The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-06-11
A SAILORS ROMANTIC LOVE.
How a Wrecked Englishman Won a
Bride ON a Pacific Island.

NuuU " Nu, ertOflu uldtc Oh tue HSW
schooner BaTtholdi, sat on his locker
last evening IN neat sailors boarding
house on Water street. Club would not
have been taken fer a sailor, bes,suse be
wore natty business suit. A soldier
who has shone in red and blue uniform
for SIX months and then on furlou2h
comes back TO the novelty OF citizens
clothes. knows huw Club felt in stiff
three-button cut-away coat. The change
from a loose frock and wide trousers TO
high collar and tight-fitting wsistcoat
was just ~hat Club liked. Once, when
flush after long cruise. Club had
bought that suit, just for fun; had it
made by first class tailor and. when
at sra he paid storage on that locker
that contained this only piece Of vanity.
for when Club looked back from the hot
decks at Rio Janeiro. his ''land rig"
seemed a foolish investment: but ia port
it was his delight.
Club was not to abandon seafaring.
He was not going to reception. He
simply sat there and enjoyed the novel
~. Being pleased with himself. admir-
ed by older salts who sat near the win
ows, and enviel by poorer sailors, who
were mostly busy sewing on buttons
Club threw on the dignity which be-
longs to the second master Of eight able
bodied seamen. and he talked:
BOYS. not many IL you, I'll bet . bot
tie Of Holland gin, know what it is u
spring a leaf-a gaining leak-in mid.
ocean; to pump like mad-men for twenty
two days. arOw what ii is. l never
want 10 live another such three weeks
again But the first mate got . wife,
and had story-book love affair, on &C.
count os it all. Mates 90 bsck two years
with me 10 Eureka. Humboldt county
California. One morning the people OF
that little seaport saw the schooner Ma.
lol1 sail into pot. She brought from
tanning Island, away south OF the Sand.
~ich Islands. what were left Of the crew
Of tine schooner Premier-the captain.
second mate, steward and four sailors
given up for lost six months before.
was that second mate. Our arrival
made a sensation, and 80 did the love
affair Of Jack Roobec's, the first mate.
eve had sailed from Eureka in the
Premier in January, 1883, with a cargo
OF California red wood for Australia.
We discharged at Sy dney, after smooth
voyage, and then went to Newcastle,
New South Wales. There We took on
$50 tons of coal and sailed for Eureka
again. On the nth March, shall never
forget that day-we sprung = Dad leak.
II It had gotten any more Roadway we
could never have kept her up. All hands
were put on the pumps and we threw
overheard all the coal except that need
ed for ballast. For the next twenty two
days We scarcely took time to eat. We
were in about midocean when the leak
occurred. One day. while drifting about
becaln,ed, we sighted what locked like
an island. II the Premier had kept
moving it would have encouraged u.s.
but never to feel a hatful Of air FOL
days and to be jus, drifting about In Z
sinking ship, was enough to make us al
20 mad. It did have that effect upon q
poor Swede. As soon az he lost his rea
son he seized one OF the pumps and work
ed at it eight hours steady, and then Eel
dead on the deck. W, couldn't make
him stop. lie kept up a frantic pump
ing until his face grew purple, his eye
bloodsbot and his lips white with froth
. None Of the men dared to 20 near tn,
mailman. lie thought his mates ha,
conspired to drown him by sinking thu
ship.
1.-The dark spot in the sea We found I,
be only barren roc. about four acres II
| size. don't believe it is on the charts
At last we saw ahead what looked to b.
a large piece Of land. II was an island
Whnn AI,n,.t n, for Nl,x, hnell,e kIA peo
mier struck on a coral reef and sank
But the natives had seen 10 strike, AM
. they rowed out to the reef In small boats
They took us of tho bowsprit, whicl
stuck up above the reef, a. We had rul
aground bows on, and landed 10 safel,
y on shore. We knew from their rowinI
that they were friendly and civilized
= because savages never row but Away
T paddle their boats, no matter how large
We are in what is called English liar
I Dor, little inlet on Tanning Island,
q good ways south Of the llawaiians
Tanning Island is seven miles long
: about four miles wide and is owned b.
| Captain McGreggor Gregg, a Scotchman
Captain Gregg wa. shipwrecked on tn
= island about twenty three yeers ago. W
p. found that native sailing crafts wen
from island to island. and sometimes +
: Honolulu, but there was no rcgularit
, about them, and 40 we had to wait an,
. make the best Of the situation. Ii wa
over four months before we reached tn
Sandwich Islands. and six months befor
!, we reached Eureka. Meanwhile W
\ made things hum on that island. w
. found that Captain Gregg lived in a larg
r One-story house, made Of hewn plank
and pretty well made, too. lie had maj
ried a native woman and by her ha
seven children. The oldest, Mam,nie
I, was beautiful girl Of II years, VIII
e looked to he - Her complexion was
:. russell tan. and her Scotch blood painte
d her cheeks a warm. healthy red, unde
g the brown. Mrs. Gregg had received
!, tolerably fair g lucation from her hu.
Il band. but she had never left the island
4 and although dressed in civilized COZ
!. tune. she wore enormous earrings,
h string of glass beads. and | suspect sh
!. didn't use the soap she ~ literally sur
i piled to us when we were her guests
n She made me think Of a Nevada miner
}. sluaw-tco proud to lie an Indian, to-
. much of an Indian tn be anything else
}. But TIE daughter. Mammie, had bee
q educated in the English schools Of tn
n Sandwich Islands. She had travelled il
!. the United States for a year. and ha
4 just returned from trip to Scotland
d with her father. Captain Gregg had r.
a manned ut Honolulu. while she came on
|. and he was not expect ii home for sey
!, pral months.