Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-05-14
BECALMED AT SEA.
STORY OF A SHIP WHICH HAD BEEN
GIVEN UP FOR LOST.

An Ocean ss Motionless as Lead-A Cargo
of Gunpowder Exposed to the Light
ming of Tropical storm-short Of
PruyIsions-Safe.
There was a scene OF revelry and reloic-
ing out at a certain number on Folk street,
San Francisco, Cal, the other night The
place fairly blaEed with good cheer OF a
happy family reunited The sailor husband
and father, who had long been given up a.
lot and dead, had returned The scene
was the home Of Captain John Dodge, and
all the merriment was caused by the fact
that the day before the bark kuakaua, John
Dodge master. which lett Panama for this
port On October =, lsS5. and not since been
heard FROM sailed as unconcernedy into
the Golden Gate as though nothing unusual
had happened
I've been to sea for nearly ~ years. and
to be Candid and tell you the truth don't
think | care about ever gong out beyond
the heads again" said Captain Dodge, from
the enter nf his family circle, 10 an invad-
ing reporter
How did it all happen inquired the re
porter.
AS IDLE AS A PAINTED Snip.
Well, it was this way. We started all
right from Panama on oct 4 Soms old
tars warned me shout going out, and said
would be sure to strike calms; but ! wanted
t. get home, and we started. We hadn
been out a week before the sails happed
against the rigging in a dead calm There
wasn't enough stir in the air q put out a
candle The ocean was e. motionless ss
lead, the sun boat down mercIlessly. Was
it hot Well, | should say so Matches ly-
ing down on my table in my ,abin would
cat tire 10y themselves and burn up Then
it took to raining | am not stretching 1t
An inrh when | say that for three months
here were not fifteen days of sunshine in
all No, you are wrong. Rain down in
those parts need not be accompanied by
wind
There vas not a breath of breeze, except
for an hour or so, occasionally, and then it
came like puff from heated furnace We
Just drifted about on the o, can like
toy do not know how We
as cargo 81 pounds of powder and it was
simply phenomenal dlspenSation of luck
that were not blown up. The thunder
and lightning was simply horrifyIng |
never experienced such storms, and when
NlVhhs Va iOi hcd "Ou4e ShOSb SOh
of the sky, and play hide and go seek in our
rigging the way it used TO do, can't un,
derstand Why that powder did not go off
don't know what ever did TO deserve this
kindness
Ind you make no headway at ALL
RUNNING SHORT or PROVISIONS
Well, as say, we occasionally had a
few pulls Of air. but it required lis days
for us to sight the Galapagos Islands. They
are only 1UU miles from Panama Why,
Tor sixty days We laid OFF the Cocos Islands,
and day in and day out We never lost sight
of them-Just drifting about within cir
Gle Of dozen knots, perhaps"
Did your provisions hold out"
Well, no We began to get down to
pretty close croppings, and determined TO
get to the Galapagos Islands for a fresh sup
ply Luckily for us We met waaler which
had an overstock Of food, and We took in a
good store The captain of the whaler warned
me about going to the Galapagos Islands He
had Just come from there, and he said h.
was glad TO get away with his life The
islands are owned by the government OF
Ecuador, which sends out men to gather
dye moss on them There is nothing TO eat
on the islands except what is taken there.
The class Of men who will 20 there are a
pretty rough lot any how, and when they
are starved for several months they get
great deal rougher The whalers said that
the wild men on the islands had kiIled their
superintendent, seized all the provisions on
q ship lying in their port, and would have
captured the whaler had it not put out TO
sea Just in time We concluded after learn
ing this tale 10 give the Galapagos islands II
wide lerth On Feb ! q fresh breeze sprang
up and We made the remaining $500 miles
in fifty days you see. Our provisions had
almost given out on Friday, when We were
80 miles from this port l measured up
and found We only had twenty pounds of
hard tack and twenty POUNDS Of salt beef
| decided TO divide it into ten rations for the
crew of ten next morning, bnt as the day
broke We sighted the brig Selma, and she
gave US fresh store, which lasted Us Well,
that is all San Francisco Call