Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-07-27
A Terrible Shipwreck Expert
enc9,

liza, bound for Hong-Kong. Either
through the ignorance of the Captain
or driven by adverse winds, the Isa-
bella left the regular route followed by
ships upon this voyage, and ran
aground upon some reefs in latitude
10 deg, min, 10 sec. south, longi-
tude 156 deg, y min., 3 sec. east,
marked as the hampton reefs upon the
maps. This was on the 4th of july.
1875, toward two a. N. The ship was
laden with iron and coal, and conse-
quently all hopes Of setting her afoat
again had to be given up. The vessel
had to be abandoned, but the Captain
did not think that was enough. She
had beside the crew nineteen Chinese
passengers aboard, who, after having
passed some time in Australia, were
returning to their country. The Cap
tain and crew abandoned these unhap-
Ply people and went off in small boats
to an island in sight, which they have
since discovered was Round Island
The following day and the one after
passed without the crews returning for
the Chinese left upon the reefs at last,
becoming desperate, ten of the latter
jumped into the water and were
drowned in attempting to swim to the
land. Meanwhile this is what hap
pened on the Round Island. The Cap
tain, together with the second mate
and eight of the crew, left in the GIG
with the intention of reaching the
coast OF Australia, leaving upon the
strip OF sand ten persons. For pro-
visions they left them fourteen pounds
Of bread. There was absolutely no
water, and for clothes all thev DOS
SesSed was what they had on. The
shipWrecked crew accepted their fate
with resignation and promised to waiU
patiently for some passing ship which
would take them aboard The second
officer, with whom we have had the
pleasure of cOnversing for a few mo-
mentS, told us that they did not de-
ceive themselves while trying to con-
sole one another; in reality they ONLY
counted upon some unforeseen chance
to deliver them. They knew, of course.
that they had diverged from the regu-
lar route. There were scarcely even a
few tufts Of bushWOOd upon the island.
These served them as a shelter. and
they went about in search of food.
The island being too small to have any
game upon it, they were obliged to
catch sea-gulls and to gather shell-fsh.
Food, however, such as it was, was
sufficiently abundant; that was not the
greatest cause of their suffering. What
nearly proved fatal to them was the
dearth of water, and three of them
persisted for the want of it. The only
water they could procure was rain
water, and several times they passed
several weeks without being able to
quench their burning thirst. Three or
four times they saw vessels on their
way to China, but they were at too
great distance for their signals to be
noticed.
After each one of these disappoint-
ments their despair grew greater, and
the last of these unhappy beings was
nearly at deaths door, when, for the
fifth time, a ship was in sight, but this
time at a less distance than the pre-
ceding ones. Hope began to dawn in
the survivors of the crew of the lisa
bella, and their joy was without bounds
when they saw the vessel, a schooner,
come about and steer for the hampton
reef. If any of the Chinese
were still living there, they would
probably tell their deliverers that the
crew had sought refuge upon a neigh
boring island, and boats would be sent
for them. They were saved. Provi-
dence SO decided. The Captain of the
schooner, the Laura Lind, had noticed
the wreck of the Isabella, and, suppos-
ing that some of the crew might have
survived the disaster, sailed to the
reef. Of the seventeen Chinese, four
were living, and the account of their
miserable existence during six months
was something heartrending Without
water or provisions, they had endured
the same privatiOns as the crew. and
had witnessed three of their number
perish with hunger and thirst Sew
eral times, they said, they had resolute-
ly stretched themselves upon the
ground, patiently awaiting the death
that would put an end to their hOrri-
BILE situation. But at the sight of an
easily-caught sea-bird or threatening
weather, which promised them water.
the feeling Of self preservation cot the
better Of them, and they began to hope
again. Thanks to the position of the
reefs they were better enabled to see
passing ships than the crew upon
Round Island but their deceptions
were no greater. At last they de-
SPARED of ever again seeing their
country, and beheld themselves con-
demned to die on surf-beaten rock, in