The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-20
LIKE ROBINSON CRUsoE.
Charles Irons Was Left on q South Sea
Island.
From the Neio York World.


From the Neto York World.
PORTLAND. Me-, Disc. ia tale Of ship
wreck in the Southern seas of savage
islanders. and the romance of a modern
Robinson Crusoe, is what Capt William
Gooding tells He was the commander Of
the Portland bark Tewksbury Sweet. lost
in the South Pacific last spring, and has
just arrived in this city on his way to his
home at Yarmouth. He and his crew had
been givea up for dead, and the first
intelligence that they were still alive
was received about two weeks ago.
and from the savages makes an INTEREST," &
story. The stanch American bark sailed
from New Castle, New South Wales, on
March II last FOR Hong Kong On April 9, sue
encountered gale and was driven ashore
on Susanna Reef, near Pozsat Island, one
OF the Carolines. A very high wind was
blowing at the time, and the surf was run
ming high The vessel commenced to 20 to
pieces soon after she struck. Nothing was
saved from the vessel bat one chronometer
The crew escaped in one of the ships boats,
and managed with gssa5 difficulty to reach
small islet TO the northward. From this
lslet, at er the storm had subsidized, they
made the island of Pczeat which is in
haolted by fierce savagss.
As the boat approached the island q feet
OF canoes put of from the shore. There
were out thirty canoes, with eight or ten
men in each, and all were armed with
knives and spears. Some of the savages in
their eagerness jul nped overheard and swan
10 the b at, each with a 10 *, wicked-loo&-
ing knife held between his teeth. The first
savages to reach the boat clambered in until
the boat was nearly swamped- Teen they
BEGAN 10 strip the sailors Of their coats
and outer garments, throwing the
garments aboard their own canoe. The
men were soon despoiled Of everything but
their undershirts. Then the whole fleet
drew in toward the land. The savages all
this time had kept up tremendous din of
shouting and si0ging, and the crowd of
women and children on the shore were
dancing and jumping about with shouts and
cries. The sailors expected no better treat
| ment than to be killed and eaten, but, as
they learned afterward, the natives of til is
| island are not cannlbals.
While the shipWrecked crew were stand
ing surrounded by tue noisy crowd man
dressed as all the others, with only a cloth
about the hips, came forward and spoke to
them in English. He gave his name as
c aries Irons, an Englishman by birth, and
otfe ed to tender any assistance possible. 1t
| seems that he was left at Pozeat by trad
ing vessel about four years ago, his business
being to represent traders in Co oanut
IslaA but the vessel never called for Irons
since leaving him, and he had gradually
| assumed toe habits of the natives. He finally
became like Them in appearance and man
ner. He had Ia en- to himself seven wives,
and was regarded by the natives as a man
| of Importance, second only to the clief of
the tribe. Irous had even forgotten many
Of the common details Of civilization, but he
was of good service to the castaways, no
| doubt saving the lives of all.
a day or two after landing at Pozeat
| Capt. Gooding, who had become uncertain
about his reckoning Of time, and not kno "
| ing exactly whether the day was Thursday
or Friday, asked Irons if he knew wnat
| day of the week it was. Irons answered
| that he did not, and more than that he did
| not know what year it was. He interested
| himself in behalf of the shipwreckad men
and bire d a canoe from the natives. Capt
Gooding, Second Mate George w. Harrison
| and one OF the ships crew set sail ton days
the men and First Mate Richard
Watchmon-seven men in all-at
| Pozeat. The captain and his men made
| their way from island to island, touch
| ing at eight different points, and max
ing stops at each varying from two days +,
a month. They finally arrived at Kuk
where there is missionary station. Here
they were cared for by the missionaries and
obtained the use of the boat belonging t.
the station. TIE missionaries did not like
| to let them have the boat because, il de-
| prived of it, they would be exposed to n
ger of attack from natives aud deprived of
| their only means of leaving the island, but
| finally gave consent. The missio larie:
also told them that had they come ashore
at Pozeat with any valuables the natives
would certainly have killed them as they
| had others.
In the missionary boat, a stanch center.
boarder, the captain made sail back to
PoZeat. He then returned with his crew
| to the missionary island. Two months
| later the missionary vessel Morning Star
| arrived and took them all to Honolulu,
where they arrived Nov. Is. From Homo.
| lulu Capt. Gooding and part of the crew
were brought BY the steamer Australia tc
San Francisco, arriving there Nov. 90.
| The first act of Capt. Gooding on reach.
| ing San Francisco was to telegraph the ves-
sells owners, Messrs. Chase, Leavitt & Co.
of this city. This message was received as
| veritable tidings from the dead, all hope OF
| ever hearing from either ship or men hav.
ing long been relinq lished. Capt. Gooding
| states that he left two of his men in the
hospital at Honolulu. Two more a g
| coming on a sailing vessel from Honolulu.
| One man, the steward, has shipped as a
hand on the Morning Star. and the two
mates and two seamen accompanied the
captain to San Francisco. He estimates
| that his voyage in canoe and boat around
| by way Of the island to Kuk aud the ice re-
turn to Pozeat and back to Kuk was about
| 1000 miles. During these voyages and the
stay on the isl inds, cover .ng a period of
about six months, the men subsisted on
cocoanus bread and natural products which
| form the usual food Of the natives.
In conclusion, Capt. Gooding said: at
was the most thrilling experience ever
had in all nay seafaring life-captured as
we were by such beings and saved in such a
sensational manner. After 1t was decided
by the natives not 10 kill US the sailors were
given the widest possible liberties. You
can imagine our gratitude to Irons, and we
lost no opportunity to express ii"