The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-02-05
ALMOST 4 SAVAGE.
4 WHITE MANS STRANGE LIFE IN
THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS.

Relativest Attempt His Rescue if Hc
will Come Decentralization Forgot
ten.
PORTLAND Me, Jan. ,30.--The story
of the wreck OF the Portland bark
Tewksbury L. Sweat in the South Pa
ci6c, and the strange story of the rescue
of her crew, as told by Capt. VIM.
eooding of Yarmouth, Me-, has a
strange sequel.
The bark sailed from Newcastle, New
South Wales, March 7, 1889, for Hong
Kong, under charter for New York.
! She proceeded until the 9th of April fol-
loving, when in latitude deg. 5 min.
North and longitude 14s deg. II min
East she encountered gale and was
driven ashore on Susanne Reef, near Po-
zedt Island, one of the group of Caroline
Islands, in the South Pacific
The crew escaped in one of the ships
boats and managed with great difficulty
to reach small islet to the NOrthward.
From this islet after the storm subsided
they made the Island of Pozeat, which is
Inhabited by race Of fierce savagcs. AS
the boat approached the island feet of
canoes put off to intercept them. There
were about thirty canoes, with eight or
ten men IN each. and all were armed
with knives aud spears. Some Of the
ssvages could not wait for the boat to
come alongside, but jumped overheard
and swan to her, each man carrying g
long wicked-looking knife, held between
his teeth.
The first savages to reach the boat
clam bered in until the boat was nearly
swamped. Then they began to st ip the
sailors of their coats and outer garments,
throwing the garments aboard their own
canoes; which by this time were pad
ding alongside. The white men were
soon despoiled of everything but their
undershirts, these being left to them,
and the whole feet drew in toward the
land.
When they got ashore, and while the
| shlpwrecked crew we're standing sur
rounded by the noisy crowd of natives
| a man dressed as all the others, only
with cloth about his hips, pushed his
way through the crowd and spoke to
them in the English language.
To the establishment of Captain Good
ing, to whom the man addressed him
self, the seeming native introduced him
self as Charls Irons, an Euglishman, and
| offered to render any assistance it was
possible for him &c give.
later the captain learned Irons's his
tory. 1t appears that he was left at
Pozeat Island by trading vessel about
four years ago, his business being to rep
resent the trades in the cocoanut oil
trade, but the vessel had never called for
Irons since leaving him, aud he had
gradually assumed the habits of the ma
tives and finally became so much like
them in appearance and manner Of life
he was not in any way to be distinguish
ed from the people among whom he
lived. He had taken to himself seven
wives, and was regarded by the natives
as man of Importance second only to
the chief of the tribe.
Irons had been 50 long among the ma
tives that he had forgotten many of the
common things of civilization. A day
or two after landing at Pozeat Captain
Gooding, who had become in degree
uncertain about his reckoning of. time,
not knowing exactly whether the day
was Thursday or Friday in the week,
asket Irons if he knew what day of the
week it was. Irons answered that he
did not, and more that be did not know
what year it was.
Captain Gooding says that the natives
would never have allowed him and his
crew TO leave Pozeat if it had not been
for the good Offices of Irons. Irons in
terested himself in behalf of the ship
wrecked men and hired canoe from
the natives with presents of English cal
ico, from stores in his possession. With
this caroe Captain Gooding, Second
Mate George W. Harrison and one of
the ships crew set sail ten days after
their arrival at Pozeas, leaving the re-
rlainder Of the ships company and First
Mate Richard Watchman, seven men in
all, at Pozeat.
The captain and his men made their
way in the canoe by roundabout course
from island to island, touching al eight
different ones and making stops at each
varying from two days to months du-
| ration, finally arriving at Ruk, where
there is missionary station.
Here they we're cared for by the mis-
s:onaries and obtained the use of the
| boat belonging 20 the station. In the
missionary boat they made sail back to
Pozeat direct and taking the members of
the crew they had left there returned to
the missionary island.
Two months after their return the
missionary vessel, Morning Star, arrived
and took them all to Honolulu, where
| .hev landed November IS. From Homo
lulu Captain Gooding and part of the
crew were brought by the steamer Aus
1 tratia to San Francisco. arriving there
| November 20.
[ This story, told By Captain Gooding
on his retu.n, was published in the New
/ York Herald's London edition, and to-
| day the managing owners of the wrecked
bark, Chase Leavitt & Co.. of this city
and Captain Gooding of Yarmouth, are
IN receipt of letters from London max
ing inquiry in regard to the Irons who
appears to figure as prime minister of
the savage Pczeat.
Both letters arc from the same source,
the "Probate and Divorce Registry,
| Somerset House, London" and are sign
ed by Lancelot c. Irons. The writer
SAYS he has reason to believe the white
man on Pczeat Island is his youngest and
only living brother, and says: '.We
last heard of him ID December, 1873,
when he was trading with the ssvages OF
| New GuiDea in ship that chartered
| from Brisbane" He gives minute de.
scriptlou Of his brother as he appeared
at that time, and says his full name is
William Charles Frederick Irons.
The letter to Captain Gooding con-
talns questions as to particulars of iden-
ti6catlon and inquiries as TO how assis-
tance might be sent to the man at 20