Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1885-03-05
a Modern Cru.o.

proved prophetic.
Modern Crusoe
A few days ago, says a New a..
spatch, . man about so year.
with,the appearance Of an old
and very taciturn, registered Al A. !
clair House, corner Of Brcsdss.
Eighth street, under the name !,
w. Forman, Nomora, Pieiade.
Pacific Ocean. Conversation a,
him to be q very intelligent mas !
tells a wonderful tale, which has ~
appearance Of truth. He saws n
stance that IN the year lS47 N. 4.
Ocmulgee Of Wareham was homs,.y
bound with full load, tryWori.
board, and kegs of oil slowed in -
top. After leaving Lahaina, SIN
tober 18th, with $50 barrels Of ,n.,'
$3.50 barrels whale oil, and n
pounds bone, she was never heard 81,
Forman was boat steerer. He e,,,
he is the sole survivor, and states 4.
the ship was wrecked on Nomcra
island in the Pleiades group. =.
gives the following romantic story GA
wreck:
"The 0cmulgee went ashore On y,
mora, in December, lS47, and all h.us
were drowned excepting myself, Mars
the cook, and an Hawaiian sailor nam
Waihee. All the oil casks were STOW.
and the ship gradually hove over u
reef, until finally the survivors eOup
walk around her al low water. ThrUus|
the Hawaiian / was enabled to tsI
with the chief Of the island. / explsa
ed the uses that might be made Of IN
various articles, and, assisted BIZ n.
tives, got everything out Of the ship, il
cluding the bono and then broke up Id
ship, saving planks, nails, anchor
chains, and whaling gear. We We.
given houses, lands and wives, accee
ed our position and determined to nah
the best Of it, and, except that we wen
exiles from home and friends, were eos.
tent and happy, | taught the native
many Of the ruder arts and they pros
pered greatly. But the natives feareda
lose us, aud when a ship came in sigh
hurried MS away into the interior untl
the foreign vessels had passed on
Later my two companions died an
| was left alone. Surrounded by u,
children and grandchildren, l was final
ly acknowledged to be their ruler, an
my word was their law. / told them
must 60 to my friends, but had to swea
by their gods that / would return
Finally q sandal wood trader touche
there, / embarked in her, wa landed
Sidney, and made my way here AFT
much trouble and time"
Such is Forman's story. he Sa,
that the whalebone is in its prime cor
dition, and from the time OF its wreC
20 the present day, a native has slwa,
been on guard over il, and that regnla
ly once a week its position has be'
shifted to save il from rats and mol
Forman says that his two compaRio
left a number Of children, who are
big and healthy, and that he has $3.50
and daughters, and sixty grandch
dren. Some Philadelphia merchan
have taken stock in Forman's stoI
have advanced him 5000 worth
| goods, chartered a steamer, and s
will soon leave New York for the Fl
AIDES, 10 carry ont this modern Alexa
der Selkirk and bring back the boz
estimated to be worth now from SIS
600 to $l75, 900.
The story is q romantic n and
appearance Of Forman carries the trI
with it; but a Nantucket gentleman
whom the tale has been submitted, v
is conyersant on whaling matte
doubts it from first to last, and ADV
the merchants responsible ones, by
way, TO examine Forman and his SO
very carefully before accepting
truth. The gentleman who has adyI
on the matter saws there never va
ship Ocmulgeeo of Wareham in the "
ling business that was lost. The o
whaler Of that name was owned
Holmes Hole. and sailed repeate
from that port from 1874 until, in Il
she was burned by the confederate or
or Alabama. There are also other
ious discrepancies in Forman's 81
ment, among which is the proportioI
oil taken, and although his yarn Is
geniously twisted, yet is fuii q II
and apt to strand on examination,
the inference is, unless he caG iec
struct his story with new name for
ship that is acceptable, he is a cranl
a cheat Of the worst sort.