Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-04-19
SELECT.
MODERN CRUSoES.
Thrilling Adventures OF the
ShIpwrecked Crew of the
Bark Trinity.

the South Indian Ocean In the fall OF
1880, are almost as interesting as those
of that well known and hardy mariner
Robinson Crusoe. The story of the
Trinity is not often matched, and its
relation would seem to lie more prop
erly within tie province of the novelist
than the columns of chronicler of
facts and events The officers and
crew of the Trinity are now on their
way home-all well save two unfor-
tunates, who perished miserably in the
search for food, and whose bones lie
within the shadow of a wooden cross
on far off South Sea island. One of
the officers arrived home within a few
DAYS; the others are expected soon.
Defoe has told US of many wonderful
things on islands that abounded in
game and tropical verdure; Charles
Reade in one of his novels depicts the
suferings of small party wrecked on
Southern island and the triumphs of
mind over matter in the arrangements
of food and shelter provided by nature
and controlled by resolute men, and
desolate and uninhabited islands have
scores of times proved valuable to the
playwright and the novelist; but the
crew of the Trinity has to tell of an
actual experience OF nearly two years
| on an island where ice and snow
abounded and storm succeeded storm
with pitiless regularity. Their hardy
resistance to fate, their chcerfulness
and dicipliue under the severest trials,
were probably the secret of their sue
cessful rescue, and adds another page
to the history of the American sailors
heroism
The Trinity left New London,
Conn, in June, 1880. There were
sixteen persons in her crew all told,
including the master, John Williams.
She was owned by Lawrence & Co.,
of New London, dealers in whale oil,
and that firm intended a somewhat
new departure by sending her to
Heard's Island, in the Southeran Sea,
for sea elephant oil. The second of
ficer thus describes the voyage to the
island =
she was bound for Cape de Verde
Islands, where she arrived after a pas
sage of twenty-five days, and shipped
nineteen negroes to assist in hunting
the elephants. She sailed again the
same day for Heard's Island, in the
South Sea. Nothing remarkable oc-
cured until we arrived in latitude 40
degrees south. Then we had to en-
counter several very heavy storms,
amounting to cyclones and hurricanes,
with sleet, hail and rain at times. The
ship lay to occasionally, but the Trini-
ty braved it we'll On the 4th of Sep
tember we arrived at the Island of
Desolation and found beautiful har-
Dor, which is called Pot Harbor on the
charts. There we sent down our top
gallant yards and spars fore and aft,
and made our ship light for anchorage.
We landed three months provisions
and made preparations to go on to
Heard's Island, about two hundred and
ten miles distant from Desolation
Island. We sailed on the 28th of Sep
tember for Heard's and arrived at Clin
ton Bay October 2, where we landed
four men, with provisions enough for
three months. Then we sailed further
down the coast toward the south and
east end of the island. The sea ran
too high to effect a landing with our
bhats Each day she lay at anchor
the weather proved no better, until
the evening of the 18th of October,
whom there appeared every indication
of yerY heavy storm. The appear
ance of the horizon, heavy swell from
the northeast and light breeze north
ward told us that heavy weather was
at hand.
at midnight the ship lay about
three-quarters of a mile off shore in
ten fathoms of water, the lead show
ing the ground to be gray sand and
stones. There were two heavy
anchors down, one weighing two tons
and the other ton and half, with
cable of five-inch iron At two A. M.
the 18th the wind increased and we
reeved out some cable on both anchors.
At four A. NJ the storm increased to a
hurricane and we reeved out all the
cable on both anchors, and the ship
began to drag toward the reef. AT
seven A. NJ she was in six fathoms
of water; she leaked badly and the
pumps were put to work. AT half
past six she had dragged into four
fathoms of water, while the heavy
gale from the northeast continued.
The captain called a counsel of all
hands in the cabin to know what was
best to be done to save our lives. The
general verdict was to slip the cables
and run the ship on shore. The cap
tain thought it was our only chance.
At nine A. NJ the southeast point
was three and half miles distant. At
At haft-past nine we slipped the cables
and made sail, knowing the ship
would not clear the land on any tack
The position of the unfortunate
crew was thrilling enough then. There
was a wild waste of waters on one
side, rocky, icebound coast on anoth-
er. icebound cliffs and icebergs ahead
and line of foaming breakers astern.
The only question was to find the
softest possible spot of beach on which
to Law the Trinity's timbers. In a
short time the ship ran aground about
fifty yards from the beach. The sea
made clean breach over her with
every l1rch. Volunteers soon appear
ed and several of them jumped into the
waves with lines and swan ashore.
Others soon followed, being drawn in
by the ropes Then the vessel wheel
: ed around broadside to the beach and
boat was lowered, in which all hands
escaped. Casks of provisions were
toYed ashore,
1t was very cold all this time, the
thermometer being below the freezing
point. Seven of the colored crew were
frostbitten The landing all effected
and the storm still continuing, an effort