The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-10-04

that the schooner Jonas Smith with
black crew of thirteen and only one
white man, was spoken by Pilot Joe
Burris, twenty miles south OF Cape
Fear, last Friday. They claimed to
he from Boston for Savannah, out
three weeks and had lost their bear
ings. Burris gave them the bearings,
and the vessel squared away for the
SOUTH, AS it did SO and the backs OF
the black crew turned from him, the
white man OIL board made signals for
Burris to return. On Saturday the
cutter Colfax' sailed In search of the
schooner, but returned on Monday,
and will not give any account OF her
trip. A schooner named the Jonas
Smith, was reported of Faulkner's
Island, August Is, with the fOreboOm
patched and mainsail torn, since when
nothing has been heard of her.
Some Of her sails had been blown
entirely away, while others hung In
shreds from the masts, only few be-
ing at all serviceable. Near the water
line weeds and grass foot long were
growing from the hull, evidencing
that she had been long time out Oh
Mr.. Clemens MARK Twain,) in a
letter to the Hartford C0urGat, solves
the mystery of the bark Jonas Smith,
reported spoken near Cape Fear recent
ly. He was on a voyage from Bermu-
da, May Is, 1877, en- the steamship
Bermuda. Thebark Jonas Smith was
spoken with q signal of distress flying.
She was ten days out from bermuda,
having left there for New York with
five days provisions for q crew OF M
teen cOlored men. A boat with three
men came to the steamer and got
supply Of beef, potatoes, and sea bis
cult. The facts about the vessels his
tory and crew as told by Mr. Clemens,
are as follows One Of the three men
who came to us In the boat was the
captain and owner OF the vessel. we
questioned him freely. and all that he
said was confirmed afterwards by three
of our passengers who knew all aoout
the matter. The poor old tub mao
been condemned officially in Bermu-
da and sold at auction, and .qeeriy O.
nough, not as q whole but by piece
meal, as one may say. For instance
one man bought the topmasts and all
the sails, think another bought an
anchor, another such odds and ends a.
skylights and such things, and this
the empty hulk and the stumps OF the
fore and inainmasts He paid E42 fol
his bagrain. Then he bought three
old rags, and made one do duty as q
spencer on the mainmast, another as
| jib. and a third as sort Of fiying-jit
or iib-stavsail, whichever you please t.
cali It. These had become rags indeed
when we saw them, and practically
appropriate to the wandering, f0Od-sol
| icitin1 ocean tramp that the poor ole
outoast bai been all these months
that have since dragged by. One o
our passengers said that the new own
| er Of this solemn property was Offered
a sufiicfency of ballast for his purpos'
| for $25. but he was not able to afford 1
| and so went to sea in all his periloui
emptiness. HIS idea was to take tn
| craft to New York and sell her at
profit either rs coaster or to be bro
ken up. .,lifsaL tNngS, Z.
We did not hear Of any white mar
being on board, but of course Their
NAV have been one, II don't meal
that Portuguese. but there were fifteel
colored men at first, IL / remembe
rightly. Iasked Capt. Angrove hov
he could account for that extraordinar,
crew. when Ave men would have beef
more than enough. He said 1t wa
easily explained, 1t was q great thinl
for those colored Islanders to go abroad
and see the world; that without doub
their only pay was their pleasure ex
cursion. Think OF, that. Il said
should think that unless the wind
were very favorable those rags woul'
not enable the hulk to overcome ocea'
currents; that when she struck tn
GulfStream she might be carried south
that the provisions would soon run on
again, and 80, taking all things INT
consideration, that the crew might o
looked upon as doomed, perhaps. Bu
CAPT. Angrove said that their mail
4 trouble would be their danger OF gettin
out of the track Of vessels; II they coul
manage to keep In that they could boz
4 row food and water and extend thel
I excursion indefinitely. Mr. Cleinen
gives an extract from his diary of ma
IS. with full details Of meeting tn
ship, leaving no doubt that his "Trnm
of the Sea- has now been four month
out from Bermuda, and 10 now furths
| from her destination than when sh
started. tf