The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-05-23
ANIERIUAN CRUsoEs.
Sailors Cast Away ON Lonely Is
land.

this port on Friday, after a passage of
about two months from Cape Town,
South Africa. She brought as passeng-
ers thet cook and two seamen of the
whaling schooner Pilots Bride, which
was wrecked on DesOlatiOn Island on the
evening of October 2, 1881. They were
John Thompson, the cook, and Edward
Carroll and John Edwards. John
. Thompson told the story of the wreck to
April 81 1880, the Pilots Bride sailed
out of New London, bound on two
q years cruise in the south seas, beyond
the Cape of Good Hope, in search of
whale and other oils, and sealskins.
She killed sperm whale, lost three
boats, and stove the other in storm,
and reached Fuller's harbor, on DesOla-
tiOn Island, about August II. The lat of
September found the schooner at Three
Island HarbOr, DesOlation Island, and
on the 9TH she was off Cave Beach. Mr..
GREY, the third mate, aud five men were
in a boat lying off the beach, preparing
to take some blubber on board the
schooner. MIR. Grey, Seaman Il. b. Cole,
and two Portuguese were drowned by
the upsetting of the boat.
The first misfortune was soon followed
by another. On the morning of October
/, 1881, the crew got up anchor and
started for Port HarbOr on the same is
land. Late in the afternoon the schooner
with everything set snug, was caught
in a snow squall, and about dark was
driven hard aground. Both anchors
we're let go. She pounded during the
night. and in the morning 1t was found
that the rudder was gone, and that she
was hard on a reef, known as the rocks
of despair. After dinner there came on
such heavy blow that the captain or
dered all hands into the boats. The
men managed to secure some of their
clothing. They then pulled away for
Port harbOT, six or seven miles distant,
and in three or four hours were all safe
ashore At Port harbOr a quantity of
canvass was found. When the weather
cleared two days later the Pilots Bride
had disappeared.
The bark Trinity, afterward wrecked
on Hurd's Island, had some time before
this deposited lot of prOvisiOnssat Port
harbOr, aud Capt. Fuller determined to
remain there during warm weather. The
men were kept at work improving the
shanty, searching for game, and, Incl
dentally, at keeping their scant supply
of clothing in repair. For food they had
an unlimited supply of fish and birds
eggs. The flesh of the sea elephant,
when young, tastes much like beef, but
it is cOarser in texture. There were
plenty of rabbits on the island and
ducks and sea fowl in abundance. With
a sufficient supply of hard-tack and
flour there was no suffering whatever
for food. For cooking utensils they had
single frying-pan, and this was supple
mented by pieces of broken pots. Later
pot was brought from NOrtOn's har.
Dor. Every boat was provided with a
shovel, and this was the most useful
implement on hand. The shanty was
made with it, soda being cut and piled
up in shape aud the whole rooted over
with boards from the wreck and with
canvas.
The first part of the mems clothing to
give out was their boots. These were
difficult to repair, and the men substi
tuted mOccasins made from the hide of
the sea elephant. This hide is about
three quarters of an inch thick, covered
with short hair. The men dried the skin
and shaved it down thin for use. Later
they invented clog consisting of wood
en- sole, fashioned from pieces OF deck
plank, over which they nailed pieces of
the thinned elephant hide, with the hair
out. This made very comfortable shoe
! protecting the feet from sharp rocks and
u From wet also.
1t got to be March, 1882. and they mo-
we'd to NOrtOn's harbOT, and there estab-
lished themselves permanently. Three
shanties were made there. one for the
officers, one for the men, and for gal
ley.
IL uhu Dbbu uOblCeu uledDbllub lildb Lub
cask of sealskins had been removed from
the place where 1t had been secured by
Capt. Fuller, and search failed to reveal
1t, or the persons who had hidden 1t. In
April, Seaman Timothy ReaTdOn, John
MelrOse, Charles Fink and three POrtu-
guese took one of the boats one night
and disappeared. They were not seen
again until month, when one night
the men heard some one prOWltng about
the NOrtOn's harbOr beach. Going down
to the waters edge they found the miss
ing boat. The runawayS were thus cap
tuTed. For punishment they were Ian
ded on Atlas island, off the coast, and
left there. being provided with spade,
piece Of pot for frying pan, and
One-third of the flour and hard tack
Some time afterward the sealskins were
found in Pacific Cave harbor. ThOmp-
son believed the skins had been con-
cealed with hope of stealing them.
On Atlas island the runaways were
unable to agree. Having made a boat
of barrel slaves and a sea elephants
hide, ReardOn and Portuguese escaped
in 1t one night and came to NOrtOn's
harbOr. They asked Capt. Fuller to take
them back and send for the other two
Portuguese. This was done, MelrOse
and Fink remaining on Atlas island
alone.
There was no hope of seeing a pass
ing sail in that part Of the world, and
the men settled down to wait until the
owners of the Pilots Bride should send
out another vessel on similar mission.
Such vessel was eventually sent. 1t
was the schooner Frances Allen. She
arrived at DesOlatiOn island September
6, 1882. Such of the crew Of the Pilots
Bride as wished to do so turned to with
her crew, and she soon had a cargo Of
oils and skins. On January 21st she
sailed for Cape Town, reaching there
on the 10Th of February. Part of the
wrecked crew remained at Cape Town.
Capt. Fuller and the mates came on to
America by way of London Thompson
and his two companions were placed on
the Nero F., reaching here just one
week less than three years from the day
they sailed out of New London. They
have gone on to New London to settle
with the owners of the Pilots Bride
for their share in the cargo that was
forwarded from Cape Town.
AMERICA AHEAD