Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-08-25

ly sail hove in sight. At length the cap
tain and his crew agreed to hold on their
course together through the northeast
trade winds in hope OF reaching an island
marked upon their chart, and in that effort
their spirits were kept up. while their food
and water were reduced to the smallest
possible allowance thought to be necessary
to sustain life. They passed the latitude
OF the position assigned to the island but
saw no land
Seventeen days had then passed since
the burning Of their ship. in which time
they had not seen land nor q sail. 1t was
evident that the time had come when the
boats ought to separate and pursue differ
ent courses thereby increasing the chances
of some one Of them being picked up by q
passing ship. The captain called the
other boats to his, made known his plan,
which was agreed to without dissent, the
food and water were divided equally man
for man among the crews of the three
boats, and there, seventeen days after the
disaster, in latitude Il deg. n. they sepa-
rated, each to pursue its own way. 1t
proved to be a fnal parting, for the two
| boats under command of the first and
second officers were never after heard of.
The captains boat with ito sixteen hu-
man beings held on its course through the
trade winds, their bodies reduced to skele-
tons by hunger, thirst and exposure. Their
/ daily o. of haif nil
and of food the thnnes. piece of raw ham
| that could be sliced. two inches square.
and piece of biscuit of the same size for
each person. When there was shower
the sailors held up their flannel shirts to
catch the rain. rang 1t out into a dish and
| drank it, but it was but few times that
they enjoyed that privilege
| One night two small flying fishes flew
into the boat; they were taken and divided
into sixteen equal parts as they came from
| the water and each man ate the morsel
raw. AT another time a single fsh flew on
| board. and that WAS divided equally among
the sixteen hungry men and eaten raw. A
| day or two later another fish flew onboard
the boat and that. by unanimous consent,
was given entirely TO Capt Mitchell who,
/ from constant care of the boat, watching
Y and anxiety, had become weaker and more
exhausted than the others. Forty.tso
| days in an open boat upon the ocean, with
/ out shelter from the burning rays of the
1 sun by day. or showers OF rain and dews
of heaven by night, with such morsel Of
| food ami water, and the care and anxiety
! which they hal Is more than we are able
| to realize =
! Twenty-Five days after parting from
their shipmates upon the ocean. and forty
two days from the time OF the burning OF
their ship, without once seeing land or
sail, they drew near to and were INSIDE glad
by the sight Of land, the island Of Hawaii.
As their boat slowly drew near to its
shores, the natives who had watched their
approach swan of 10 the boat climbed ou-
board, looked into the emaciated faces Of
the crew, shook hands with each one and
| took the oars and pulled the boat TO a safe
landing. And when the boat was landed
/
for they were too weak to walk or even
stand. and carried them to their houses
where they nursed and nourshed them with
the tender care of Good Samartans."
Men and women We'd with each other in
the Office Of ministering angels to supply
the wants and necessities of those ems-
ciated, starving men, whom Providence
had directed to their shores.
As | listened to Capt. Mitchelrs recital
of their kindness to him and his fellow
shipmates, my heart warmed towards them
for some of their kindred once saved my
life in the surf at Bakers Island-as it
would had they been of my own kindred.
And though Of dusky skin, descendants of
/ cannibas, of strange tongue, snd Of
strange people, they had been trained in
the school of Christianity which taught
them TO show pity and kindness for hu-
man being In distress. And they had
learned the lesson which we of greater en-
lightenment are prone TO forget, THAT
God made of one blood all the people that
| dwell upon the earth"
1t seems almost mar selous that those suf-
| fering men were able to sustain life for such
a length of time on so small an allowance
of food and water and that they should all
land alive. 1t just sustained life and that
was all. Capt. Mitchell was reduced from
medium size to sixty pounds weight and
the rest Of them proportionately- The
food AMI nourishnient in the captains case
was insufficient to cause movement of
his bowels in the last twenty five days he
was in the boat; and with one of the men
with him for the whole fortytwo. Capt.
Mitchell attributed the safe landing alive
Of his boats crew to the box of tobacco
which was in the boat. And although he
never used it himself, it was his belief that
, the moderate use of it among the crew
kept their mouths moist and prevented
, them from drinking salt water in their
! great thirst, which would have proved
3 fatal to them Several died after landing
from the effects of the extreme suffering
they had endured during that six weeks in
1 the boat. Many days and weeks passed
/ before Capt. Mitchell was sufficiently re
covered so as to stand the fatigue Of the
voyage to San Francisco, but as soon az
5 he was able to write he sent letter to thu
: consignees of his ship acquainting them Of
D her loss and of the circumstances attend
, ing the almost miraculous escape from
? death of himself and his boats crew.
b He left Hawaii, after his recovery, anC
e the hospitable homes of the natives o.
e that island, whose kindness had been 81
S marked to him and his crew. and went t.
2 Honolulu to embark for San Francisco
d There they were treated with great kind
t ness by the foreign residents, American
q and others, who supplied all their needs
+ and there they took passage to San Fran
cisco.
s Capt. Mitchell had many friends in Sal
j. Francisco, where he was well and favora
d bly, known, whose hearts and sympathie
t had been touched by the storyof his misfor
It tune and suffering. and they emulated eacl
2 other in their desire to do him honor an'
. to supply his wants. The merchants mad
g up handsome purse which they presente'
b to him on "Change." His hotel bill
t were presented to him receipted his pas