The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1883-11-01
GOLDEN REMEMBRANCE.
Romance or Peril and Rescue Thirty.
Seven Years Ago.


Romance or Peril and Rescue Thirty.
Seven Years Ago
Bridgeport, Conn.,, Cor. N. 7. Eve. Post.
Captain Isaac Jennings, d wealthy old
sea captain, of Fairfield, Conn, has,
through the medium of golden medal
received by him during the past few
days, become pleasantly conspicuous
among his frier DIS and neighbors as the
central figure of a sea adventure occur
ring thirty-seven years ago, the circum-
stances OF which have never been mad Q
public until now. The story here told it
a. related by the Captain himself, and
isin every particular true
On the 26th Of September, 1916, the
ship Minerva, four hundred tons, of
New York, Captain J. K. Bowen, ON her
passage homeward from the Meditter-
ranean, was off the Western Islands.
As the SUN went down a lookout on her
deck saw a dark object on the horizon,
about five miles to wind ward, which the
glass discerned as the hull of some
wreck. A close ecrutiny showed no sig
nal of distress. and Captain Bowen,
thinking his duty to the owners of the
vessel more urgent than curiosity re.
speeding what seemed to be a useless
hulk, concluded not to interrupt his
voyage. Night was coming on, too, and
there were dangers to be apprehended
in dispatching small boat. But the
first officer of the Minerva, Young Jen-
nings, then about twenty-three years of
age, felt differently about it: He kept
the ships log, aud was,ambitious to chron-
icle something that the!nowspapers would
be glad to prin! on his arrival in New
York. He had also strong desire to
get sight of wreck at sea; and more
than this. his heart was touched at the
thought of possibly DESERVING fellow
being in extremity. The captain was
inclined to adhere to his opinion, but
after urgent appeals reluctantly consen.
ted to call for volunteers. Four strong
sailors responded, boat was lowered, q
compass. lantern and jugs of fresh wa
ter were put in, the young officer gave
the order to pull toward the wreck, and
the boat moved out into the stiffness
and darkness of mid-oceari. When:
soon after the start, the little craft was
found to be leaky, more than one MUIR
muir escaped the Inns of the rowe1s,
Cheered on by the officer they contin-
ued their exertions; but he, himself wa
vered, as, after rowing the supposed
distance Of five miles, no trace of the
wreck could be discerned. But, at this
moment, an unusual odor was perceived
which, becoming more pungent as they
advanced, convinced him that it pro-
ceeded from the object of their
search. "Give way hearty, men" he
cried. They promptly responded, and
rising in the ern of the boat, the officer
sent out across old ocean manly
''Wreck ahoy!' No answer came,
though the wreck then rose and fell on
the pillows in full view. The sailors Law
Oh their oars in silence, and upon each
and all of them came mysterious feel
ing and dread which could MT be ex-
pressed as they elided toward the hulk.
''Wreck ahoy" Jennings shouted again,
more to arouse his com panions than in
hope Of reply. But, after few mo-
ments' waiting, a response did come,
faint, and hardly to be understood
Boat ahoy! for heavens sal e, save usw
By this time the little boat had reached
the side Of the wreck. and one Of those
SCENES followed In which surprise and
thankfulness commingle in the breasts
speech almost power|ess. Five men
were on that craft, alive, but with so
little of life remaining that they
seemed like specters. Ten DAYS
had they been without food or water,
and at the close of that day, they had laid
themselves down with the expectation
Of awaking never again in this world.
Sips Of water Brought for their benefit
revived them. -Four were assisted from
the hulk to the boat, and upon the in
quiry, care there others on board?"
came the reply, Eyes, one; but he may
as well be left aboard; he cannot pos
sibly live till morning" But the officer
insisted on taking all, and the helpless,
apparently dying man, was added to the
rescued. When all were snugly in the
boat the PROV was turned toward the
Minerva, which, on being slgnalled,
bore down toward them. Under pres.
sure of fresh breeze the ship soon
reached the boat, and, when the fam
ished men had been cared for, Captain
Bowen grasped the hand of young Jen-
n,ngs, and said: "Never again will be
inclined to pass wreck without inves-
tigation."
The five men finally recovered from
the terrible ordeal through which they
had passed, and told their story. Their
vesse! was the brig Rienzi, one hundred
and fifty tons, of Boston, Captain Small,
IF Provincetown, with a crew of twenty
men. The brig had been knocked
down during heavy gale, dismanteled.
and decks swept. Fifteen men had died
from starvation, and five remained.
Several corpses were in the brig when
she was left to her doom. The. smell
which LED to the discovery was that Of
fish oil from whales which they had
There was rejoicing on the Minerva. as
ing New York, the whalemen found
friends to look after them, and were
never heard Of again.
Young Jennings followed the sea for
years after this adventure, became COM
mander, and had the satisfaction of res
cuing suffering sailors from a wrecked
ship, but, never hearing a word from
the men of the Rienzi, he naturally sup
posed they were all dead. This proves
to have been otherwise, for, after an in
terval ofthirty seven years, one of them,
Lloyd B. Brown, the man who it was
feared CO lid not survive the night of
that providential rescue, and it appears
that he, the weakest physically Of the
five taken from the wreck, has outlived
them all. Intelligence that he was liv-
ing was obtained byCapt,in Jennings in
in the following very curions manner.
A friend of Captain Jennings. who is
one of the correspondents of the
Evening Post, was seeking
curious historical material in the old
cemetary at Provincetown, Mass, here
he came upon the gravestone of Cap
tain Small, and, being reminded of the
story Of the brig Rienzl, wlote an &C.
count of it, which was published in the
Evening Post of August 80, 1882. A.
copy of the paper fell into the hands of
Captain Jennings. He at once wrote to
the postmaster at Provincetown, and
was informed, in reply, that Lloyd B.
Brown, respected and thriving citizen
of New Bedford, vas the only known
survivor of the wreck described. Let
ters were exchanged, and, in July last,
Captain Jennings visited New Bedford,
aNd there was touching meeting of
rescued and rescuer at the homo of Mr..
Brown.
A day or two ago the captain received
from Mr.. Brown a solid gold medal, on