Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-06-13
THE STOLEN SHIP.

In the year 1860 was one of the crew
Of the British survey brig Advance
which was surveying the islands to the
eonlh of the Sandwich group kinginan
and Islands had not been closely sur
yeyed ana we We're spending the sum.
mer in this work The brig was a craft
of 300 tons. aud being II government yes
was under strict discipline
About the middle Of September we
we're at Tanning island when Il heavy
rale came mp from the west. and we had
TO run for the open sea to the east The
gale strHck us abont 3 o'clock in the aft
ernoon and hing to us until noon tile
next day During this time we were
running little east of north and having
all we could dc, anii y,iien the gale broke
we were at least 200 miles to the north
east of our island 1t was inidafteruoon
before we got the brig about, and she
had scarcely been headed back when -
whaleboat came down upon us from the
northwest, aud when we got her crew
aboard we heard very interesting story
lHilE WHY Nt3bl VI lItiu--d HIST
mate, two harpooners and five hands
All belonged to the British Whaling bark
Penrose, of Liverpool. Twenty DAYS
previously she had run into Honolulu
and discharged half a cargo of oil and
shipped three Portuguese sailors to re
place hands who hH.l been lost at sea
On leaving Honolulu she had cruised to
the southwark taking whale occasion
ally and on the day the gale broke she
lowered for whales about 200 miles
north of the group we had been survey.
ing. Three boats We're down at once as
the bark ran into Il school As the breeze
was light only Il shipkeeper was left
aboard, and he was "A sailor who was
just recovering from hurt.
The three Portuguese were in the can
tain's boat, which made fast to n biz
bull whale within quarter of mile of
the bark and was Immediately struck
and disabled, and the line had to be cut
Meanwhile the other two boats had gone
to the eastward after the school, and
they had no sooner made fast than their
victim ran off at full speed Owing to
the direction of the wind the shipkeeper
could not work down to the captain. His
boat was wreck, but was acting AS a
float to sustain the crew In this elner-
gency the t'Se Portuguese offered to
SWIM to the barr .,.i return with spare
boat, and they were told to go They
reached the craft in safety, but had no
sooner got aboard than the yards were
trimmed, her head WAS brought to the
south. and she sailed within 300 feet of
the captain as she made off The dark
skinned rascals made no bones of the
fact that they were running away with
the ship Indeed they boosted of it
and derided the men hanging to the
steven boat.
1t was IL heartless, cold blooded thing
to do. The two other boats were five
miles to the eastward, and it was an
hour after the bark made off before the
men cut loose from their dead whales to
fathom the mystery. They found the
wreck Of the captains boat, to discover
that only one single man remained with
it, the others having been pulled down
by the sharks. By the time they had
heard his story the bark was more than
hull down and just then the gale broke
The boats were laid head on to the sea
and drifted slowly to the east, dividing
their men so as to give each an equal
show to live out the gale Duung the
night the second mates boat was LOST
sight of and as it was never heard Of
again it must have been swamped Had
We been running a course the surviving
boat could not have fetched us but as
we brought abou. she got the chance to
do SO
As soon as the story had been told our
captain decided to go in search of the
stolen bark. 1t was question. how
ever whether she had outlved the gale
She must have received the full force OF
it, and being SO short handed she was
liable to disaster. The main question
was whether she would scud or drift
We had adopted the former course as
the brig had habit Of flooding hel
decks when lying head on The mate
Of the stolen bark. whose name was
Cummings. felt certain that the Portu-
gueSe would let her drift In that case
we would have to cover Il hundred miles
OF ocean to the westward before begin
ming TO look for them, What did they
want Of the craft? What could they dt
with her: There was only one reason
able answer They would run her down
among the southern islands. find soln(
safe spot to lay her away and then ''havt
good time This meant eating drink
ing, smoking and having no work to do
Iney would not dare to try Il long v0y
age nor to put into any prominent port
! was Mate Cummings belief that the
Portuguese would head for Christina.
island, Il hundred miles to the south o.
where we had been surveying. and the
briggs course was accordingly laid. Oh
the afternoon of the third day after pick
lng up the boat we sighted the bari
dead ahead We were then not ovc1
twenty-five miles from the island Til,
stolen craft had evidently been taking
things pretty easy She was under shor
sail when we first espied her, although
the weather was fine and the breeze fair
HE thieves had no fear of pursuit, anC
perhaps all were captains except thu
shlpEeeper and would not obey eacl
others orders. We had her almost hul
up when the fellows became suspicious
then they set everything below ans
aioll, ana to our intense chagrln we dis
covered that the bark was faster s;liltl
than the brig 1t was o'clock in th'