The San Francisco call., 1895-10-07

men by what they really were. 1 will never
forget the time when he introduced Joseph
Jefferson to the students on the occasion when
the veteran actor delivered a lecture before us.
He commended the life and the work of Jeffer-
son and spoke of him sympathetically as his
friend
'strange to say" he remarked apropos of
Victor Hugo, "Howell does not like the great
Frenchman. Il like some characterizations Of
Hugo's works, he said one night, but I don't
like Hugo
II said to him then: Il cannot understand
that. The people of Boston evidently don't t
agree with you, for noticed this morning that
the second author in popularity, judged by the
number of volumes taken from the public
library, was yourself, the first being Victor
Hugo"
81 saw by the newspapers the other day that
the German mail steamship Uruguay was lost
off Cape Frio, near Rio de Janeiro, and the
affair at once reminded me OF my fathers ex-
perienee in that locality some sixty years ago."
said Robert Trewin yesterday.
"My father was John Trewin," he went on,
"sailmaker on the English frigate Thetis, and
he had a merry old time just where the
Uruguay got into trouble few days ago. AS
nearly as l recall the date, 1t was very early
in the '30's. The Thets had been lying at Rio
for a time, and one fine winter morning she
cS1lSN OcI Ol DOT WILL DIildlH CtlSlBii
flying and something over 400 persons on
board. She had in her cargo So, ,000, 900 worth
of treasure besides a lot of extremely valuable
stuff from the wealthy cities of South America.
She a splendid type of the old battleship, a
ine-looking vessel and a rattling fighter.
Everything went well until night came on
and brought along with it one of those terrific
storms that give you no hint of their coming
until you find yourself in the midst of them.
WaI1 c;r
fearful rate, but the Thetis behaved hand
sonely for quite while. and it looked as
if she might pull through it all. But it was a
nasty night aud q dangerous locality, and
pretty soon they found her drifting and plung-
ing toward the outlying rocks which skirt the
mainland around there. When she struck
there was fearful crash, and the force of the
impact snapped her masts off as if they had been
made of matchwood.
almost at the instant the crash came. pc
culiar light burst over and around the ship.
revealing to some extent the mess she was in.
They never seemed able to understand what
that light was but fancy it was a meteor or
something of the Sort The doomed frigate had
grounded upon a reef of rocks at the base of
a precipitous headland, and il was easily ap-
parent that nothing could save her. The fright
ful crash against the rocks and the flying TIM
bers had killed more than half of those on
board during the first few minutes. Those who
remained unhurt, among them my father ran
tor the boats and managed 10 make landing
through the surf, leaving the Thetis to pound
herself to pieces on the rocks.
"The following morning the survivors found
that they numbered only sixty-three They
had reached small island some distance from
the mainland, and had no means to communi-
cate with the interior. The natives were not in
kindly mood and prevented some few attempts
to cross the channel. There was nothing but q
small quantity of -four saved, and on this the
small party contriyed to subsist for nearly two
weeks. The frigate was we'll broken u b by this
time, and some pieces of timber were secured
for a raft. With this few of the men man.
aged to reach town and secured assistance
The entire party of survivors reached Rio or
the day before Christmas, and they had s
Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner combined
the next day.
Colonel George B. sperry of stockton, in
spector-general of rifle practice on the staff O.
Governor Budd, and Commissioner of the
Yosemite Valley, is at the Occidental Hotel
| Speaking of the Yosemite Valley he said las
| evening: ''The Commissioners are having
some important work done by Landscape
engineer, and the report will show what il
| needed to preserve and increase the natura
/ beauty OF the reservation. It ia m,