Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-01-22

grow uneasy for month. Then, as he
had sighted ne sail and no visitors had
arrived, he began to get uneasy, but it
was two months before he was willing
to admit that he had made a mistake in
mis- calculations. He then concluded
called the Middle Islands, group of
eighteen islands lying midway between
Madagascar and the Sunda Islands, and
only 100 miles south of the equator. He
held to his idea thereafter, although he
was as much mistaken as IN the first in
stance.
The weeks and months went by, and
when Capt. Harsen had been six months
on his island home he began to feel that
If heever left it he must do it by his
own efforts. Now and then there was g.
storm. but for the most part the weather
was perfect. No other land was in
slight from his island, and the most
patient investigation could not furnish
proof that any one had ever landed
there. He was not much of scholar,
evidence to show that the island had
been thrown up out of the sea by
volcanic action. That event must have
occurred many years before, for
some of the trees were as large
as his body. How the birds got
there was matter he did not try to
solve. After six or eight months of lazy
life, and after waiting until he felt sure
that the island would be visited only by
accident, the captain set about building
some sort of craft. There was heap Of
drift wood on the eastern side of the
island, and in overhauling it he found
number of planks and boards which
must have come from a craft pounded
to pieces by gale, but he had no tools
of any description, except large peck
ct knife. While this dampened his
ardor to great extent, he put in an
hour or two occasionally at the work of
building, and laid the foundation of the
raft we found him on.
When Capt. Harsen had been on the
island ten minutes, he ate some lruit
which poisoned him and made him al
When he finally recovered, he found it
almost impossible to rouse up any am
bition. He fell into state of apathy,
lost all track of time, and did nothing
but eat and sleep. He must have lived
a sort 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 him was the sight of
ship sailing past his island home one
day. She was too far away to be signaled,
but the sight of her inspired hope and
ambition. He had had fire off and on,
producing it by flint and finder, but,
after this he made signal pile and
kept a fire constantly burning,
to be ready for any pass
ing ship. 1t was like awaken
ing from a sleep. His hair and beard
had grown to great length, his clothing
l.
had gained enormously in flesh. He pre-
pared set of rules to govern his future
actions. He got up at a certain hour,
and put in so many hours day on his
raft. Such a craft as he finally COM
pleted could have been knocked to-
gether in day by a sailor with the
proper tools, but as he had only his
bare hands his progress was slow. The
consisted of four logs or
beams, about twice as long as broad.
These were foot or more thick, and he
burned holes through them and
fastened them by means of pins. Then
he built up with planks and boards I'M
til he had platform about thirty inches
above the sea.
1t was only after the raft had been
that Capt. Harsen began to
dread voyage on it. He realized what
a great waste OF waters the Indian
Ocean was, and the perils he must en-
counter In leaving his island on such a
float, and he tarried month after month
IN hope some ship would come to the
rescue. When forced to provide him
self with clothing he taught himself to
weave mats from the long grass SO plen-
tlful around him. and the skirt or belt
he had on when we found him he had
worn for year or more. After he had
stepped mast and made sail he set
out on short voyages with his raft, and
he would not have trusted himself to it
entirely had he known his exact loca-
ton. When he finally did set out it
was with the expectation of soon land
ing on some other island to the south.
The captains provisions for the voy-
age consisted Of roasted birds, and
fruits. The oniy thing he had to hold
water was shells, and by filling four or
five Of them he calculated on a weeks
supply. One day, when a fair wind
blew from the north, and the weather
gave promise of holding good for sever
al days, he cast loose from the island
and began his perilous voyage. He had
been tour days out when we sighted
him, and there YVES no land except his
island within 1000 miles. His supply
of water was gone, his provisions
Wl1nln Oay or 1t, ana even the
light seas encountered had almost
racked his raft to pieces. He figured
that he had made 100 miles IN the
four days, and when we came to look at
the chart we came to the conclusion
that he was out Of his mind. No such
island was put down-indeed, no land
of any sort-for thousand miles In any
direction. He insisted on the truth Of
his story, however. There was his raft,
and that was in his favor. 1t was against
common sense to believe that he had
come from madagascar or Australia on
such float as that
The whole story was gone over many
times before We reached Melbourne,
and was there given 10 the papers and
to the government officials. 1t was so
strange that no one believed it, and we
were seeking to get around it by deny
ing that the man was Capt. Harsen,
when 10 the man that had been his
first mate, and sailed the ship home, ar
rived in port as mate of a Scotch ship,
and identified his old commander
at once. There was government sur
vey ship in port at the time, and, after
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