San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-01-04

with every prospect or continued coca
weather, and the first mate and five Of the
men went aboard of the trader to help him
make repairs. In the course Of four hours
they returned aboard with the news that the
small craft was now tight and dry, and they
brought with them several bottles of wine
and some dried fruits as presents from her
captain.
Capt. Clark was kind hearted man, and
as the men returned aboard he distributed
one bottle of wine and a share Of the fruit
among the men, The brig and trader had
been slowly drifting off before light wind
during the repairs ON board but now each
hauled back to her course and they were soon
separated sRenfoe had not been feeling well
during the day, and he was the only mea who
did not partake of the stuff sent aboard. 1t
was his watch below after midnight and he
had been asleep about an hour when he was
aroused by confusion aboard Every man on
watch below was suffering with cramps and
vomiting, and he went on deck to find the
same state of affairs prevailing. Captain and
mates were down, as well as the men, and the
man at the wheel fell to the deck and began
rolling around just as Renfoe came on deck
While the brig had all plain sail on her the
breeze was light, and as the wheel was made
fast, she took care of herself.
There was no doubt that the crew had been
poisoned by the wine or fruit, though the
trader must have been entirely innocent of
any such intent after the services they had
rendered. Recourse was had to the medicine
chest, but nothing seemed to act as an anti
dote. The agony of the men increased with
time, and by O'Clock in the morning four of
the foremost hands were dead, while the
others were without hope Renfoe was dazed
and helpless, and he could do nothing but
pity the poor fellows around him Half an
hour after sunrise he was the only living man
aboard the brig, and as he saw one after
another pass away his feelings were wrought
up to such a pitch that he almost lost his
mind He could not give clear account of
what followed He could not say whether
he deserted the brig that day or a week sub
sequently. He did not remember whether
he threw the bodies overheard or left them
where they lay
Time was a blank to him for the next ten
days, when he was picked up by trader
two hundred miles below the straits and
twenty miles OFF the Java coast. He was
then aAOat III the briggs yawl, and had neither
water nor provisions His talk was Eighty
and received little attention, and he was car
ried to one of the eastern islands and was
there seriously i'll for a month with fever.
When he began to mend of that the particu
lars of the tragedy came back to him, but as
the brig had not been seen by any of the
traders his story was not believed He work
ed his way down to Timor, and from thence
across to Port Darwin. and he finally got
ship from there across to Melbourne.
The Ben Hammond had been reported lost
in the Indian ocean. but her fate was con
sidered "a mystery. Vessels which had pre-
coded and followed her had met with the
most favorable weather, and there was much
speculation as to what had brought about
her loss. RenfOe's story explained portion
Of the mystery, and several craft were sent
out to search for the brig. She could not be
found or heard of, and it was at last con.
Cluded that she had gone to the bottom.
In the month of June, 1865, eleven years
later, passed through the Straits Of Sunda
on the English ship Prince John, bound for
the port of Melbourne We had scarcely
cleared the Java cape when it came on to
blow a gale from the west The gale in
creased to a hurricane after a few hours,
and although we kept the old ship afoat, she
was driven long ways to the east. We had
terrific wind and sea for four days. and by
that time our drift had carried us down to the
eastern end of Java. One morning at about
O'Clock, just after had heard the captain
say that the gale was breaking, we were
boarded by a sea which swept the ship from
stem to stern. We were lying to, you under
stand, with the usual watch on deck. Three
of us were carried overheard by the wave,
but did not see either of the Others was
pyh nd hnffa Tod
til | thought | should drown before l had
seen the surface, but after a time | was
heaved up to daylight and had no sooner
got my eyes clear than | saw one of our
quarter boats close to me 1t had been torn
loose by the same wave and was floating
right side up, but full of water. | got hold
of it, and after resting bit pulled myself
in and secured myself by a lashing to one of
the thwarts.
The waves ran right over me at brief in
tervals, but the weight of the water held the
boat down until she drove like log, and she
could not therefore upset as she turned broad
side to the sea.
1t was, as | sail about O'Clock when I
went overheard. At about in the after
noon | sighted land to the north, and an hour
later l found myself driving between two
islands. Half an hour later a current set me
to the right, and drove in for the land and
brought up at the head of bay or inlet half
a mile long and not over 200 feet wide Hard
aground at the head of this bay, with her
bowsprit touching the trees on the Shore was
the old Ben Hammond, the long lost and al
most forgotten brig. | drove right in past
her, and was heaved on the sands by the
SWELL and the first thing | did was to sit
down and unndar urhathar | ruas really in my