The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1889-05-01
PTfTSBURG'S CRUSOE.
A cAsTAWAY WHO SPENT FOUR
YEARS WITH A RACE OF GIANTS.

Dan Mcintyre Is tho Only Survivor of =
Vessel Wrecked on Coral Reef-He
Spends Four and Half Years on an
Island and Is Royalty Treated.
Mr. Dan F. A. Mcintyre has had some re-
.markable 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.. McIntyres ship
was once wrecked on n 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 an ugly scar over
his right eye that no received during the
storm, and, when he came to his senses, he
found himself lying on 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 he was
picked up by French man-of-war. Relating
his experience, he said
THE Marquesas 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
OF tho 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 o degs south
OF the equator.
The people belong to the Malayclass, hav-
ing dark, straight hair and swarthy COM
plexious. Like tho Fiji Islanders, they arc
very tail 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 culti-
walton. Wild hogs and sea fowls were the
only game to DO hunted; in fact, there were
no other animals orrthe islands. The natives
spent most of their time In taking life easy,
occasionally hunting and fishing
THE kings PET.
my lfe for four and one-half years
among these people was pleasant, taking il
altogether The first six months I could
scarcely endure it. IL / had been iinpris.
oned in q cell l could not have led a more
miserable existence. Day after day climbed
the highest mountains, and sat for hours
scanning the horizon, looking for sail; but
none appeared. The people were friendly,
and tried TO console me in their uncouth way.
| appreciated their kindness, and, after q
while, learned enough of their language to
be able to converse with them.
life then betamc less unbcarable, and
prepared myself to wait for vessel TO come
along. The king of tho island made nae q
namosa,e of bis, and lived with him for the
first year. When found | would have to
stay for some time, built n house, and, to
aniuse 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 u privileged character, and
equal to one of his relatives Il l broke any
of their laws | was not punished, and the
king would not allow any OF his people to In
suit mo or treat me rudely. In this respectI
must say THAT | was greatly admired by all
tho natives. They have q vast deal of respect
for white man, and many of thenr envied
my white skin.
'.rhe natives On the different islands we're
hostile to each other, and most Of the time
were 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
a 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 tho pain was
SO great that l could scarcely stand 1t. II
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 lit
Ito French, and in that language l 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. II
they had disiigured my face don't believe
should ever have come back to America.
"When tho French ship camo along /
boarded it, and went with them to the Island
Obatitc, where n 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 tho purpose OF locating n naval station.
Since then | have learned that they estab.
lished a coaling station on the island where
spent four and u half years OF my life"
THE BAMBOO PIPE LINE.
Mr.. Mclntyres story Of how he astonished
the natives with an engineering feat on the
Marquesas Island, where he was so long
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 eminenco in the back ground of
tho 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 tho
necessary assistance, and succeeded in con-
structing n 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-
tifc triumph to their notion
When Mr.. Mcintyre came back to Pitts
burg he found 1t so greatly changed that tho
old familiar city was new to him. Finally,
however, by diligent inquiry he located his
brother, a liquor dealer, in the eastern part
of the city. One day he went out, ordered
glass Of beer at his brothers bar, and with
outmaling himself known, engaged in con-
versation with tho gentleman
"You had brother Dang said he.
YES" was the reply g but he was
drowned in the Pacific Ocean--went down
yith his ship-a good many years ago."
But was the rejoinder Of the returned
Dan, 81 met fellow, not so very long ago,
either, who claimed he had recently seen
your brother Dan, and that Dan had great
story of how he had lived, n castaway for
years, with savages on an island"
impossible! He's dead-poor DanIn
'Bit do you think you'd know Dan il you
saw him?"
Eyes, indeed Add twenty years more to
each of our lives and I'm 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.say him."
''He might have ehanged-if he'd lived
but I'd know him anyhow; sure as you're
born
swell, then, John, AM Dan Mcintyre
your brother, and I'm not drowned. Here l
am; look at me closely and You'll seel'
Recognition really followed very soon; and
the liquor dealer became counter jumper
and embraced the brother, seemingly return
ed froir an oceanic grave to life .Pittsburg
Dispaish.