Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1893-05-25

I
Molly's Hope which was now reported
by Capt willis Us ready to sail.
CHAPTER Kill
CRUISE OF THE noLLY's HOPE IN THE TfnoR
SEA.
Capt. Willis sailed from San Diego at
ten o'clock on tho morning OF April .,
1889, following southeasterly course,
with the intention OF proceeding by as
direct route as possible to the Torres
strait and so Into Arafoora sea.
The Molly's Hope not having any
reason for touching ut the Gilbert or
Salmon islands, after an uneventful
voyage OF three weeks, sighted first the
high land Of the New Guinea coast and
then the most northerly point OF Aus
tralia known as Cape York.
Torres strait, lying between this
point and the New Guinea coast, enjoys
the repute OF being an extremely dan
Rerous passage, partly due 10 the vio-
lent current which sets In from east to
west and partly TO the shoal water
Only for certain part OF the day while
the sun Is in such position as 10 make
the breakers plainly visible, Is IL at all
safe 10 venture into this narrow water
lane.
WAS IL quite as far up us Melville
island that the Golden Gate picked up
the fragment OF the wrecL?" asked
Capt. Willis OF Boatswain French.
Quite" replied Zach.
at must be FIVE hundred miles be-
yond the strait"
at least, captain" replied Zach,
and ! can understand your surprise.
For, knowing as we do the existence Of
these strong westerly currents, IL would
seem from having found the piece Of
wreck off Melville island that the
Dreadnaught must have been lost at
the entrance 10 Torres strait"
Precisely, Zach, and we would he
forced 10 conclude that Capt. John had
made choice Of this dangerous passage
10 reach Singapore. Now, that never
can admit! Unless something happens
to change my opinion | shall stick TO
my belief that he crossed the eastern
archipelago, as we did in our first ex-
petition, for the last time he was seen
was 10 the south of Celebcs island"
And Us there In no other conclusion
possible for ms 10 reach" remarked the
mate, "it follows that II Capt. Allairc
entered Timor sea he did Va through
one of the straits separating the Sunda
islands,
at can't he otherwise" replied the
captain, and ! cant understand how
the Drcadnuught was ever carried to-
ward the eastward. Now either he was
dismantled or he was not. II he was
dismantlcd he should have been carried
hundreds Of miles TO the west Of Torres
strait II he was not, why should he
have returned towards this strait, when
Singapore, his port Of destination, lay
In the opposite dircction2"
~ don't know what TO think" an
Swcrcd the mate. III the piece of
wreck had been found In the Indian
ocean II might be explained by nssum-
ing that the clipper ship had been
wrecked on the Sunda islands or ON the
west coust Of Australia"
"Whilc the fact Is" replied Capt. vii.
lis, that the bit of wreck was found as
far up rs Melville island, which wonld
go TO prove that the Dreadnaught had
been lost In Arnfoora sea near Torres
strait or In the strait itsclf"
at may be-" said French, that there
ore counter currents along the Austria
lian coast which may have carried the
piece OF wreck towards the strait In
that case the ship may have gone TO
pieces In the western portion of Ara
foora sea-"
at will come out In good time" an
swcred Captain Willis; meanwhile, let
us work our ship rs II the Dreadnaught
had gone TO pieces on the reefs OF Torres
strait"
And II we work her WE'LL" added
Zach, 1--WE shall find Capt. John"
This was the best thing that could
be done, and this was what they did do.
Torres strait is about thirty miles
wide and swarms with reefs and inlets,
! nino hundred or more, and most of
them on level with the water. The
natives are very slSillful in the manage
ment OF their light pirogues and have
no difficulty in crossing from one shore
to another. Therefore, II Capt. John
and his companions had taken refuge
ON one of these inlets II would have
been easy enough for them to reach
the Australian coast and then make
their way To some little settlement on
the gulf OF Carpentnria or on the
peninsula of Cape York, whence they
would have had no great difficulty In
reaching home. On the other hand. the
moment II was assumed that Cant.
John had never entered Torres strait
then arose the question OF the fragment
OF wreck and how to explain Its presence
of Melville island.
Capt Willis ran the MolIy's Hone
boldly into this dangerous passage,
keeping close to the Australian coast,
Upon nearing Murray island the an.
proaeh OF number Of dugouts was sig.
nailed, but the natives who manned
them rs well us those who gathered on
the shores as the Mollys Hope steamed
slowly by contented themselves with
uttcring wild war whoops and brandish
ing their battle spears.
For u whole month, up TO June 10
Willis and his understandable searcher,
continued 10 ransack the coasts OF the
islands lying between the gulf OF Car
pentaria and New Guinea. Not a Bit
or shred of rigging, not broken spar
or piece Of wood was picked up by Capt
Willis TO lead him TO think that the
Dreadnaught had gone TO pieces on
these reefs
After another month spent In coast,
Ing along from Arnheim bay TO Van
Diemen's gulf the Mollys Hope on July
II sighted Melville island. II was ten
miles TO the north of this coast that the
fragment Of the wrecked Dreadnaugh,
i..Ad hs--. $1,000 san AAu had mot nc