Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1890-01-16
LIKE 4 FAIRY TALE.
the Strange Mystery of Harsen's
Providential Island


Had it not been for the excitement Of
the first year OF the civil war the queer
sdveuturvs % Captain Harsen- Of the
Boston merchantu2n American Chief.
wosld have gone the rounds and been
murh discussed They we're told and
ret1ld in marine circles for many wears.
ard now and then some newspaper or
magazine has briefly referred 20 -.Hlr-
son Romano The story. as ; whole.
= fan II interest
In the spring % 1851. while Vas 500
ond mate aboard of the English brig
EnchaatreSs. and Ehsa three DAYS out Of
Zanzibar. bound for the Gulf Of Bengal.
Ne spoke the American Chief. home
ward houad and loaded With Indian
products- Thr~e days sef0re. in vio-
lent squall- Captain H4-Seu had be~u
washed overheard AMI the ship was nov
In charge q the first nate The ship
wzs taken hoane. Captain HzrSea report
81 dead. and SIX years later. when he
had been for-otrea BY al except his re-
lation~- he Sudtenlv turns up in way
- iamfossnd every body
In August. f-sf7. was first nate Of
the Ia King. a small bat stanrh ship
PlTing be5Neen Cape Town and Mel
bourne Oar ship wzs feeder for the
big India steamers We took machinery
and either stat from them at the Cane
and brought bark wooI and other pred
v~ts- We had the with Of the Indian
o-eoau hef37e - % every voyage. Efth
never Suecz q land for the waters To
fret against until The voyage vas In
ishe.L
One uoruiH- n the month have
usmed- she hour being about eight
O'Clock. With wind and "a Iirh-. the
los'- Sout reported man in a beas dad
ahead ami ONLY half mfle awaE- I
went forward with the glass. and made
Ai1l out very plain az once Indeesi. no
glass was needed Il Wa a rough-loak-
iH- boat. provided with mast and sail
and he had let fy his sheet and was
rising and falling on the waves TO wait
car coming We we're NJ 10 him in
few minutes and when ne came 10 look
him over many we're the ordinations
Il establishment The craft was half raft
and half boat put together in the rough
ct fashion and constructed OF drift
wool The sail vas 4 grass mat The
man AZ the steering ear vas clothed in 4
single garment made OF the same material
a. the sail He had made a large nat and
put his head through an opening IN The
middle and beIte,I it a. the raist- Hix
hair fell upon his shoulders and his
whl<kers reached 20 his waist He
looked a veritahle Rip Van Wrinkle. and
our surprise wss 50 great that xe forged
past him NithOgt extending a hand.
When we got him aboard he walked IN
20 the captain. extended his hand AMI
said
Taptain- ! Am Captain HArsen. Of the
Boston ship American Chief
But where's your erzft7- exclaimed
cur captain
taH't say was lost overheard six
yearS aS0 70 the north Of this
'-Iou don't say that yea are that Cap
tain Harscae-
But ! do w death vas no doabt
reported in the papers. bat here an
Let ne have a bite and then III tell you
all about it,
When Captain Harsen gos ready 10
tell his story he had more surprises in
store for rs will give his adventures
a. ne related them but in nv own way
The wave which swept his ship and car
NED him overheard took along = lot OF
teek rare and upon striking out for
himself he got hold OF crate in which
two Ssn-arOOs had made the journey 10
Cape ToNn- II was light enough to soat
two men Of his size. and. although the
seas used him roughly for several hours
be pulled through the danger and finally
found way 10 lash himself and even
get some sleep He knew that he wrzs
driving TO the south with the seas. but
as 70 row far he drifted during the
thirty hours he Was afoat could only be
guessed at Il has been generally hz-
Ured AZ FIVE miles an hour He was
asleep IN cast ashore BY the tide. and
he soon discovered that be had landed
on verfsnt island about one mile
square The verdUre was about the sane
a. that OF Madagascar. with the same
variety OF birds and insect life There
was a suecles Of Eate--rzt on the island.
but no other animal. and he never saw
areptile Of any sort
The island was a little paradise.
There were several springs Of fresh
water. fruits and nuts in abundan,e.
and nothing 70 make him afraid A
soon as he got rested ths captain began
10 figure on his position. and he finally
concluded that he had been cast on one
Of the Aldab-a group. two hundred I
niles % ;Ae Eo-tA &C Cape An5e-. Md !
aSasear- S~s-,ouens SeyelOpueas |