Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1896-07-03
DRIFTED 1000 4 MILES.
Long Voyage of Railroad Barge on
the Pacific Ocean.

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On one OF the coral reefs off the
Marshall group, far away in the
South Pacific, there rests large
railway transfer barge, which was
carried by winds and currents from
some point on the California coast to
its present resting place. Its owner
ship, home port and the date of its
loss are unknown, but there it is,
and it drifted from some point on the
California coast. John Crowley,
mate of the missionary brig Morn
ing Star, who arrived here from
Honolulu on the Australia on va
cation trip, saw the barge, and gives
the proofs OF its identity as far as it
can be traced, says the San Fran
cisco Chronicle. Speaking about
the barge Crowley said:
I'VE ran into the Marshall group
in September last in the course OF
our regular tour through the islands
Of the Morning Star, and our atten-
ton was attracted to this huge
barge resting on reef, where the
sea had cast it. Its very presence
was unusual in that far-away cline,
and our curiosity was aroused at
once. ] made a careful examination
of it, but the only MARKS of identifi-
cation on it were the word Trans
fer, and the abbreviation Cal The
rest of the name and the port had
been obliterated, but enough re-
manned to show that the barge came
from California.
There were narrow-gauge tracks
on it, and couple of big cranes still
intact and very well preserved. The
barge itself was pretty badly weather
beaten, and showed the marks of
many a storm, but it was still in
very good condition. 1t was about
$50 feet long, built of heavy timbers
securely fastened together, and was
able to resist the power of the sea in
it's long drift. The bottom had been
copper covered, but the natives
stripped that off. They had made
an attempt to break the craft up,
too, but that was beyond their
power, and they lacked all appliances
to accomplish their object.
''The experiences of that barge
would be hard to conjecture. 1t may
have drifted the 1900 odd miles
which divide our coast and the Mar
shalls in very short space of time,
or it might have taken remarkably
long period. The thing has inter
ested me greatly, and ! have tried
since ! came home to trace the own
ership of the barge, but have not
been successful ] do not believe
that it was lost from this harbor, as
it would be practically impossible
for such a craft to get out of the bay
and straits undetected. ! am in
clined to the opinion that it was car
ried from somewhere on the lower
coast, perhaps from San, Pedro or
San Diego, and / am in hopes that
the publication Of its discovery may
lead to its identification"
Inquiry among shipping men as to
the identity of the strange craft seen
by the crew of the Morning Star
failed to throw any light upon the
subject. There is no record of the
loss of any such barge from this port,
and the general impression among
those spoken to about it was that il
was probably swept away from one
of the lower coast ports by a storm,
and carried out to sea, to be guided
by wind and sea to the Marshalls.
The opinion was expressed that pos
sibly at the time it was lost the
owners believed that it had been
broken up.
The trip of the barge is interest
ing in another direction besides
arousing simple curiosity. The cur
rents of the Pacific are being made
the subject of scientific study, and
the drifting barge adds fresh data to