Arizona weekly citizen., 1890-08-02
YALE oP A WRECK.
Ssuth Pacific Savaaes Capture an l
 Olish Rarnnass rraxy

glish Barque's Crew.
 Full particulars of remarkable tale
 of shipwreck in the southern seas have
 reached Queenstown. Captain William
 Gooding was the commander of tho
 bsrqus Tewksbury Sweet lost in the
 South Pacific last spring, and has just
 arrived at Yarmouth. He and his crew
 had been given up for dead, and the first
 intelligence that they were still alive
 was received about two weeks ago. The
 vessel sailed from Newcastle, New South
 Wales, on March F last, for Hongkons.
 On April she encountered a gale, and
 was driven ashore on Susanne Reef,
 near POzeat Island, one of the Carolines.
 A very high wind was blowing at the
 time, and the surf was running high.
 The vessel began to go to pieces soon
 after she struck. Nothing was saved from the vessel but one chronometef.
 The crew escaped in one If 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 fierce savages. As the boat approached the island fleet of canoes put of from the shore. There were about thirty canoes, with eight or ten men in each, and all were armed with knives and spears. Some of the say ages in their eagerness jumped ovor
 board and swan to the boat, each with long knife held between his teeth The first savages to reach the boat clambered in, until the boat was nearly swamped. Then they began to strip the sailors of their coats and outer gar ments, throwing the garments aboard their own canoes The men were soon despoiled of every thing but their un' dershtrts. This done, the whole fleet drew in toward the land. The savages ell this time kept up a tremendous din of shouting and singing, and the crowd of women and children on the shore were dancing and jumping about with shouts and cries. The sailors expected no better treatment than to be killed and eaten, but, as they learnt after vsfds, tho natives of tbis island are not eannibals. While the shipwrecked crew were standing surrounded by the noisy crowd a man dressed as all the others, with only . cloth about his hips, ssne forward and spoke to them in English. He gave his name as chSrlss Irons, an Englishman by birth, and ofersd ts tender any assistance possible. It seeHs that he was left at Posest by a trading vessel about four ysAr aIo, his business being to repre- asns tr&deps h Cocoangt Islind, but the vessel never esilsd for Irons since leav- lag Aasa, and be had gradually assumed the habits of the natives. Finally he became more or less like them in appear snce and manner. He had taken to htmsen seven wives, and was regarded b5 the natives as man Qf importance. second oply to the chief of the tribe Irons had even forgotten many of the somnsn details of civilization, but he sas of good service to the Captain, and Ao doubt saved the lives of him and his crew. A day or two after landing at Pc seat, Captain Gooding, who had become uncertain about his reckoning of time, aud nSt knowing exactly whether the lay vas Thursday or Friday, asked l Irons if he knew what day of the week | t Tss. 1rous answered that he did not, pAd, more than that, he did not know what year 1t was. He interested him. 'elt op behalt of the shipwrecked men. apd 31fed a Sau9s from the natives fsptaH G9oding, the second mate. Iaorgs ". 1atri lon. apd one of the jAib's crew set ssfl ten dAys after their lSStfal, Having the rsst 8f the men and | 'Rs first mate, Richard Watchman, seven tgp in all. at Pbzeat. Tho Captain and | ,x pM made hsif way from island to slAbd, sqychihg at eight different points, and making stops at each vary. ne from tive days to a mopth. They ipsliy sssivea sf Ruk. where there is a stisi0n. Here they were .ated for by the missioharies and ob- sined the use of the boat belonging to be station Ip tbs missionary boat,
 tanch eepter-Bsarder, the Captain made ail to Poseat. and then retprned with lis crew to the missionary island. Two months later the pissiopafy vessel aofsing Star Ysiveas Shd took them aii Q | 1onolulu, where they arrived on No. Iembes Is. Captain Goodi9g estimates hat his voyate in capoe and boat round by way of the island of Ruk and Rence return to Pozeat ard back to Ruh Eas about 1000 miles.-tondon Times