Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-05-13
PITTSBURG'S CRUSOE.
A CASTAWAY WHO SPENT FOUR
YEARS WITH A RACE OF GIANTS.
Dan Mcintyre Is the Only Survivor of y
Vessel Wrecked Coral Reef-He
Spends Four and Half Years on an
Island and Is Royalty Treated.

Mr. Dan F. A. Mcintyre has had some re-
markabIe experiences on the seas. He has
spent good part of his days whaling In the
Arctic ocean and hunting the sperm whale in
the South Pacific seas Mr.. McIntyre's ship
was once wrecked ON coral reef, and he was
the only man of the crew who was saved.
His companions were washed up on the rocky
beach of the Marquesas Islands and killed.
Mr. MCINTYRE still bears ugly scar over
his right eye that he received during the
storm, and, when he came TO his senses, he
found himself lying the rocky shore with
group of natives bending over him Here
he remained for four and half years, the
only white man on the island, when be was
picked up by French man-of-war. Relating
his experience, he said:
"The Marquesss group on which | found
myself consists of sixteen islands, twelve of
which are inhabited The greatest distance
between any of them is about forty miles.
The natives, away back in those times, passed
from one island to the other in big canoes
and small sail boats. During certain seasons
of the year the Pacific was stormy; but the
natives were well acquainted with the
weather, and knew when TO venture. The
islands are located in latitude dogs south
of the equator.
THE people belong to the Malay class, hav-
ing dark, straight hair and swarthy COM
plexions. Like the FIJI Islanders, they are
very tall and muscular. plenty Of them
measuring seven feet in height. | never be-
fore or SINCE saw such powerful fellows.
They are rather bright men, and live, like
the Samoans, on the fruits of the islands,
that grow in abundance without much Guilt
walton Wild hogs and sea fowls were the
only game to be hunted; in fact, there were
nfh nj la tDla rha
spent most OF their time In taking life easy,
occasionally hunting and fishing.
THE KINGS PET
my life for four and one-half wears
among these people was pleasant, taking it
altogether. The first six months l could
scarcely endure 1t. If l had been impris-
oned in a cell / could not have led more
miserable existence. Day after day climbed
the highest mountains, and sat for hours
scanning the horizon, looking for a sail; but
none appeared The people were friendly,
and tried to console me in their uncouth way
l appreciated their kindness, and after a
while, learned enough of their language to
be able to converse with them.
life then became less unbearable and
prepared myself to wait for a vessel to come
along. The king of the island made me
namesake of his, and lived with him for the
first year. When found i would have to
stay for some time, built house. and, to
amuse myself, was in the habit of going
into the forest and pulling up young orange
and lemon trees to plant about my home
1.-The king tattooed his name on my leg
which made me a privileged character, and
equal to one of his relatives. If l broke any
of their laws l was not punished, and the
king would not allow any OF his people to in
suit me or treat me rudely. In this respect
must say that l was greatly admired by all
the natives They have a vast deal of respect
for white man, and many of them envied
my white skin.
"The natives ON the different islands were
hostile to each other, and most of tho time
we're at war. The king would never allow me
TO mix up in any of their fights. He held me
in too sacred light. Once was captured by
neighboring tribe They knew by the tat
too on my leg that belonged to their enemy,
and they decided to tattoo me all over. They
started on my lower limbs; but the pain was
so great that l could scarcely stand it. 1t
seems some French missionaries had visited
the island forty years before, and failing to
Christianize the natives they left. One of the
old men had learned from them to talk a lit
tie French, and In that language | begged
him to go to my king and inform him of my
plight. This he did, when my master made
peace with his enemies and was released. If
they had dis1gured my face don't believe
should ever have come back to America.
when the French ship came along l
boarded it, and went with them to the Island
Obatite, where a number of Europeans live
There remained for two years before re-
turned to San Francico. The French man.
of-war was making soundings and surveys
for the purpose of locating a naval station
Since then l have learned that they estab-
hshed coaling station on the island where l
spent four and a half years of my life"
THE BAMBOO PIPE LINE.
Mr. Mclntyre's story of how he astonished
the natives with an engineering feat on the
Marquesas Island where he was so long a
castaway, Is very good. They had, from
time immemorial, been in the habit of carry
ing all their drinking water from springs
away on an eminence in the back ground of
the principal settlement. In that tropical
cline this was quite a task yet they could
conceive of no way to improve upon it.
First convincing the king that he had
much better plan, Mcintyre was granted the
necessary assistance, and succeeded In con-
structing sort of bamboo pipe line from the
springs to the settlement, so that the natives
thereafter got their drinking water without
any labor whatever. 1t was great scien-
tific triumph to their notion.
When Mr. Mcintyre came back to Pitts
burg he found it SO greatly changed that the
old familiar city was new to him. Finally,
however, by diligent inquiry, he located his
brother, liquor dealer, IN the eastern part
of the city. One day he went out, ordered q
glass of beer at his brothers bar, and, with
out making himself known, engaged in con-
versation with the gentleman
'You had a brother DanP' said he
YES" was the reply but he was
drowned in the Pacific Ocean-went down
with his ship-a good many years agon
But" was the rejoinder of the returned
Dan, II met a fellow, not so very long ago,
either, who claimed he had recently seen
your brother Dan, and that Dan had a great
story of how he had lived, castaway for
years, with savages on an island"
"Impossiblel He's dead-poor Dam"
"But do you think you'd know Dan If you
saw himf"
eyes, indeedl Add twenty years more to
each of our lives and Pm sure I'd still be
able TO recognize my brother Dan, If / could
only see him alive again, in any part of the
world or under any circumstances.
But years have already passed, and Dan
has changed good deal since you saw him.
He might have changed-if he'd lived
but I'd know him anyhow; sure as you're
born.n
"Well, then, John, I am Dan Mcintyre,
your brother, and I'm not drowned. Here
am; look at me closely and you'll seel"
Recognition really followed very soon; and
the liquor dealer became a counter jumper
and embraced the BROTHER, seemingly return
ed from an oceanic grave to life Pittsburg
Dispatch
ADVICE To MOTHERS.
Are you disturbed at night and broken
of your rest by sick child suffering and