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

That Capt. John has perished? Not
by any meansl" cried theooatswain-
'Then-you have hope"
"More than hope, Mrs. Allairel have
q firm and solid conviction. Would a
captain like your husband permit him
self to be whisked away on the skirts OF
a gale? Not hel Such a thing was
never known
The sailors words and the manner in
whi-a they had been spoken sent o
thrill through Molly's heart. 1t was
such comfort to know that she would
no longer be the only one to think that
Capt. John was not lost, and that tins
other person was one to whom she her
self 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 be
lieve that Capt. John was not lost in
this wreck
''Yes, Mrs. Alaire, yesl And the proof
that he Is still alive is that he will be
found some day or other. And if that's
not proof"
Hereupon Zach French entered into q
number of details with regard to the
finding 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"
"Goodl 1t will succeed this time;
and if you'll allow me, madam, I'll
take part in it."
Il.
THAT I 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. I'm
ready to sail any moment"
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 con-
vinced that the boatswain was des-
tined to succeed where others had
| failed.
However, although Molly had no
doubts on the subject, yet as Capt
Willis had suggested it now became
necessary to determine positively
whether the fragment of wreck picked
up by the Golden Gate had really be-
longed to the Dreadnaught. This
piece of the wreck had been forwarded
to Hollister g. Co. by express from San
Francisco and been sent to the superin-
tendent of the ship yard, by whom it
had been submitted 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 a piece of a ships
stern, or rather of that carved cutwater
which is commonly attached to the
| prov of sailing vessels. This piece of
wood had undergone considerable
| change CT texture, not from lying in the
water for long while but from ex-
posure to the inclemency of the
weather. Hence the conclusion 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
Capt Johns vessel? Yes, for the
carving on this piece of wood matched
that which had ornamented the PROV
of the Dreadnaught. This was the con-
clusion reached by the builders at San
Diego. The teakwood, for such was the
fragment, was positively recognized as
identical with the stock on 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 be-
longed to the good ship Dreadnaught;
Of this there was absolutely no doubt
Thus point established, it became quite
possible to accept Capt. Willis theory
that since the Dreadnaught had been
signaled in the Java sea to the south
east o. Celebes island, she must have
been, a few days later, carried through
Lombok or some other passage open
into the Timor or Arafoora sea and
| hurled upon the reefs of the Australian
coast. And hence it was perfectly rea-
sonabSe and justifable 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 Gel
ebes and the Moluccas? Yes, the pros
pect was brighter.
This time Mrs. Allaire was quite de-
termined to accompany the expedition
and it required the combined appeal of
Andrew Hollister, Capt. Willis and Zach
French to dissuade her from so doing.
A cruise of this sort, which would of
necessity last long while, might be
hampered by the presence of a woman
on board.
1t need hardly be stated that Zach
French was shipped as boatswain of the
Molly's Hope which was now reported
by Capt Willis as ready to sail.
CHAPTER XIII