Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-09-17

'As it is also quite possible that they all perished from hunger and exposure.
 ''What makes you think so, captain?"
 Because when they discovered that it was in their power to get away from this island they would have taken down that signal. It looks to me us if the last of these unfortunates must have died before relief came. Anyway, let us go and examine that signal; it's bare ly possible that we may come upon some evidence of the nationality of the ship which went ashore here"
 Capt. Willis and his men made their way down from the elevation aRd set out for the promontory which jutted out to the northward. But hardly had they taken half dozen steps when one of the men stopped to pick up some thing which had struck against his foot.
 "Hold on, what's this?'' said he.
 "Let's seel" replied French
 It was the blade of knife such as sailors carry in their belts in leather sheath. Broken off even with the ham de and full of hicks, the blade had doubtless been thrown away as useless.
 "Wel, Zach?" asked Willis.
 "I'm looking for some mark to show where it was manufactured" answered the boatswain.
 It was natural to suppose that 1t would bear some makers mark, but 1t had become so rusted that until some what cleaned off nothing could be dis cerned. Having done this, French sue ceeded in deciphering the words stamped upon the blade. They were: Sheffield, England" Capt. Willis and his companions continued their way towards the promontory. It was hard tramp through this wild region. Ad- hitting that it had ever been visited by man, considerable time must have elapsed since then as it was impossible to discover any traces of foot prints. After they had proceeded for about two miles, Capt. Willis halted near a clump of cocoa trees, stunted and scrubby, the nuts of which long since fallen to the ground were completely decayed.
 Up to this moment the party had come upon no additional evidence, but at & few feet from this clump of trees on the slope of slight hollow there were un- doubted traces of planting in the up turned soil now thinly overgrown with underbrush. The vines of sweet pota- toes and yams run wild were recognized. By merest chance one of the seamen came upon pick hidden under briars. The tool had been deeply corroded by rust, but from the manner in which the handle was fitted to it there was no doubt of it's being American make.
 "What do you think of it, captain?" asked French.
 ''I don't think we're called upon to pass judgment now," answered Willis.
 'Then let's push on aheadr' said French, as he motioned to the seamen to follow him. Having made their way down the sloping sides of the main ledge, they reached level spot from which the rocky headland jutted boldly out to the northv ard. At this point they came upon a narrow cleft in the rock through which they were enabled without any difficulty to reach stretch of sandy beach below them. It was about an acre in area, and was shut in by rocks over whose handsome red dish surfaces the breakers swept inces- sanity.
 Scattered over this stretch of sand there were many objects going to prove that human beings had made a pro- longed stay in this part of the island bits of glass and china, fragments of earthern ware, scraps of iron, provis- ion cans of undoubted American origin, and, in addition to these, were noted utensils common to shipboard, pieces of chain, broken rings, parts of rigging in galvanized iron, a grappling iron, hoist ing tackle, pump handle, fragments of spars and floats and pieces of sheet iron torn off water cask, as to the ori- gin ofwhich no Californian sailor could possibly go astray.
 Ut was no English ship that ran on this island," said Capt. Willis, Git was an American vessel"
 "Yes," cried out Zach French, land take my word for it, she was built in one of the Pacific ports;" an opinion that was shared by the other seamen. But still as yet there was nothing to | show that this ship had been the ill., fated Dreadnaught. At all events, the question was: Did not this vessel-from whatever port she hailed-go down in | the open sea- since there were no signs of any part of her hull? Had not her crew taken refuge on this island by means of the ships boats? No! for | Capt. Willis soon came upon proof that | this vessel had been wrecked upon l these reefs. At about 8 cables length, wedged in among the rocks and reefs, | lay the miserable remnant of a ship which had been driven ashore by the fury of the gale and upon which the waves had beaten with tempestuous violence until oak and iron had parted and everything had been wrenched asunder pounded into fragments, scat tered and strewn and tossed up over the mighty rush of the sea. Sadly and si lently Willis and his men stood gazing upon the prey to which these rocks still clung so tenaciously. Of this ships hull there was nothing remaining nothing of the upper works, no trace o1 the masting, either from having beer cut away at sea, or from having been put to some use on shore after ths
 laundering of the vessel.
 "Let us set to york;" cried Capt
 Willis, land perhaps we may find some
 name, some letter, some mark whicl | will fix the nationality of this craft"