The morning call., 1893-10-31
FOUND THEM SAFE
CIipperton's Two Crusoes
Home Again.
BACK ABOARD THE VIKING.
Looking Very Well After Their
Experience.
LIVED ON EGGS THEY SAY.
Conflicting Stories of Them and Their
Rescuers About Their Supplies
on the Island.
LIVED ON EGGS THEY SAY.

chored off Meiggs wharf about 8 o'clock
last night with the two men aboard.
Charles Jensen and William Hall, who
were left on Clipperton Island last May
by the schooner Compeer to survey the
island for the Oceanic Phosphate Com
pany.
She brough hit about 200 tons OF guano
also, which is worth about $40 ton.
The Viking left here on August Is with
the twOfold purpose of relieving the
two Crusoes and procuring cargo of the
rich fertilizer. She was chartered by the
Oceanic Company for three months, and
Young Peter Latin, who is heavy share
holder in the concern, which materlaliZed
as q business venture about eighteen
months ago, went along with Captain
Dannevig to take a look at the guano de-
posits for himself.
1t was thought that she would not make
the island in less than a month, but Mate
Albarto told represen tatlve OF The CALL
on board the schooner last night that she
made the trip in fifteen days and found
Hall and Jensen in good condition.
"The men had plenty of provisions,
enough for two months" said the mate
There were plenty of eggs and plenty of
fish. Apparently Hall and Jensen had
enjoyed a gcod time, and they were in the
best of health. They had lots of reading
matter. This time we left seven men on
the island, one of them being Chemist
Rich.
what did Hall and Jensen do? Well,
they surveyed the island. which is low and
fiat and almost round and about six miles
in circumference, and with only one rock,
a rather high one. which is on its eastern
corner.
I'VE laid there thirty-one days and put
up two more houses. There were three
tt,4e
Everything was complete for the men !;
they had a fireplace aud whatever they
needed for comfort. | guess they cooke
their three meals day.
"Ihe two men were on the island be-
tween three and four months when we got
there. The Com peer left them there in
May, and we arrived the first week in Sep
tember.
There is more or less guano all over the
island. and in some places it is four feet
deep and very rich. Jensen is something
of chemist himself and he has made ex-
aminatiors of the guano. They made sur
veys and measurements Of the islands with
such instruments and lines as they had.
There is no harbor of any kind there,
and we mad to anchor out in the open sea
in bout fifty fathOms. We had TO surf
everything ashore and aboard. We took
the guano on board in sacks in big boa,
several tons at time. Apart from
the one high rock and the guano deposits
the island is composed of sand and coral.
The water in the lagoon will do for cook
ing purposes. The men had a condenser.
We left some water there. Water can be
obtained from the rains though, which
are very heavy.
''The island is fairly covered with birds
"a big kind OF seagul or pigeon-and is
pretty well Overrun with crabs, which are
about the size of a mans hand. Neither
ird m af IN
eggs and fish are in abundance. The
birds will let you walk right up to
them, but If you go to take hold of them
they will bite you. And the crabs-if
you leave anything outside they will go
after it. Of course, nobody could sleep
out doors for the crabs.
Generally the weather was very good.
There were some little squalls while we
were there, however. We were twenty
seven days coming back, with fair weather
and wind.
Jensen never said anything either way
about the story Of the girl being engaged
to him."
1t was reported when the Viking sailed
that young lady, Zetta Hansen, then in
New York, was engaged TO be Jensen's
bride and was on her way to be welded to
him.
To the carpenter, Joseph Bartb, Jensen
said the story was not true; he wondered
who weaved such romance about him.
Speaking of the solitary rock on the
island, Barth said:
ut is all full of rooms, like halls, and
looks as If somebody NAV be
had been living in il at some time. There
are five halls in it altogether, with a dome
shaped roof; and there is place that
looks as if they kept lookout on the
ocean. It seems to have been formed of
guano, and stalactites of the stuff hang
from the ceilings.
Captain Dannevig and L went all
through it.
"The lagoon. which is about two feet
above the level of the sea, has good water
for bathing. The mooring is very roor.
and we lost two anchors. The last buoy
made ] put 1000 feet of heavy plank in,
but still it went down after three days,
with about sixty fathoms of chain to it.
1.-The fish there are very nice for food.
They are as heavy as six. seven ana ten
pounds, and are black in color, but taste
like haibut. think they are kind Of
big rockcod. There are plenty Of sharks
there, TOO.
Jensen and Hall seemed to have plenty
of provisions, except sugar. The first
thing they did when we went in on the
boat was to call out to US asking il we had
any sugar"
Hall, however. tells a different story
about the provisions. He says they had
10 i've ABOUT TWO months on eggs. FROM
the mans narrative 1t would appear as If
their lovely life Oh the little speck out in
mdocean was not all pleasant romance.
Mate Albarto states that plenty of sup
plies have been left with the seven men
now on the island.
Clipperton Island is in latitude 10 deg
north. longitude l09 deg west 1t is not a
most desirable place in which to live, as
the climate is sometimes too warm and
is yery damp. and the crabs
that infest it are decided pest,
not vicious, but very annoying. The Com
peer furnished Hall and Jensen with sup
plies which it was supposed would last
about ninety days, but Clipperton Islands
climate is not favorable toward the preser-
vation of perishable provisions.
TInED OH, EXLIAIG