The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1883-06-27
ACROSS TIE PACIFIC.
Peril0u- voyage OF n Buffalo Man From
Snn Francisco to Australia.

The San Francisco Cbr0njclc says -.
On the 10th OF August, 1882, Bernard
GilIoy, native of Buffalo, n. Y, left
the port of San Francisco, bound son
voyage of pleasure TO Australia. The
craft in which he sailed was dory Is
feet long, 6 feet beam, depth of 9 feet
o inches, and register OF two tons.
GiIioy was the only passenger, and
started with the determination of pcr-
forming the unparalleled feat of crossing
the Pacific single-handed in n common
sailing boat. The cutter, for she was
little more, was named the Pacific, and
was covered in all over, with the cxcep-
I'm Of couple Of matches, one amidship
and t,rS ait The fore part was used
mostly Tor The water casks, which were
filed with sat- water rs the fresh was
used MP, and the after part was used as
kitchen, cabin and sleeping room. Moth
ing was heard Of Gilfoy until the arrival
in San Francisco Of the harkcntlne
Tropic Vance from Tahiti, whose Cap
tain reported that he had sighted thy
Pacific Nov. TO- He had given Gilior
his correct bearings and quantity q
fruit, and had learned that after week
Of iaYoring weather the Pacific had en-
countcrcd % days Of alternate Gains and
head winds. which had driven Gilfoy to
shorten his allowance. He crossed the
line in longitude 166 deg. ON Friday
Sept %, and then met with good winds,
before which he ran south between lati-
tndes deg. and l5'deg south. His
principal discomfort, he said, had been
tho too familiar habits of the sharks,
which every night came humping the
boat with their ugly shouts. To rid
himself Of them he mNdc n harpoon out
Of boat hook, and succeeded in rem
dering them so shy that by proping up
bis shirt at night in the place where he
usually sat by day he was enabled to
take his rest comparatively undistmbcd.
The conclusion OF the Paciiic's extra
ordinary voyage is gathered from long
account published in the marlborough
(QuecnslanD Chronicle of Feb. 3. 1t
appears that after leaving the Tropic
Vance things went badly with Cfilfoy.
On the 18th Of December being then to
the south Of ihc Friendly Isles, a heavy
sea broke over the boat and capsized
her. lIe went backward into the water,
and it was only 10y an hours hard work,
with the aid Of FLOATING anchor"
tina. he was enabled to right the dory.
No sooner was she rightcd than another
heavy sea capsi1cd her Il second time.
Again he rightcd her and passed the
night in bailiug aud the day in making
things Ms ship-shapc as possible. BY
the Goth Of December he had got things
under way again and was enjoying pleas.
ant weather, when tho boat was pierced
! by sword-ish.
On Christmas Day he found himself
near Hunter Island, a barren rcck, with
ali his instruments gone and nothing lcit
Of his provisions except twelve pounds
Of curncd meat, two quarts of alcohol,
and fifteen gallons of water. He then
tried TO make for New Caledonia, hut the
| wind and current were against him, and
on the nth of JANUARY he ate the last of
his meat. Two days after he lost his
ruddcr, and had to rig upa inakcshift,
and from that time on he had to subsist
! On WlllltNtl llSl nN 'UUPuI VI bIuS llt
shot. On the Goth of January he ate
his last cooked meal, u bird singcd over
n heap of broken matches, and after that
he sucked the baruaclcs. Then the
days came, in which he knew nothing
and cared nothing, steering aimlcssly
here and there. just as the last hope
had fed he sighted the Alfred Vittcry
on Monday, Jan. 30, bound for Mary
borough. The Yittcry saw him and II
few minutes after Gilfoy was saved. He
was then but 100 miles off Sandy Cape,
and, after being fed, told the singular
story of IN extraordinary feat so nearly
accomplished. He was kindly cared for
ON his arrival at marlborough, but the
latest news reports him MS boing down
with typhoid fever, The result of exposure
and hardshps.