The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1890-02-20
LIKE A FAIRY TALE.
The Strange Mystery Of Harsen's
Providential Island.

The Strange Mystery Of Harsen's
Providential Island.
Had 1t not been for the excitement of,
the first year Of the civil war the queer
adventures OF Captain Harsen, OF the
Boston merchantmen American Chief,
would have gone the rounds and been
much discussed. They were told and
retold in marine circles for many years,
and now and then some newspaper or
magazine has briefly referred to liar
sens Romance" The story, as whole,
is full Of interest.
In the spring of 1861, while / was sec
ond mate aboard Of the English brig
Enchantress, and when three days out of
Zanzibar, bound for the Gulf of Bengal,
we spoke the American Chief, home
ward bound and loaded with Indian
products. Three days before, in vio-
lent squall, Captain Harsen had been
washed overheard, and the ship was now
in charge Of the first mate The ship
was takeH=heme, aptaiHH arsen- report
ed dead, and six years later, when he
4 had been forgotten by all except his re-
lations, he suddenly turns up in way
to dnmfonnd every body.---~--.----------
In August, 1867, was first mate of
the Sea King, small but stanch ship
plying between Cape Town. Mel
bourne. Our ship was feeder for the
Big India steamers. we took machinery
and other stuff from them at the Cape,
and brought back wool and other prod
W. I. 4, -
Ocean before us on every voyage, with
never speck of land for the waters to
fret against until the voyage was fin
isheti.
One morning in the month have
named, the hour being about eight
o'clock, with wind and sea light the
lookout reported man in a boat dead
ahead and only, half mile away.
went forward with the glass, and made
him out very plain at once. Indeed, no
glass was needed. 1t was a rough-look-
ing boat, provided with mast and sail,
and he had let fly his sheet and was
rising and falling on the waves to wait
our coming We we've up to him in
few minutes, and when we came to look
him over many were the ordinations
of establishment The craft was half raft
and half boat, put together in the rough
est fashion, and constructed of drift
wood. The sail was 9. grass mat. The
man at the steering oar was clothed in a
single garment, made Of the same material
as the sail. He had made large mat and
put his head through an opening in the
middle and belted it at the waist. His
ha al 10 oh 1T
whiskers reached to his waist. He
looked a veritable Rip Van Wrinkle, and
our surprise was SO great that we forged
past him without extending hand.
When we got him aboard he walked up
to the captain, extended his hand and
said:
Captain, am Captain Harsen, of the
Boston ship American Chief"
s.Butswhere,sz youreraf t2@se exclaimed
our captain. -z--
Cant say L was lost overheard six
years ago to the north of this"
You don't say that you are that Cap
tain Harsen?"
''But l do My death was no doubt
reported in the papers, but here I am.
Let me have bite and then IN tell you
all about it.
When Captain AHarsen got ready to
tell his story he had more surprises in
store for us. Twill give his adventures
AS he related them, but in my own way,
The wave which swept his ship and car
ied him overheard took along a lot of
deck rattle, and upon striking out for
himself he got hold of a crate in which
two kangaroos had made the journey to
Cape Town. It was light enough to float
: two men of his size, and, although the
seas used him roughly for several hours,
he pulled through the danger and finally
found a way to lash himself and even
get some sleep. He knew that he was
driving to the south with the seas, but
as to how far he drifted during the
thirty hours he was afloat could only be
guessed at. 1t has been generally fig
ured at Ave miles an hour. He was
asleep when cast ashore by the tide, and
sshe soon discovered that he had landed
on yerdant island about one mile
square. The verdure was about the same
as that of Madagascar, with the same
variety of birds and insect life There
was a species of waterrat on the island,
but no other animal, and he never saw
. a reptile of any sort.
The island was a little paradise.
There were several springs of fresh
water, fruits and nuts il. abundance,
and nothing to make him afraid. AS
soon as he got rested the captain began
to figure on his position, and he finally
concluded that he had been cast on one
of the Aldabra group, two hundred
miles to the north OF Cape Amber, Mad
agascar Subsequent developments
proved that he was more than four hum
bred miles out OF his reckoning. Hold
ing that he was correct in his location
OF the island, Captain Harsen figured
that he had only to possess himself with
patience and all would be we'll. The
Aldabra islands were much visited by
fishermen, who caught and prepared a
certain fish-food for the Chinese, and he
had no other idea than that he would be
taken off within two or three weeks.
He wisely decided to improve the inter
val by resting up, and for two weeks he
slept good share OF each day and all
hight He built himself shelter, sat
SIZED his hunger with fruits, oyster S.
shrimps and fish, and took solid comfort