Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1893-05-14
, A BUOY'S TRAVELS.
Brought to Port After Beino
Tossed About for Five Years.
breaking from It's Anchorage I'm Charles.
Ton iiarbor 1t Makes an Extensive
OCEAN Tour and Is Rccaptured
CnlnJured.

-
:Ino british steamship Armcstry,
bringing sugar from Java, put into the
Delaware brcakwatcr the other day
with n strange object OF her deck. II
was n dcrclict whistling buoy of huge
proportions that the ship had Picked up
during its voyage north. On the moon
less night of October 10 the Arncstry
was Il hundred miles cast Of the Der
midas. She was luboring through the
heavy swclls that remained from the
STERN hat had ragged for the two pre-
c"d!ns days. The night was >,ill,
~noticcnbly SO from contrast with the
day preceding, and for hours Tie swash
OF the waves against the vessels side
was thc only sound that came to the
cars OF the men On duty. About
midnight q faint murmur like tho
moaning Of u person in distress
catne floating ovcr tho waves and
WAS reported by the man Oh watch.
II was heard again. and again and
apparently originated IN n point al-
most directly in the course the ship WAS
pursuing. An Jour later the sound, SO
strange in midoccRn, came with great
Aa"FN AAStl Tx SIsI OlE DON III
the vessel and apparently not far OFF.
Tho captain ordered the engines
stopped and the slip to lay to till
morning. Tho Armcstry was kept
near tho spot where the signal was ut
tcring its notes, and all through the
remaining hours of tho night the sound
continued at regular intervals.
The sailors thought they had solved
the mystery before morning broke, and
when it dawncd 4 score of eyes rccoy-
nizcd the familiar iron head of n liar
Dor whistling buoy rising OH the biz
lows and uttcring its sad note as it fell.
The sea had calmed sufficiently TO adj
nit OF capturing The %wandercr and n
boat was sent out TO attach n rope to
the iron cage that covered its whistle.
q tackle was rugged on the yardarm
n the hollow monster was Eoistcd on
to the vessels deck. The iron air
cylinder, surmountcd by the whistle,
and the s~;xtccn-inch tube that ex-
tended from this cylinder to keep ii
upright IN h waves gave L length OF
nearly fifty feet to the buoy. TO the
long tube was attached several fur
longs OF the heavy chain that had held
the buoy TO its anchor until some acci-
dent had released it. .r -,.~. -.
The buoy WAS unchanged, ever 10 its
whistle, but showed evidence OF having
done many years OF service. AS it lay
on her decks when the Armcstry pui
into port the strange object excited
much curiosity. Unloadcd on the
dock it was n wcll-patronizcd FREQ
show, but no Snowman was there
to relate its remarkable history
All that could be told at frs
was that the buoy WAS of III
American pattern, and that it ha
heretofore wandered from ON poin
on the Shore OF the United States to il
place far out in the ocean, where final
ly Il had secured its own capture By it
signalin.s. 4 search anon
marine records disclosed its story.
The Atlantic Pilot Chart for Scptcm
Der, 1899, says the New York Record
honorcd this lost property of the light
house board with un official mention
On November 90, 1856, the Tort Royn
buoy in Charleston harbor broke iron
its mornings and started towards III,
ocean Oh its career Of adventure. Drift
ing out into he gulf stream il floatct
i'll the warm waters Of that current dur.
ing the remainder of the year. II
moved northward in a zigzag course
under the influence OF conflicting winds.
Its signal.ngs attracted the attention of
many passing vesscla On Christmas
day OK 1856 it vas last seen in the guif
stream. Three months went by aud
the it was discovered floating screncly
along some two hundred miles north Of
the Bcrmudas. After that it started
for n still more southcrly latitude, and
during May it was sighted very near the
coral reefs OF bermuda.
For more tina n year IL had been lost
sight of when on June 0, 1888, il was
heard and seen six hundred miles north
west of the Bermuda islands. During
this time IL must have howlcd sndly
along the very track of tho great hur-
ricuncs.
The buoy made this part OF the occan
n faroritc headquarters for two years.
1t was sometimes reported by incoming
vessels rs having been heard and SONG
times rs having been sighted always
within ono hundred miles Of this spot.
II crossed its own track repeatedly,
but never wandered far away until the
Of 1899, when on September
10 1t was not seen below the latitude of
tho Bcrmudas, but five or Blk hundred
miles TO tho eastward Of the islands.
The dcrclict was then reported To be in
good condition, md its mournful warn
ing OF danger that II had left one thou.
miles away wns still Us strong as
when IL was doing honest duty In
Charleston liarbor. In the year follow.
ing the buoy for the most part kept out
OF the track Of ocean travel. and IL wa.
again nearly forgotten when it's weird
voice reached the cars OF the watch on
tho deck Of the Armcs,ry.