Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-01-04
HARSEN'S ISLAND.

mate aboard u The Eng Ian brig EncnAntresn-
and when three days out Of Zanzibar. bound
Tor the CUR d Bengal, ve spoke the Ameri-
can Chief homis~sri bound and loaded with
Indian pruiactA rhr-e days h~fore, in .
violent quail. Capt HArs-n had o~sn wssha1
ovsrtoard. and the ship ~s now in ehArzs
u the first mate tn. shIp was taken home,
Capt Haren reported dead and siI year,
later, when be bad b.en forgotten by all eI-
cept his relations, n- suddenly turns up In q
way u damfound everybody
In August, 1867, was first mate u the Sea
King a small but -tanch snip plying het~een
Cape Town and Melbourne Our ship WAS a
fessi=r for the big India stsaIners We took
ulAs hinefy and other stuff from them AZ the
cape, and brought back wood and other
product W. mad the width Of the Indian
ocean before Us On every voyage, with never
a sI-ck of land for the waters 10 fret against
until the voyage WA hnished.
One morning in the month have named,
the hour being about O'Clock, with wind
and sra light, the lookout reported a man In
. boat dead ahead and only half n mile way
went for ward with the lass and made him
out very plain at once. Indeed, no glass was
ns--ied 10 was a rough looking boat, pro
ybiei with mast and Ail, and ne had let hy
mis- sheet and WAS rising and falling on the
waves TO wait onr coming We ~ers up TO
him In a few MINUTES, and when We came to
look him over many were the eIclamations
Of establishment
The craft wa half raft and half foat. put
together In the ruoghest fashion, and con
str,rta.i OF driftwOod The sail was q grass
mat The man at the steering oar was clothed
IN a single garment, made u the sArne
t.-rial a. the sail file had made a large mat
and put his head through an opening IN the
middle aud telts,i it at the waist. His hair
fell upon mis- shoulders and his whiskers
reached TO his waist He looked a veritabIe
Rip Van Wrinkle, and our surprise was 80
great that we forged past him without ex-
tending hand When we got him aboard
he walked up To the captain. extended his
hand ami said
Captain, / Am Capt. Harsen, Of the Boston
ship American Chiaf
But where's your craftF' exclaimed our
captain.
Cant say. was lost overheard six years
ago 10 the north OF this "
You don't say that you are that Capt
Harenr
But | do Ny death was no doubt re-
ported in the papers, but here am, Let me
have bite to eat and then IN tell you all
about IL
When Capt Harsen got ready to tell hi.
story he had more surprises IN store for US.
will give his adventures he related them
but in my own way The wave which swept
his ship and carried him owe board took along
a lot Of deck rattle and upon striking out FOL
himself he got hold OF u crate in which two
kangaroos had made the journey To Cap.
Town 1t was hight enough to noat two mer
Of his size, and. although the seas used hin
roughly for several hours, he pulle1 through
the danger and finally found way 10 last
himself and even get some sleep He knew
that he was driving to the south with tbs
seas but us to how far he drifted during thu
thirty hours be ahoat could only b.
guessed at 1t has been generally figured a
five miles hour. He was asleep when cas-
ashore by the tide, and he soon discovere,
that he had landed on = verdant lsIand abou
one mile square. The verdure was about th'
same A. that Of Madagascar with the sam
variety u birds and insect life There was
species OF water rat on the island, but NJ
other animal and he never saw a reptile o
any sort
The island was a little paradise Their
were several springs OF fresh water, fruit
and nuts IN abundance, and nothing to mai
him AFRAID. As soon As he got rested tn
captain began to figure on his position an,
he finally concluded that he had been cast OF
one OF the Aldabra group, 80 miles to tn
north Of Cape Amber, Madagascar Suisse
puent Developments proved that he was NOR,
u,an 40 miles out Of his reckoning. Holding
that he was correct in his location Of tn,
island. Capt Harsen figured that he had onl,
to posssss himself with patience and ali woult
be we'll The Aldabra Islands were mucl
visit.d by fishermen, who caught and pre-
pared q certain fish food for the Chinese AM
be had no other idea than that he would b.
taken of within two or three weeks. FL
wisely decided TO improve the interval b,
resting up. and for two weeks he slept goos
share OF each day and all right.
He built himself a shelter satisfied hi
hunger with fruits, oysters, shrimps, An,
fish, and took solid comfort for awhile H.
did not begin TO grow uneasy for month
Then, as he had sighted no sail and no visitor
bal arrived, he began to get uneasy, but i
was two months before be WAS willing to ad
mt that be had made mistake in his calcu
lations He then concluded that he had beeI
driven to what is called the Middle Islands.
group OF eighteen islands wing mid way be
tween Madagascar and the Sunda islands
and only 100 miles south Of the equator, HI
held 10 this idea thereafter. although he wa
as much mistaken in the first instance.
The weeks and months went by, and wheel
Capt Harsen had been SIX months on hi
island home he began To feel that il he eve
left it he must do so by his own efforts Nov
and then there WAS a storm. but for the mos
part the weather was perfect. No other lam
WAS In sight from his island and the mos
patient inv est igatlon could not furnish proc
that any one had ever landed there. He va
not much IT a scholar but in his rambes h
found sufficient evidence to show that tn
island had been thrown up out Of the &c.
by volcanic action. That event must hav
occurred many years before, for some OF th
trees were as large as his body. How the bird
got there was matter he did not try 10 solve
After SIX or eight months of lazy life, and
after waiting until he felt sure that the ~
and would be visited only by accident, tn
captain set about building some sort Of craft
There WAS heap OF drift wood on the east
ern side of the island, and in overhauling II
be found a number of planks and board.
which must have come from q craft POUNDED
to pieces by gale, but he had no tool OF any
description except q large pocket knife
While this dampened his ardor to great ex
tent, he put In an hour or two occasionally q,
the work OF building, and Aid th.
foundation Of the raft We found him on
When Capt. Harsen had been on the islam
ten months he ate some fruit which poisonet
him, and made him almost helpless for tn.
next three months When he finally recov
cred he found it almost impossible to rousl
up any ambition. He fell into a state Of apa
thy, lost all track of time and did NOTHING
but eat and sleep. He must have lived . spr,
Of Wild beast life for two or three years, and
perhaps have been out Of his right mind
much Of the time What finally aroused hin
was the sight of . ship sailing past bis island
home one day She WAS too far away to b
signaled. but the sight OF her inspired hop.
and ambition He had had Ere OF and on
producing it by dint and finder, bu, aftel
this he made . signal pile and kept fire
constantly burning TO be ready for any pao
ing ship
1t was like awakening from . long slsee
His hair and beard had grown to greai
length, his clothing vas about worn out. and
he found that he had gained enormously ir
nesh- He prepared q set Of rules to govern
bis future actions, He got up at . certain
hour, went to bed at certain hour. and On,
in % many hours day At work on his raft
Such craft as ne finally completed could
have been knocked together in a dAy by I
sailor with the proper tools, but a he had
only his bare hands his progress was slow
The foundation consisted Of four loRs Of
beams, about twice as long as broad. Thes<
were foot or more thick. and he burned
holes through them and fastened them b.
means Of pins Then he built up with plank
And boards until he had = platform abuus
thirty inches above the sea
II was after the raft had been completed
that Capt Harsen began to dread q vovns,