Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-06-03
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 south Of
che Sandwich group. Kingman shoal, Pal
myra islands and other shoals and islands
had not been closely surveyed, and we were
spending the summer in this work The
brig was craft of 200 tons, and being a
government vessel was under strict disci-
pline.
About the middle of September we were
at Tanning island, when heavy gale came
up from the west, and we had 10 run for
the open sea to the east. The gale struck
us about O'Clock in the afternoon and
hung to us until noon the next day Dur
ing this time we were running little east
of north and having all we could do, and
when the gale broke we were at least 300
miles to the northeast of our island. IL was
midafternoon before we got the brig about.
and she had scarcely been headed back
when a whaleboat came down upon us
from the northwest, and when we got her
crew aboard we heard very interesting
story.
There were eight of them--a first mate,
two harpooners and five hands. All be
longed to the British whaling bark Pen
rose Of Liverpool. Twenty days previously
she had run into Honolulu and discharged
half cargo Of oil and shipped three Portu-
guese sailors to replace hands who bad
been lost at sea On leaving Honolulu she
had cruised 20 the southwark, taking a
whale occasionally, and on the day the gale
broke she lowered for whales about 200
miles north OF the group we had been sur
veying. Three boats were down at once
as the bark ran into a school. As the
breeze was light only a shipkeeper was
left aboard, and he was a sailor who was
just recovering from a hurt
The three Portuguese were in the cap
tain's boat, which made fast to big bull
whale within a quarter of mile of the
bark and was Immediately struck and dis
abled, and the line had to be cut Mean
while 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 a wreck but
was acting as a float to sustain the crew.
In this emergency the three Portuguese Of
fered to swim TO the bark and return with
a 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 800 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.
IL was heartless, cold blooded thing To
do. The two other boats were five miles TO
the eastward, and il WAS an hour after the
bark made off before the men cut loose from
- = n 4 4
They found the wreck Of the captains boat,
to discover that only one single man re-
manned 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 Che
sea and drifted slowly to the east, dividing
their men so as to give each an equal show
to live out the gale During 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
course the surviving boat could not have
fetched us, but as we brought about 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, however, whether
she had outlived the gale. She must have
received the full force Of IL, and being 80
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 "A habit Of flooding
her decks when lying head on. The mate
of the stolen bark, whose name was Cum
mings, felt certain that the Portuguese
would let her drift. In that case we would
have to cover hundred miles Of ocean to
the westward before beginning to look for
them. What did they want with the craft
What could they do with herr There was
only one reasonable answer. They would
run her down among the southern islands,
find some safe spot to lay her away and
then "have a good time" This meant eat
ing, drinking, smoking and havingno work
TO do. They would not dare to try long
voyage nor to put into any prominent port.
Ii was Mate Cummings belief that the
Portuguese would head for Christmas is
land. a hundred miles TO the south Of where
we had been surveying, and the briggs
course was accordingly laid. On the after
noon of the third day after picking up the
boat. we sighted the bark dead ahead. We
were then not over 25 miles from the island.
The stolen craft had evidently been taking
things pretty easy She was under short
sail when we first espied her, although the
weather was fine and the breeze fair.
The thieves had no fear Of pursuit, and
perhaps all were captains except the ship
keeper and would not obey each others or
ders. We had her almost hull up when the
! fellows became suspicious Then they set
everything below and aloft, and to our in
tense chagrin we discovered that the bark
was a faster sailer than the brig. 1t was
: o'cld.k in the afternoon when we sighted
! her. and as darkness fell she had gained a
y couple of miles on us. Having got the
alarm, it was hard to tell what they would
now do, but after long consultation oul
captain decided to round Christmas island
end lay course for Jarvis island. The
bark was headed directly south when We
last saw her. -,
Next day at noon we were to the west Of
(,hr,ofn, as Island and running down on oul