Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-12-12
NEW ROBINSON cRUsoE.
adventures Of Felix " ahI, Alone
on an IsIaad.
San Frapei,co lcaIl Aim

san Francisco lCail Alta.
The ship St. Clair, Of Thomas,on,
Me-, sailed from New York on De
cember 8, 1882. She was commanded
by Captain Rives, and had company
Of twenty souls She carried an as.
sorted cargo, and was bound for Maya.
saki, Japan. She had arrived almost
at the object port, when, on the fest
Of May, she struck on the shoahng
shores Of Que Of the Sunda Islands and
became a total wreck. The Captain
and nineteen men took to the boats to
make larger island. The twentieth
man, Felix A. VAIL, a German, was
landed near where the ship had
struck. This was at his own request,
Tor he saw that the boats were unsea-
worthy and he did not believe his
shipnates would reach the other
island a
Finding himself alone he was com
PEELED to exert his wits to contriye
ways Of sustaining lie. To the civil.
lied man. accustomed only to the hab
its OF lie Of the present day, his situa,
ton VS. awkward in the extreme lie
had saved nothing except the clothing
on his person, and bad not even
brought dry matches ashore with him,
owing to the splsshing and ducking
he received in getting from the boat to
dry land.
With fints and old dry rags which
he found. he succeeded il striking
some sparks and getting a fire kindled
which. when it once got to burning,
be was careful never to let 20 entirely
out so long as he remained upon the
island. There was wood to be picked
lup along the shore, and some small
trees and bushes grew upon the island,
so that he had no great trouble 10
getting a supply Of fuel,
As to shelter, he found this already
provided for him, as there we're some
sheds used by the fishermen who make
periodical visits to the place for the
purpose of catching aud curing fish
These fish we're a species Of maekerel
which they cure by splitting them, al
is customary with Yankee fishermen
and then laying them upon the dr..
ground TO cure.
5 In addition 10 the mackerel is
kind Of shark, which is very fat, anC
is taken and melted down for the oil
. the bones being shaved aud made al
! article Of traffic and used 10 manufae
ture. The large iron kettle used il
S this business we're sitting in their DO
sitions Just as left at the end ofthe pre-
rious fishing season and by putin
sea water in one Of them and dryin
: it out again by means o fire, Mr. Wah
secured supply Of salt. He founC
, plenty of good oysters at low tide, an,
I in basins among the rocks many fisI
were left 10 a condition to be easil
8 taken.
. There was thus no danger Of ALSO
lutte starvation Being thus throw
into this utter solitude, a species O
! lethargY or tOrpor seemed to seiz
E upon the steward, which almost berei
him OF the use OF his iaculties for som
eight or ten days, bat it graduall
! wore away aud he found himself agsil
] possessed OF bis normal mental activi
" and physical yigor. Hesoo ioun
r that for him the supreme virtue wa
patience, since TO escape by any effor
! OF his own making was quite out OF th
e question.
He saw that il he lived his rescu
was a mere matter Of time. as the PEG
pie who were 10 the habit Of comm
70 the island would certainly return
! Az least be had the best reason fo
: expecting them to do SO, since the
: bad left property there and the plac
, afforded them profit. He 500
became tired of his fish diet
!, aud looked about for some mean
! Of varying it. The island
9 twenty miles in its exten
in one direction, aud is destitute 0
any game, and had it not been 50
/, would have been difficult to tax
! them, as man unframed to savage lii
J finds himself, when compelled unez
Q pectedly to provide for himself
}, such a situation, to be quite helpless
u in comparison with the child OF th
? forest. There were. however, SON
q small land birds sometimes to
seen but without gun he could nj
secure them.
q After enduring this sort Of life f
" some fifteen weeks the japanese boa
; arrived and the steward rushed
o meet them. Although unable /
e speak an ineligible word to thel
: people. he grasped one By the han
and found II more welcome even tina
{ that Of brother in foreign land.
? Ia short, these people were kind
y the stranger aud did all they could
y make him comfortable, and in q le
days the FIRST boat started for Teot
2 and he went with it, aud thence
7 Yokohama. Reaching that city /
? was protected by the American Oor
! sui aud sent by that official to tn
: city, where he arrived few days az
> Lady, render yeur skin white VII
IA =. a