Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-12-04
ADRIFT ON THE SEAS.
INVOLUNTARY WANoEalNGS THAT
PEOPLED ISLES or THE PACIFIC.
Tho Evidence of Language Tending ros
ward the Oriental Origin OF Even
the Indian Race.
TPit,sburs Dispatcn.I

tho Pacific Ocean the myriads OF islands,
big and little, scattered over tho broad ex-
psnse were found to be inhabited. Ques-
tons as to the origin OF these people and
how they reached their island homes,
separated as they often are by hundreds Of
miles of ocean, have long interested anthro-
biologists. II was certain that these oceanic
people could not have originated where
they were found, for their relationship,
not only with one another. but also with
the inhabitants OF the Malay archipelago
was easily apparent, An hypothesis that
had considerable vogue was that thesa
islanders were merely remnants otthe peo-
pie of q continent that years ago sank be-
meath tho waves with only Its mountain
tops peering above them. This hypothesis
was proved 10 be worthless.
In the course of the investigations u has
become perfectly evident that These
islands were peopled by migEations and
that very many of these migfations were
involuntary. IL has been observed that
the greatest and most eastern OF these 70
citc races, the Polynesians, in their tradi-
tions. mode of life. and religious practices
resemble IN many respects the Papuans.
Malayens, and even the japanese.
EVEN oUR INDIANS RELATED.
Some careful observers also have found
analogies between the Polynesisns and the
natives OF North and South America, aud
it may be that our Indian races had some
part In peopling the Pacific islands, sup
position that derives the more probability
from the fact that the prevailing winds
and currents south of the equator movo
from east 10 west.
Since the Pacific became we'll known
numerous instances VI migrations from
continental lands TO the islands and from
80 hav
corded. Reclus tells of @ japanese Junk
which. in 1882 was carried by typhoon
far east of the island homo of the
nine poor fishermen who were on
board. The Kuro Siyo current bore
the castaways still further east. They
lost all their bearings. knew not
whittier they were drifting. and for ten
months they were buheted here ana there
on unknown seas, until finally their help
less vessel brought up on tho coast OF
Oahu. in the Hawaiian Islands. Thanks
TO their load of fish and the rain-water
they caught, four of the unfortunates
lived 10 tell the story of their terrible
suferings.
HAWAIIAN RESEMBLANCE TO THE JAps.
"Itis plain now that we came from Asia"
said the HawaiIaus as they recognized the
resemblance between these foreigners and
themselves. Pine-trees. brought from
the coasts of Oregon or Vancouver Island.
are often stranded on the shores OF this
archipelago. and the traditions or ha,
waii have handed down reports OF red
men from the far East. whom some chance
has cast upon the islands.
One of the greatest geograpbers has SAID
that nations push forward To possess new
lands in direction opposite TO that OF tho
general movement of the air and waters.
This is the case in the Pacific. TO be sure,
the general movement OF air and currents
, flowing west produces refluX currents
moving east. which have undou otedly been
of great importance in scattering people
among the eastern archipeiagos. But these
! counter currents are almost wholly north
| of the equator. whore oceanic lands are
rare. Most of the Polyneslan islands arc
| south of the equator. where strong cur
rents move across the ocean from the
| Western world toward Australia and New
| Guinea and to reach these Eastern ISLANDS
| the boats of the unfortunate csstaways or
| voluntary travellers must have been driven
J by wind and wave over u tortuous course,
until at last whom TAR towards America.
| they struck the westward currents
| and wind zones and were carried 10
the new homes of which they had never
heard.
p8TFN FAR FROM TIE DIRECT COURSE.
Often. if they could have travelled in a
straight line. a Journey of five oE SIX hun
| dred miles would have taken them tO their
new places Of abode. But. as Reclus has
said, the authentic records OF these
| involuntary voyages. made during the
rast three centuries. show that many times
| the actual journey was two or three times
as long az the shortest route. IL Is certain
that comparatively few OF these castaways
we're spared 20 be the seed from which
| future peoples were 20 spring. How many
of them with their fran crafts were sHal-
| lowed up in the deep!
| There is proof. also that these migra-
] tions have not only been the result OF acct
dent, bat sometimes also of deliberate pur-
pose. Two scholars, the late Professor
! Ouartrefages and Mr. Otto Sittlg, hayo
gwen great attention TO collecting tho evil
| dences Of authenticated cases OF inyolun-
| tary wanderings IN the Pacific. A nero
| catalogue of the known instances recorded
| by Ouartretages in his Les Polynesiens ct
| Ieufs Misra ions,n and by Shttig in his
study. q" tiebsr Unfreiwillige Wanderungel
| im Grossen OZean." would I'LL several
| columns.
LRIFTED FoR sEvESrY-rwo DAYS.
A remarkable instance is that recorded
! bv missionaries in the Philippine Islands
] as occurring in 1895. Twenty-nIne natives
! OF palau, which st that time had never
been seen By civilized man. were driven by
| n storm lar west of tdeir home and then
! drifted with the current to Samal one of
| the Philippine Islands. Their two boats
I drifted f1r seventy two days and i've of
the men died of exhaustion during the
/ bOO-mile journey. A few days later two
women from the same island were brought
| by the same chance TO tho same place Of
refuge.
K3tzebue tells OF japanese who were
| blown away from their native shores and
actually lived 10 reach the American coast,
having travelled across the North Pacific IN
| the Kuro Sivo and the eastward drrfi
north of the equator. Now and then
| iunks have been driven from Chi
nese waters TO the American coast.
Another very interesting tact is that
there are many records ofinyoluntary yoy.
sges made from eastern to western IL
lands. The longest journeys on record
have been north Of the equator where 1T
lie land is found, and the drifts have ex.
tended from Asiatlc waters To Hawai- OF
North America. These accidents Of nevi'
CATION som etimes have curious linguistic
results. Dialects closely allied TO ths
Iongan. for instance. are found hundreds
OF miles away with other dialects inter.
venlng.
| WHITE cAsrAwAYs IL THE OCEAN.
Last year solitary whito man, the sole
survivor of a shipwrecked crew, was res
! cIe0 tTOU an tut
North Pacific. There is no doubt thai
white castaways are to-day living on out
ot.the-way islands, seldom visited by ships
and are scanning the horizon anxIously for
the relief that il long IN coming. In 1851
thirteen sailors of the French ship Tamars
took refuge, after the sinking of their YES.
sci. upon one Of the Crozet Islands, south OF
Madagascar and far towards the Antarctic
Circle. There they lived for nine months
subsisting on biscuit they had saved from
tie wreck. penguin eggs, and nsh. They
would doubtless have been rescued II sheiI
PATIENCE had held out. But. as the record
ihey left behind them shows. they sought
10 reach IN small boats another island,
eighty miles away. which they believed
was nearer the track OF whalers, and they
psr,shed in the attempt, for they were
never heard of again.
The breadth OF the Paciic would seem
10 interpcse an unsurmountabie oostacls
to the In, migration OF ssvages IN their tiny
srsfts. Hut this obstacle has been more
han con ter balanced by the myriads of
, Islands that nave served o. stepping-stcnes
FOR the human race on its way across tue
rrsst waste OF waters.
Forced TO IL.
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