The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-11-26
AN ANOLDSAILOR'SYARN
a STORY OF HARDSHIP AND DEATH
IN THE ANTARCTIC OCEAN.

A STORY OF HARDSHIP AND DEATH
IN THE ANTARCTIC OCEAN.
4 Boat Crew OF seven nIeu Left on an
Island and Not Called For-siv Of tho
Unfortunates Finally Lost Their Lives.
some Idea or the Place.
Captain Eldridge, of the steamer Cath
arine Whiting, is one Of those breezy,
old time tars who used to start Oft from
some New England port in a sailing YES
sci which would return only after a voy-
| age of two or three years. During those
/ lengthy and tempestuous buffetings with
the sea Captain Eldridge saw much that
was of interest Some of this he has told
with a quaint marine candor worthy Of
being exactly reproduced. He says:
saw in The World where three men
were left on an island in the Arctic. This
reminds me of a boat crew that was left on
an island in the Antarctic ocean i'm 1871 by
the schooner Franklin, of New London,
Captain James Holmes, master, They
were landed ON Cape Sheriff to kill what
| seals they could while the schooner wen:
on a prospecting voyage-that is to say.
looking for rookeries or places where
seals travel up ON the beach to rear their
young
Well, they were to stay there until
the schooner returned. which would be
in ten days at most. So ten days pro-
visions were given them, and when ten
days had expired the men did not know
but the vessel was lost. So they took in
their boat the carcasses of seals and
started for Potters cove, $50 miles away.
where they expected to find the bark
Nile, for it was expected she would sail
on the 18th day of March for New Lon
don They arrived there on the nth, and
she had sailed ON the 18th, as it appeared.
Now what were they TO do without
clothes OF fuel, no provisions or shelter,
and very, cold winter of nine long,
dark months; As it is so far south the
summer is shOrt-say three months, and
winter nine mOnths-and summer is as
cold as our winter here, but has the ad-
vantage Of being all day, while the win
ter is all night They were in G3 degs.
latitude, south.
Well, the season was so far gone that
the few seals, or elephants, OF other ami
mails that inhabit this part of the globe
had gone into the sea for winter. But,
however, they did manage to get few
seals and elephants and secured their
oil, and ON this they lived until spring
For shelter they got an old try works
which had been left there by some ship
and covered this with snow to keep out
what cold possible, and with snow for
blankets they lived the winter through
In the spring they concluded TO go
back to Cape Sheriff and kill all the
seals they could before the vessels be-
gan to arrive. Then they would make
some bargain to take home the skins.
So, without any provisions, they started
back, but on going out the straits they
got jammed in the ice and had to go
back over the ice to Purter's cove. They
would haul their boat from one cake or
block of ice to another, and launch
when necessary. Well, they got back
at last where they started from nearly
dead from cold and exposure.
But, however, another trial Four re
fused to go, but three of them took an
other boat which had been left by some
other ship and started again without
any food, for there was none to be got
at so early in the spring. Nevertheless
they arrived then at Cape Sheriff. After
ward they killed 1900 seals and spread
their skins on the snow to keep them
from heating, but what became Of them
will never be known 1t was supposed
that they undertook to cross the straits,
but could not manage the boat. How
ever, they were lost. Now about those
four that stayed at the Cove-I remem-
ber two of their names, but have for
gotten the others. One was an Indian
from Long Island, some place near Mon
tauk-his last name was Garby-and
one 10y the name Of James King, who
was eventually the only survivor Of the
seven, and his tale of suffering was ter
rible. He had to kill and eat the other
three men. They We're nothing but
skin and bones anyway, and he could
not have survived more than one day
more had we not found him as we did.
p We buried the remains of the others
in the snow. King then went ON board
of the bark Nile, and from her he went
on board Of the schooner u. p. Siuons
and came to New London, where he
sailed from He sued the company, but
finally he gave it up and cleared out-no
% one knows where
Now, will give you all the iufurma
? ton can as to why they We're left there
| 1t was late in the season and the winds
would not permit Of the schooner getting
{ back to them. So she sailed for home.
What are seven mems lives to some men:
Now, VIII give you some idea Of the
e place. 1t is in from 6l to G3 degs. south
latitude and the land is Of volcanic
10 origin, sprung up out of blue water and
hiding in the clouds with thousands of
feet Of snow ON top The rocks are Of
soapstone appearance. There is not the
first sign Of vegetation on them-not
even moss will grow on the rocks.
5 Yes, there is sign Of vegetation; what
9 is known as crimson snow. But if you
{ take a handful and look at it without
D the aid of a microscope You will see moth
ing but little red on the snow, but with
1 the aid Of n microscope you can see the
r fine roots in the snow. Soit is a vegeta-
BILE.
4 There are no shellhsh ON the roclis-it
] is perfect desolation. But in the summer
the birds of all l,inds-that is, birds Of
D high latitude-are here to breed their
p young. There are the sea hen, the Mother
4, Cary's chicken, which is found all over
s the world, aud penguin, several species
Of them. And to see these penguin as
the march from their nests 10 the sen
and back in single file and stand SO erect
r They do not fly They have just merely
a small fin TO swim with while in the
s water. They just make a hole in the
q snow, lay two eggs and sit On them as
q any bird, right in the snow But nature
Y provides a way out OF all tI.sse scrapes
P as it were. Their eggs are .. sood substi'
tute for hons eggs.-New 'orl World,
, When a Dog surrenders.
a IL is evident that a man who win seri
q ously undertake to put himself en- rap