The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-07-19

Choir in the port of Batavia, at the westerly
end of the island of Java. This is the cap
ital of the Dutch possessions in Oceanica.
The Goyernor-General was not able to give
Captain Willis a glimmer Of light on the
possible fate Of the Dreadnaught. In the
opinion of the marine authorities at Batavia
the American three-master had been over
taken by tornado, which had caught her
With all her sails set and sent her to the
bottom with every soul ON board. In sup
port of this opinion they cited number of
like cases. in which no tidings had come
from the doomed vessels and no bit of the
wreck had ever been cast ashore.
1n leaving Batavia the MOlly's Hope put
the Strait of Snnda ON her port side and
sighted the islands of Billion and Banka
Formerly the approaches to these islands
were infested with pirates who frequently
! attacked vessels touching here for cargoes Of
iron and tin, but the marine police have sue
ceeded in destroying this pest so that there
was no reason to conclude that the Dread
naught and her crew had fallen victims to
sea robbers at this point
Continuing her course toward the north
west the steamer kept up her search among
the islands along the coast of Sumatra. On
| June Goth the southerly end If the Malay
! Peninsula was sighted and the Moly's Il ope
shortly afterward put in at the port of
Singapore.
AS the engines called for repairs, Captain
Willis was obliged to make stay OF two
weeks in this port. which is situated on the
| southerly side of the small island of the
| same name. This little island, however,
! since the English first selected it as a naval
| and commercial station in 1918, has steadily
| increased in Importance. a fact due to its
! admirable situation on the line of trade be-
| tween America and the Indies.
1t will be remembered that it was at this
| port that the Dreadnaught was to land a
| portion of her cargo before proceeding to
| Calcutta. 1t will also be remembered that
| the American clipper ship never entered
| this port. However, Captain Willis profited
! by his forced sojourn here to investigate the
| circumstances of every wreck that had feen
| reported within late years.
| From the very fact that the Dreadnaugbt
had been signaled off the port of Macassar
| and that she had never reached Singapore it
| became necessary TO assume that she had
| been wrecked somewhere between these
| two points. True, there was another posi-
| tion to take, and it was that Captain John
had left tie Java Sea and run out into the
| Indian Ocean through the Strait Of Lom-
book or Strait OF Sunda And yet why
should he have done this. inasmuch as he
was bound for Singapore? Such suppo-
| sition had nothing to support it.
BY August 18th the steamer was ready for
sea, and Captain Willis, by coasting along
the Samoa Islands. left no point unvisited
One after the other he made thorough search
| on Madura. Bally, Lombock and Sumbawa
islands: The Aoliy's Hope had great diff
Guilty at times to keep herself from being
caught in the violent currents flowing
| through the different straits opening into
| the Indian Ocean, currents so strong that
| ship is carried along even i'll the teeth of
the monsoon. 1t will be readily understood
that sailing verse; would find it almost i'm
| possible to escape from one of the impetu-
| Gus swirls to the southwark.
| After leaving Flores Islani, Captain VIII
| lis continued to skirt along the chain of
| islands shutting in the Flores and Banda
| seas on the south, but no tidings of Captain
| John and his companions, no trace of the
! beautiful clipper ship rewarded their eff
forts. Naturally, the crew of the Molly's
| Hope felt the depressing effect of this long
| and frutleSs cruise. But, however, it was
| too soon to give up all hope. as the search
| was not yet completed. IL was possible that
| Captain John Instead If entering Macassar
| Strait after leaving Mindanao had chosen
| the Molucca passage and had entered the
Java Sea through the Banda and Flores
seas.
But the time was running down, and the
log. book of the Moly's Hope continued TO
| make no mention Of any trace or tidings of
| the lost vessel. Neither at Timor nor among
| the three groups which make up the Mo-
! lncca Archipelago did Captain Willis come
upon any bit or shred of information which
might point 10 the fact that the Inflated
| clipper had been lost in these waters. When
the search steamer reached the island of
GIllolo the circle was complete. Captain
| Willis had made the rounds of the Eastern
Archipelago; he had ended the task which
| had been assigned him.
Having taken on the necessary supplies of
| provisions and COAL the Moly's Hope, on
January 9th. was hraded for home. thus
ended the year 1851, the sixth since the
| Dreadnanght had last been heard from. 1t
was not until January 23d that the steamer
was sighted at the signal station OF San
Diego.
! The Malaysian campaign had lasted nine
| teen months, and in spite of the prod-
| glous efforts Of Captain Willis, seconded by
| the admirable devotion of his officers and
crew, the mystery of the Dreadnaught re-
manned as dark and deep as ever.
| To be continued nert Sunday.
| ConYrIght 1871.