Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-06-20
TOSSED ON THE WAVES
f4.s -
JAPANESE JuNks CAST AWAY IN
-t THE PACIFIC OCEAN. !

On the morning Of the 9th of January,
1877, the City of Peking, on her outward
trip, sighted what at first appeared to
be an abandoned vessel adrift at sea. The
steamer bore away for her, when it was
seen that she was japanese junk with
one mast gone. An officer and boats
crew were sent off, who found that the
junk belonged to Ha-Rodadi; that she
was partly loaded with rice and saki
Japanese whisky, and besides the skip
per and supercargo had a crew of five
men. On the 1stof December preceding
the junk, which, by the way, rejoiced in
the name of the Hisayoshimam, had been
driven out to sea, and things having got
badly mixed up in an unusually terrific
blast it was found to be the easiest way
of lowering sails to chop the mast down.
Then heavy sea carried away the rud-
der and stove in the bulwarks, after
which the junk drifted and sloshed
around in the old and unoriginal way of
"at the mercy of the winds and waves.
THEY STUCK TO THE sAKI
Captain and crew had become SO COM
pletely disheartened on the waste of
waters, or so unduly jolly on waste of
saki, that when boarded by the officer of
the steamer they didn't know the day of
the week or the month, hardly knew
where they had come from, and certainly
didn't know where they were going to-
They were informed that they were
.1,,, ,,atl,;,o, I;Ia o nnn p,;Ias 1;etapt from,
Japan, but despite this warning intelli-
gence, only four of the crew would leave
the junk-the captain, supercargo and
the fifth man declaring their intention
Of sticking to the junk so long as the
rice and saki held out.
The Coos Bay News, published at
Marshfield, Ore, in its issue of July II,
1878, had the following report from the
captain of the schooner Parallel, which
arrived at that port July is from San
"The schooner Parallel on the 7th inst,
In latitude 30 deg. AZ min., longitude
1870 deg. 26 min, at a. M, sighted q
Japanese junk adrift. A boat was low
cred and the strange vessel boarded,
when terrible sight met the boarders.
Not a living soul was aboard, but three
corpses of Japanese who had probably
been dead at least month. Two of
the bodies had been shackled together,
doubtless having been crazed for want
| of food or water and fastened up by
their comrades. Two of these bound
bodies were lying amidships with their
knees bound together with cords upon
their breasts, their arms were drawn
over their heads and securely tied and
cords were bound around their necks;
in short, they were completely inclosed
in netting formed by the lacing and
interlacing of cords. The sunken eyes
and shriveled condition of the bodies
were frightful to look at. The other
corpse was -fesfnd-ferward, stripped to
the waist, and gave indications of the
terrible sufferings that the man must
have endured previous to his death
From the numerous fireplaces and mats
found between decks it was evident that
the vessel had been manned by a large
crew. Upon examination considerable
water was found in the hold, but no evil
dence of her having had a cargo on
board could be discovered. The only
article of food that was found was a
portion of chest of tea, covered with
mold In the cabin were several hand
some pieces of furniture.
"The two bound bodies were well
1 La oe 81 loIs
wearing apparel was brought off the
wreck by the sailors. The stencil of de-
caying bodies was such as to prevent a
thorough inspection. The hull of the
junk was in good condition, and when
last seen was drifting to the south and
east and bearing with it, perhaps, a
mystery of the Oriental SEAS"
PROBABLY THE LATEST CASE.
When the steamship City of Peking ar
rived at San Francisco from Japan, June
10, 1881, one of the passengers related the
following story to Chronicle reporter:
The tenth day out from Yokohama the
steamer came across dismantled, help
less Japanese junk, which had been
driven off from the entrance to the bay
of Yeddo during typhoon that had oc-
Cured on the 9th of December. or ten
months previous to their rescue. They
had lost their masts and rudder and had
been drifting at the mercy of the winds
they knew not where. After their own
provisions were exhausted they had sub.
sisted on their cargo, mostly beans and
dried fish, and on such rain water as they
could catch. They had burned most Of
the small woodwork, doors, berths, win.
dows. etc., of their junk for fuel, and
were on short food rations, forty beans
per day for each man being the allow
ance. Their fire, when put out from time
to time, they had rekindled by rubbing
two pieces of wood together. One Of
their number had died from exhaustion
and they had given up all hope of ever
seeing land or anything human agair
when they sighted the City Of Peking
They were taken on board the steamer
concert was given in their aid, and or
the next trip of the City Of Peking they
were taken back to their own country.
So little by little the long record of dis
asters has been gradually abridged, If moi
wholly terminated Japan has now moi
only a navy, but an excellent feet oi
coasting steamers and well built sailing
craft Of modern construction. Befor.
her awakening Japan drove away the
rescued Junk men from her coast al