Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-04-25
81 FROsTBURG Md. SATURDAY, April. 25 1891.

MS eyes anu CtlHo W hAS oeuoco w hlo
himself lying on the sands, his float near
by, and the storm cleared away. He
was stiff and sore and bewildered, and
he crawled further up the shore and
went to sleep again, and 1t was sunrise
before he again opened his eyes About
an hour iater lie knew that he was OH
an island about three miles long by one
mile wide. 1t wa, well wooded, con-
tanned several sp ngs of fresh water,
and there was an abundance of wild
fruit to sustain life. There was not an
inhal liant or sign of one, nor did he
find any living thing except birds and
monkeys.
Wheaton was not only good seaman.
but a we'll educated and well posted
man, and he had sailed on the Pacific
for many years. There was hardly an
island in the ocean which he had not
set foot on and could recognize by sight
again. After bit he began to figure
on his location, aud he made out that
he had been driven ashore on an un-
known and uncharted island lying very
cl Sc to the tquat +, and in longitude
120 degrees west. 7 is put him mid
way, on northeast and southwest
line, between the Marquesas group and
the Galapagos Islands. He had visited
both groups, and as both were inhabited
at the time, he could not be mistaken
in his location had he gone ashore on
any one of them. He found proofs
satisfactory to himself that the island
was of volcanic origin, not over II or 10
years old, and that the luXuriant vege-
tation was due to the tropical climate.
The birds, of which there were several
species, could perhaps have fl ,wn there
from some Of the other islands, but
how the monkeys reached the spot was
a puzzle the captain never got over.
That he found 'em there was proved
when he was rescued, there being two
pet animals on the raft
When tie castaway came to walk
around his island he found the wreck
of the Scotch brig Mcneil on the east
shore, and the wreck of the California
ship Golden Bar on the west coast Both
craft had been reported lost with all on
board two or three years before. The
one was whaler and the other trader.
The captain not only said he found them,
hut he Lad proofs again. He had the
name board of the ship and some papers
belonging to the brig. He b iried the
skeletons of 13 sailors, and among the
debris of the wrecks he secured a large
quantity of clothing. considerable money,
some bedding, lot of tools, ropes,
boards, and pIanks, and within a week
be began the work of building Il boat to
enable him to escape.
l always felt that the old man must
have had jolly life of it for the 10
months and over he was on what he
called "Wheaton's Island" but he dweIt
on the fact that it was terribly lonely.
It went harder with him, because he
had wife and six children, and he
knew that they would be mourning his
DEATH He found several barrels of
whisky and lot of tobacco in the
plumber, but he was not content to sit
still and enjoy himself. He put in
two months on his boat. and had
just got her finished when storm
drifted out to sea- Anxiety and ex
posure, aided by the worry about the
folks at home, laid the old man on his
back for several weeks, and he probably
had a close call from slipping his
cables. He got up slowly, and as he
had been wasteful with his materials,
he found that he must turn to a raft if
he ever got away. He worked at it at
odd hours, being ill and despondent,
for several months, and when it was
finished he hesitated full month be-
fore making start, hoping every day
to sight sail. He had signal flying
by day and almost every night he kept
fire going, but rescue never came.
One day, two weeks before he set out
on his voyage, the captain made great
discovery. In rough, wild place in
the center of the island, where a mass
of rock was thrown up in great con-
fusion, he found lump of gold as big
as your fist Ay! more than that, he
found masses of it so heavy that he
could not lift them. These chunks, he
said, were as pure as his big nugget,
and that l not only held in my hand,
but saw the certificate of assay reading
sold it at the mint in San Fran
cisco for over $4,000, and that
in my presence. In the course
of three or four days the captain piled
up such heap of gold on his island
that he dared not estimate its value
There was enough to make dozen men
rich for life, and more to be had with
picks and iron bars. Then the demon
of avaric, would not let him wait any
longer for rescue. Indeed, he did not
want to be rescued. He made his craft
ready, cut branches, and pulled grass to
hide his nuggets, and set sail with fair
wind to the northeast, hoping to get
into the track of ships bound for the
Sandwich Islands. He was picked up,
as have told you, but he found tough
nut in the English captain. He had to
leieve that Captain Wheaton had left
some island not FIR away, for there was
the man and there was the raft. He
couldn't have made himself believe that
the island was one of the group to the
east or west, yet he wouldn't believe in a
nearer island, because it wasn't charted.
He simply jumped to the conclusion
that the ca~lawav had suffered and en-
dured until his mind was off its balance.
This was natural enough in one sense,
but when Wheaton came to show him
the relics from the two wrecks, and when
the two monkeys were skipping about
on deck, any one but an E alishman
would have been Convinced
Captain Wheaton was sharp enourl,
to withhold his big secret until he had