Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1892-11-18

Z
hundreds Of miles to the west Of Torres
strait. II he was not, why should he
have returned towards this strait, when
Singapore, his port Of destination, lay
in the opposite-direction?"
81 don't know what to think" an
swered the mate. IF the piece of
wreck had been found in the Indian
ocean it might be explained by assum-
ing that the clipper ship had been
wrecked on the Sunda islands or on the
west coast of Australia"
while the fact is" replied Capt VIII
lis, that the bit of wreck was found as
far up as Melville island, which would
go to prove that the Dreadnaught had
been lost in Arafoora sea near Torres
strait or in the strait ITSELF
at may be-" said French, that there
are counter currents along the Austria
Ian coast which may have carried the
piece of wreck towards the strait. In
that case the ship may have gone to
pieces in the western portion Of Ara
foora sea-"
"It will come out in good time" an
swered Captain Willis; meanwhile, let
us work our ship as IL the Dreadnaught
had gone to pieces on the reefs Of Torres
strait
And if we work her we'll" added
Zach, 1--WE shall find Capt. John"
This was the best thing that could
be done, and this was what they did do.
Torres strait Is about thirty miles
wide and swarms with reefs and inlets,
nine hundred or more. and most of
them on level with the water The
natives are very slxillful in the manage
ment of their light pirogues and have
no difficulty in crossing from one shore
| to another Therefore, If Capt John
and his companions had taken refuge
on one of these inlets il would have
been easy enough for them to reach
| the Australian coast and then make
| their way to some little settlement on
the gulf of Carpentaria or on the
peninsula of Cape York, whence they
would have had no great difficulty in
reaching home. On the other hand. the
moment it was assumed that Capt
John had never entered Torres strait
then arose the question of the fragment
of wreck and how to explain its presence
off Melville island
Capt Willis ran the Molly's Hops
4
keeping close to the Australian coast
Upon nearing Murray island the ap-
proach of a number of dugouts was sig
nailed, but the natives who manned
them as well as those who gathered ON
the shores as the Molly's Hope steamed
slowly by contented themselves with
uttering wild war whoops and brandish-
ing their battle spears.
For a whole month, up to June 10,
Willis and his interchangeable searchers
continued to ransack the coasts of the
islands lying between the gulf of Car
pentarin and New Guinea. Not a bit
or shred of rigging, not broken spar
or piece of wood was picked up by Capt.
Willis to lead him to think that the
Dreadnaught had gone to pieces on
these reefs.
After another month spent in coast
ing along from Arnheim bay to Van
Diemens gulf the Molly's Hope on July
II sighted Melville island II was ten
miles to the north of this coast that the
fragment of the wrecked Dreadnaught
had been picked up. As it had got no
farther than this point it became
necessary to assume that it had only
been detached from the wreck a short
time prior TO the arrival of the Golden
Gate. 1t was therefore possible that
they were at that moment in close
proximity to the scene of the wreck
With the coming of November, Willis
| asked himself whether he was to con-
slider that the campaign was at an end,
| at least so far as the Australian coast
and islands lying off it were considered
| Should he return home after he had
made search among the Sunda islands
| lying in the southern part of Timor
sea? In plain words, was he conscious
of having done everything that it was
possible for a man to do?
The brave sailor hesitated to look
upon his task as ended even after he
had secured the Australian coast
Something happened to rescue him from
this state of indecision.
On the morning of November 4 he
was engaged in conversation with Zach
| French when the boatswair pointed at
some objects floating in the water
about half a mile from the steamer.
They were neither pieces of wood, frag-
ments of planking or trunks of trees;
they were huge punches of grass, sort
of yellowish gulf weed torn from the
bottom of the sea and drifting along
| the main land
"Well, that's strange said French,
chang me if that grass isn't coming
from the west; yes, from the southwest
There must be current which is carry
Ing it toward the strait"
| That's So" replied Capt. Willis,
"and it must be local current with an
| easterly course unless it be the effect of
the tide"
81 don't think so, captain" answered
! French, 'for recollect now that early
this morning noticed punches of this
grass drifting in the same direction"
Zach, are you certain of it?'
"As certain as / am that we shall
find Capt. John some day"
"Well," replied Capt. Willis, 'if such
current exists it may be that that
| piece of the wrecked Dreadnaught came
from the west following the Australian
| coast"
'Thats exactly my opinion, captain"
| "Then there Is but one course for us
to take. We must continue our search
across Timor sea as far al the west
| Australian coast"
81 was never more convinced of it,
captain, since beyond all doubt there Is
q coast current which runs in the di-
rection of Melville island. BY assum-
ing that Capt. John was lost in western
waters, we have now an explanation
how 1t was possible that piece of his
wreck should have been picked up
where it was"
Capt. Willis sent for his mate and
consulted with him as to the expediency
of continuing the expedition towards
the west The mate was of the opinion
that it now became absolutely necessa-
ry to do SO, at least until the source of
the current had been reached.
ITO the westward thenl' cried Capt.
| Willis; "we must not 90 back to San
Diego with possibilities but with GER
tainties-the certainty that if the
Dreadnaught went to pieces on the
| Australian coast there is not plank or
| a spar of her left in existence"
In consequence of this-under the cir
cumstances-very justifable determine
ton, the Molly's Hope crossed to Ii
NOR island In order to take on provis-
ions and hll her coal brnkers, and then,
after stay of forty-eight hours, re-
crossed to Cape Londonderry. Upon
1