St. Paul daily globe., 1884-07-05
LOST ON ANlIsLAND.
The Remarkable Adventures of the
Crew of the Ship Rainier.
ABridal Trip to Ujae Island-Saved by Saw
ages-A Hero Who Died to Rescue
0thers-A True Story.
Tsan Francisco CALL

Among the passenger who lar ded yester-
day from the Pacific Mail steamer Rio de
Janeiro were the captain, captains daughter,
mate and part of the crew of the American
ship Rainier, which was wrecked In January
last on one of the islands of the Marshall
group. Several scraps Of news concerning
The thrilling experiences of these people hav
ing already reached San Francisco, Call
reporter wss instructed to hunt up some Of
these parties and get from them true ac-
count OF their shipwreck and subsequent ad
ventures After long seeking he at last
came across Captain Samuel H. Morrison
and obtained from him the following story.
Captain Morrison is a native and resident of
Bath, Maine, is typical New Englander, is
well and favorably known in this city, and
has been a master in the American mer-
chant marine for the past twenty years.
Seating himself opposite the reporter the
skipper spun his yarn as follows:
The ship Rainier was as tidy craft as
seaman could wish to handle, and it is
enough to make any man sad to think of her
being lost on her first voyage and without
even being insured for quite one-third of
her cost. | was part owner in her, superin
tended her building and took her around
from Bath to Philadelphia, from which port she
had a charter for cargo of coal oil to Hiogo,
Japan. My first m ate, Mr.. Humphreys, was
engaged to my daughter and they were mar
ried in Bath on the day before the Rainier
was to sail, and reached Philadelphia just in
time the next morning, for l had promised
my daughter she should make her bridal
trip on the new ship
ABOUT THE BRIDAL TRIP.
Everything went well and our 7oyage
promised to be short and pleasant one,
for we had got around the Cape of Good
Hope all right and were bowling before the
trades at fine rate. On the I'd of January
last we were off the Ralick group of the Mar
shall Islands in about longitude 164 degrees
east and latitude 9 degrees north. Our
course lay ten miles Gear of the nearest ISL
and, over water that was given on the char
ter as free of reefs, and we had not the
slightest idea of danger, when at $50 p. nj.
we suddenly strnck and stuck fast on a hid
den reef. There was only slight breeze at
the time and the sea was smooth, so there
were no breakers to tell us of the unknown
rocks ahead. AS it was very dark and as
there was no immediate danger of the ships
breaking up, / determined to wait until day
light aud see if | could not get my craft
aloat once more. In the meantime we pro-
visioned the boats and got everything in
shape for ahasty leave taking if it should
prove necessary. Toward morning it came
on to blow and the sea rose rapidly, showing
the ship further up on the reef and at Stimes
breaking clear over US. As soon at it was
broad daylight | made out that we had struck
on reef that inclosed a large lagoon that
it was still water within a couple of hundred
yards from where we lay, and that there was
lf1ti lpt, 81 t.,, lI., 10, L.,
Not knowing anything shout the natives in
those waters we made up our minds to stick
to the ship as long as possible and then to
trust to our boats and passing ship, rather
than venture on land. Just before noon
high sea broke over her stern, lifted the
Rainier up and dropped her on the rocks so
hard that she stove in her bottom and listed
of shore.
MEETING THE NATIVES.
We had already noticed some canoes com
ing toward us across the still waters of the
lagoon and by the time the ship stove in they
were close aboard and making friendly sig
nails to us. As there were only few of the
natives and we numbered twentY-eight, all
told, we determined to get into 3our boats
and pull into the lagoon through an inlet
they pointed out This was accomplished
without any worse mishap than a wetting,
although our boats were loaded as deep as
we dared have them. Once inside the reef
We held a consultation and as the natives
seemed TO be so kindly disposed, decided to
make for the island. Quite a number Of
canoes had gathered about us by this time
and the natives voluntarily took us in tow
and pulled us to their island home. On
landing we were Hospitality received by the
tTttF and DritFa tty.. Iar,r hut, 10,
one for my daughter and the officers and the
other for the men. From that tune till the
end of our stay We were always treated
kindly and have nothing but good words to
say Of those sayages and their tiny island.
II proved 10 be the island of Uiae, aud YOU can
scarcely imagine queerer little patch in the
ocean than that. Uiae, which lies at the
southeast end of lagoon some thirty miles
long aud which IS more than thirty miles
distant from the nearest island is a mile
and half long, at most, and certainly not
more than quarter of mile wide. The in
habitants, copper-colored Kanakas, number
about seyenty-tiye, of whom some fifteen
are Youngsters and the remainder pretty
equally divided between males and females
Before describing the people, however,
may say that the island has no elevation to
speak of and rises very little, If anything,
more than three feet above high tide.
WHAT TUE ISLAND WAS.
If not protected by the reef on which we
struck everything on the island would be
washed away in a heavy gale, but as tits it is
as safe as though it was locked in an inland
harbor. The soil Is pretty thin, but for all
that the island Is covered with vegetation Of
one kind and another, such as cocoa and
breadfruit trees and Wild arrowroot although
the salt mir and poor soil prevent the growth
of the tender plants that we depend upon for
food. The natives have no gardeus nor
plant anything of any kind, aud couldn't be
made to understand what we were doing
when We made m attempt with beans and
potatoes. These vegetables took root, but
for all the care We gave them they withered
before the tops were a foot high.
As YOU wish 90 know about the natives
will say that they seem TO be n good-uatured
and couteutcd lot, although they are certai n
~ the most ignorant people / ever saw. Tn {
children wear no clothes at all, and the men
aud women are completely naked except for
Q narrow mat which is worn around the hips,
aud which they are not always particular to
sdjust after the most modest fashion On
the other hand, they are proper enough in
their conduct, and dduring our stay with them
we saw no evidences OF immortality, although
and my mate kepta sharp eye upon both
the natives aud our men. The young girls
marry early in life, and are apparently well
treated 10y their husbands None OF the men
are allowed 10 have more than one wife, ex-
eept the king and his two sons, each Of
whom has two wives. The king, years be-
fore, had come in contsct with some sailors
on one OF the trading islands, So he talked
lew words of pigeon English and called him
self Elijah BLOCK. Stil ne knew absolutely
nothing of the outside world, except that
mtu-of-war are things 10 be dreaded.