Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-11-22

| ''"Su' iio Couiu not say whether he de-
serted tho brig that day OF " week sub
scquently. lilo did not remember
whether Inc threw the bodies overheard
or loft them where they lay. Timo was
n blank to him for the next ten days,
when lie was picked up by trader two
hundred miles below the straits and
twenty miles off tho Java coast. IIc
was then ailoat in tho briggs yawl und
had neither water nor provisions. Ills
talk was ilighty and received little attcn-
ton, and ho was carried To ono of the
eastern islands and was there seriously
i'll for month with fever. When he be-
gan to mend OF that the particulars of tho
tragedy came back 10 him. but as tho
brig had not been seen by amy of the
TRADERS his story WAS not believed. lie
worked his way down to rmc1, and
from thence across to Port Darwin, and
he finally got ship from there around TO
Melbourne.
The Ben Hammond had been reported
lost in the Indian Ocean, hut her fate
WAS considered II mystery. Vessels which
had preceded and followed her had met
with tho most favorable weather, and
there was much speculation M to what
had brought about her loss. RcnfOcs
story explained portion of the mystery,
and several crafts were sent out to search
for the brig. She could not bc found or
heard of, and it was at Inst concluded
that shc had gone to the bottom.
ln the month Of June, 1868, eleven
years later, | passed through the Straits
of Sunda on the English ship Prince
John, bound for the port of Melbourne.
Wo had scarcely cleared tho java cane
when it came ON to blow IL gallo from the
west. The gale Increased to n hurricane
after few hours, nnd, although We
kept the old ship ntloat, sho was driven
n long ways to the east We Ind ter
rifle wind and sea for four days, and by
that time, our drift Ind carried us well
down to the eastern end Of java. One
morning, about o'clock, Just after Ind
heard the Captain say TINT the gale was
breaking, we were boarded by n SEA
which swept the ship from stem to stern.
We were lying to, you understand, with
tho usual watch on deck Three of us
were carried overheard by the wave, but
| did not see either of the Others. was
whirlcd end over end and buiTcttcd about
until thought l should drown before
had seen the surfncc, but after time
was hcavcd up to daylight, and had no
sooner got my eyes clear than | SAW one
OF our quarter boats close to me. il Ind
been torn loose by tho same wave, and
was floating right side up, but full OF
water. l got hold of it, and after rest
ing II bit pulled myself in md secured
myself by n lashing to one of the thwnrts.
The waves ran over me nt brief intervals,
but tho weight Of the water held the
boat down until she drove like II log, and
sho could not therefore upset as she
turned broadsidc to the sea-
1t was, MS | snid. about o'clock when
[ went overheard. At about 4 in the ar-
ternoon l sighted land to the north, md
M hour later found myself driving be-
tween two islands. Half IN hour later
n current set me to the right, md drove
in for the land and brought up nt the
head Of II bny or inlet lnlf n mile long
and not over two hundred feet wide.
Hard aground Mt the head of this bay,
with her bowsprit touching the trees on
the trees on the shore, WAS the old Ben
Hammond, the lOng-lost and almost for
gotten brig. I drove right in pust her,
and was hcnved on the sands by the
swell, and the first thing I did WINS to
sit down and wonder whether ! WIS
really i'll my senses or had gone daft.
There rested the old brig on m even keel,
mnsts standing ns plumb as ever, yar,ls
braccd as they were left years before, but
the sails rot.cd and blown away, and
many ropes broken and fraycd and stream
ing in the wind. had heard of her loss,
and had read Rcnfoc's story ns rcntcd by
the papers, and il took the pluck out OF
me to find her there. Indeed was so
awed and overcome thnt did not dare
board her that night, but made my bed
on the sands and slept sorndly till morn
ing. had secured my yawl when !
drove in, and ns / came to examine it,
next morning found it almost free from
injury, while the mast and sail and tiler
were secure under the thwarts. by this
time the gale was over, and I was sur
priscd to see how far the water had fallen
away from the beach.
My next move after inspecting the
yawl was to board the brig. This wns
an easy matter, MS tho wnlcr Mt low tide
did not reach her foremost was dcs-
peratey afraid of facing skeleton as
drew my head above the rail, and made
a lengthy survey before dropped to the
deck. There was a great deal of litter
about, and much OF the exposed wood
work had begun to decay. a more lone
some sight one could not find. moved
slowly from stem TO stern, and was re-
lievcd when no ghostIy relic of the dead
presented itself. The brig had the old
fashioned fo'castlc, and I noticed that
the slide over the opening was secured.
The cabin doors were also shut.
dreaded 10 make further investigation,
but hunger and peace Of mind com
PEELED me, and finally entered the en-
bin. The medicine chest was upset in
the main cabin or eating room, and
the bottles scattered about the floor.
There was spread on the table, but it
was black with mould, and, after brief