain portion of the
crew and passengers managed to get
the other boats afoat, and to search
the island upon the outlying ridge upon
which they were stranded. Many of
the remaining people had already been
drowned in trying to escape, Or were
washed into the sea, including a whole
family named Goodrich, of ten indi-
yiduals. Those left on board chung to
the upper rigging of the breaking ship,
some Of them for as long as nineteen
hours, before the boats came back
from the shore, and took them from
their desperate position. It must be
remembered that July at the Crozets
would be the depth of winter, and the
bitter cold experienced during that
prolonged exposure killed at least one
of the sufferers Eventually the task
of rescue was completed to the extent
of landing upon the Island as many as
forty-nine, all told, thirty-nine passen-
gers, officers, and crew having persisted.
Shortly after the last man had been
taken from the wreck, she heeied over
into deep water, and went down leaving
no vestige behind; and all the stores
which these unhappy people saved
from her consisted Of a few cases of
liquor, some cases of preserves in tins,
and a barrel Of gunpoWder.
The island upon which our country
men were thus cast is one of group the
most desolate In the world No human
being inhabits that desolate archipelago,
which lashed by tempest and the rolling
ocean, Is never visited except by an adj
venturous whaler. An exploration of
the place where they found themselves
showed that it was a gaunt and naked
rock a mile long, with shore line of
five to six miles in extent, without trees
or shelter Of any kind, and exposed to
the full fury of the winter blasts and
surf. The boats were all swamped so
that there was no chance of crossing to
any of the larger islands which were
visible; and on this miserable speck of
naked reef they must stay and try to
exist. Happily there was found a
spring of pure water which never failed
them, and thus one great necessity of
life was secured. Of food they had
only single source, and that was in
the immense quantity of sea-birds
which frequented the spot. Innumer-
able albatrosses, frigate birds, gulls, and
the like were found resident on the isle;
their eggs were scattered on all sides,
and tneir young afforded an easy prey,
being SO entirely unused to man that
they and the parent birds could be cap
tured with the hands or Knocked over
with stick. The survivors hoisted the
mast of the Gfeboat On an eminence,
with a blanket for flag, and set regu-
lar watch to signal any passing vessel.
They ran up rude shelters for the
weaker onces first, including lady and
her child, and afterWard managed to
put all hands under some kind of cover
The people were divided into messes,
and arrangements were made fairly to
distribute the birds, the eggs, and what
ever else came into their general stock.
They utilized the tins in which the
preserves were packed for cooking YES
sells, and, having found certain coarse
grasses and wild herbs growing upon
the few fat portions of their wretched
territory thnv hOiled these and SO IN