Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-26

not lost and that this other person was one
/ to whom she herself owed her life. She
| saw something providential in all this.
'Thanks. Many thanks, Zach; you little
know how happy you make me- Tell me,
oh, tell me again that you believe that
Captain John was not lost in this wreck"
eyes, Mrs Allaire, yes and the proof
that he is still alive is that he will be found
some day or other, and if that's not q
| proof"
Hereupon Zach French entered into a
number of details with regard to the find
! ing of the fragment of wreck by the Golden
Gate. As he concluded Mrs. Allaire said:
Zach, I'm resolved to institute new
| search at once.
"Goodi II will succeed this time, and if
you'll allow me, madam, I'll take part
in it
''You will ship under Captain willis?"
'"TEat will, madam"
"Oh, thanks, Zach. With you on board
the Molly's Hope it will seem to me like
one more chance in my favor"
81 believe it Mrs. Allaire," replied the
boatswain, with a kindly light beaming
from his honest eyes. 'T'm ready to sail any
momentr'
Molly had taken hold of the sailors hand.
She felt that it belonged to true friend of
hers. Her feelings got the better of her and
she was now convinced that the boatswain
was destined to succeed where others had
failed
However, although Molly had no doubts
on the subject, yet, as Captain Willis had
suggested, it now became necessary to de-
termine positively whether the fragment of
wreck picked up by the Golden Gate had
really belonged to the Dreadnaught. This
piece of the wreck had been forwarded to
Hollister & Co. by express from San Fran
cisco and been sent to the superintendent of
the shipyard, by whom it had been SUBJ
mitted to the examination of the builders
and their foremen
The fragment of wreck which had been
picked up by the Golden Gate off Melville
Island about ten miles out from shore was
piece of a ships stem, or rather of that
carved cutwater which is commonly attached
to the prov of sailing vessels. This piece
of wood hau undergone considerable change
of texture, not from lying in the water for
long while, but from exposure to the in
clemency of the weather. Hence the con-
clusion that it must have remained for
long time on this reef on which the clipper
ship had struck, then in some way or other
been detached, possibly by the action of
strong current, and tossed about in the
water for several months or possibly weeks,
when it was picked up by the Golden Gate.
But did it come from Captain Johns vessel?
Yes, for the carving on this piece of wood
matched that which had ornamented the
prov of the Dreadnaught. This was the
conclusion reached BY the builders at San
Diego. The teakwood, for such was the
fragment, was positively recognized as
identical with the stock in hand. They
even discovered the mark of the iron brace
which clamped the cutwater to the ships
prov, and also the remnants of coat Of red
paint with tracery of foliage in gold line.
Therefore, the fragment of wreck picked |
up by the Golden Gate once belonged to the
good ship Dreadnaught; of this there was
absolutely no doubt. This point established,
1t became quite possible to accept Captain |
Willis theory that since the Dreadnaught |
had been signaled in the Java Sea to the |
southeast of Celebes Island, she must have |
been, a few days later, carried through |
Lombock or some other passage opening |
into the Timor or Arafoura Sea and hurled |
upon the reefs of the Australian coast. And |
hence it was perfectly reasonable and justi-
fable TO send craft to explore the waters |
lying between the Sunda islands and the
north coast of Australia But would this
expedition succeed any better than the one
which had included the Philippines, the
Jelebes and the Moluccas? Yes, the pros
oect was brighter.
This time Mrs. Allaire was quite deter
mined to accompany the expedition, and it
equired the appeal of Andrew Hollister,
captain Willis and Zach French to dissuade
Ter from so doing. A cruise of this sort,
which would of necessity last long while,
night be hampered by the presence of
voman on board.
1t need hardly be stated that Zach French
vas shipped as boatswain of the Molly's
Hope which was now reported by Captain
Willis as ready to sail.