The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-03-07
WAITING FOR A SAIL.


The suhRaiings OF u Grew Whose yosss
Had iiean Wrecked.
~ \ letter 70 . friend In this city, Captain
Jones. Of the wrecked British bark Com
padre, gives 4 sketch Of tue dangers ant
dlincnlties endured by himself ana crew
before they were rescued and taken I,
Auckland, N. n, says the San Francisco
Gall.
h Compadre was an iron bark of sN
Ions, built Vt Ill!verpoal in 1868. Onthe yoy,
nRe thnt ended her career she sailed from
port Of Valparaiso.
AL vent we'll until the vessel was about
Sbo miles TO tho southwark Of Now Neulnnd,
Wnon Inc cargo was found to be on fire. II
Was blowing half u gale at tho time, hut in
aplte o. this the crew took OIL tho main
matches and made an effort to subdue the
flames. '"'
a great amount Of water was poured into
tne hold, but IL did not seem to have any
enect on the fire, which rapidly gained head
way. An ef1oit was then made to got ut tho
IRE, but the dense volumes Of smoke forced
che men TO batten the matches down.
flolss wsrs theh cut in the deck over the
nre ana water pumped into the vessel until
she was half full. Still the ttre rapidly
gained in spite Of all tue crew could do,
ana seeing that tho vessel WAS doomed.
Capt. Jones decided to make Tor tbs near.
als land, which happened to be Auckland
island, st that time forty miles distant.
Inc pitch in the sea nus on deck was bub-
bling VIXEN the lookout sighted the island,
ana every stitch of anil that the bark would
stand was sprsnd. in hopes Of reaching tho
70 the boats. Just as the flames burst
through the matches the bark Was close to
the lee side OF the island, and Capt. Jones
Mt once ordered the vessel to be bslched on
Q narrow strip Of sandy bench. TO rapidly
nc the flames envelope ths doomed bark
single thing. but we're forced to lower tile
boats. and some of the men had to th ow
themselves INTO the kea to avoid the flames,
After reaching shore enc of the men was
missed and his body was found on tho
beach the next day, he having been drowned
Wills leaving tho vessel. TIL condition of
tho twenty-three men Was pjtiful, as they
were without either food or shelter Of any
kind. ~
Tho island, not a large ono, is totally un-
inhabited. Very little w~reckage came
ashore from tho burned vessel, but the men
occurred what they could md managed to
build q compile Of small huta, in which they
got rome shelter from the weather. Two
of this three boats wore SO badly damaged
az 70 be worthless, and were usell to build
another shed, as there was not room in the
others for all hands. Water they found on
the Island in abundance, bus for food they
had to make out on a few ber; ies gathered
from the bushes and such shellish as they
could find along the shore. Capt. Jones
as once realized the desperate position in
which he and the crew were placed, and
know That unless taken off by Il passing
vessel they could never hope to Lay, the
'sland. 'lliue, they had the boat lett, but
even 1T they had compass and chats they
hardly hope to reach the New Iea-
and cnuHt hGjItpnt fnlIv Rll r,,ilou ,r,tl,r,+
tood or wator. With a boat-mast and q
elecs OF canvas a signal was set on the
point of the island that might be
'een by a passing vessel, while q Zig pile of
brush WAS got ready to be used at night.
The men divided themselves into watches
night aud day. But their island prison was
mt of the ordinary track OF vesscls in that
'art of the world, and FOR 103 days the poor
elbows lived on tho dreary ocean-b0und
ock until at last they almost desphirod of
Yer being taken off.
AZ last 9 long-looked-lor enil was
lghtod and the half-starved men set fire to
40 brush heap. hoping tbs smoke would be
by those on board thu vessel. 10 their
reat JOY the ship nsWcred the signal by /;
eadlnU for the island, and in a few houts
ne shlpwreckod crew we're safe ON board
er. Not long after they were landed at 4
.uckland. There the castaways were fur
ished clothes and such food and medical
aE they needed. -, {
NOT q ma III the entire party had q cent J
( money, and Captain Jones tried IN vain (
, obtain a passage to Liverpool for him
and Officers. Most of the crew found
aelter IN the various boarding houses, and
tain Jones, seeing he could reach Liver
COL III no other manner, accepted a berth
J able seaman on ono of the New Zealand .
colnpany's steamers and worked =
is wav hons III that mann :. =
Flo was, however, not com yelled to sleep
tho foreoastle, but was given a closed
frth IN tho steerage instead. Tho Com !
idre was owned by, Tomlinson d Hodeetts.
Liverpool, and was fully insured, 10. ,
'ther with the cargo. 1