The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-12-28
Fifteen Weeks on an Island.

The ship st. Clair. of Thomaston.
Maine, sailed from New York on Deem
Der Is, 1882. She was commanded by
Captain Rives and had a company of
twenty souls, including her first and
second officers and the crew of sixteen
men. She carried an assorted cargo
and was bound for Nagasaki, Japan.
On the first of May she struck on the
shoaling shores of one of the Sunda Is
lands and became total wreck. The
weather was stormy and the waves.
which were running very high, rendered
futile all possible efforts to save any,
thing. A ship can not with any safety
go nearer than two or three miles to the
shores of those islands because of the
shallowness and rocky nature of the
bottom, on which, if she should strike
she would be almost certainly lost. The
Captain. knowing that the island upon
which he was wrecked was uninhabited
and only visited By Japanese fishermen
at a certain season, determined to en-
deavor TO reach another island, and so
did not go on shore on the nearest land
at all. The steward, named Felix A.
Wohl, of German nationality, deter
mined TO land, as he saw that the boats
were leaky and had to be bailed out
with vigor, and he, moreover, doubted
their seaworthiness in other respects, as
they had lain aboard of the ship unused
for long time. The Captain consented
to let him take very small boat and
land, as he wished, and two bows, one
French and the other Portuguese,
agreed to accompany him.
This they did, but on touching the
shore and seeing its desolate and unin-
viting appearance they changed their
minds and hurried to overtake the
larger boats, which they could still see
Oh their course for the more distant is
handsome twenty-five miles away
which the Captain wished to reach on
account of its being adapted TO furnish
his people with the means of living un-
til they might chance to be rescued.
From his place on the shore the steward
watched the little boat as it chased after
the larger boats as long as they re-
manned visible, and it had not yet over
taken them when they all passed out of
sight behind the mighty waves which
the angry sea rolled necessarily to-
ward the shores. Ofthe fate of these bows.
VAIL is yet ignorant. although he has
heard that theGaptain had arrived at An
giers and had been reported in Europe,
but as 10 the fa,e of the two bows. or in
deed of any of his ship companions, he
has no knowledge. 1t is, however,
probable that some of them, at least.
escaped. Finding himself alone upon
this island, he was compelled to exert
his wits to contrive ways for sustaining
life. He had saved nothing except the
clothing upon his person, and had not
even brought dry matches ashore with
him, owing to the splashing and duck
ing he received in getting from the boat
TO dry land. With fints and old dry
rags, which he found. he succeeded in
striking some sparks and, getting fire
kindled, which, when it had once got
to burning. he was earefri never again
TO let go entirely out so long as he re-
manned upon the island There was
wood TO be picked up along the shore,
and some small trees and bushes grew
upon the island, so that he had no great
trouble in getting supply of fuel.
As TO shelter, he found this already
provided for him, as there were some
sheds used by the fishermen who make
periodical visits to the place for the
purpose OF catching and curing fish.
These fish were species of maekerel,
which they cure by splitting them, as is
customary with Yankee fishers, and
then lay them upon the dry ground to
cure, In addition to the mackerel is a
kind OF shark, which is very fat, and is
taken and melted down for the oil. the
bones being saved and made an article
sf traffic aud used in manufactures.