The San Francisco call., 1896-04-30
ADRIFT IN A RowBoAT.
Become Separated From Their
Vessel While Searching
for Seals.
AT. THE MERCY OF a STORM
They Reach the Coast of Japan
Almost Dead From Starvation
and Thirst.

VANCOUVER, B. c., April 2o.-The
Empress of India arrived this morning
from the Orient bringing the following
Oriental advices: Hans lsaacson, hunter.
Victor Carlson, boat-steerer, and Frederick
Bartlett, boat-puller, arrived at Yoko-
hama after passing through some perilous
adventures in the North Pacific. They
are members of the crew of the American
sealing schooner Alton, Captain George
Wester, that left San Francisco in Decem-
ber last. After securing hundred skins
on the American coast the vessel was
brought over to the Japan side of the Pa
cific. On March 80, about o'clock in the
morning, when the schooner was about
fifty miles off the coast, the captain Or
dered the boats away to search for seals.
The three men got into a twenty foot
boat and started on their quest. By after
noon they were, some miles eastward of
their vessel, when suddenly a fog came
down, completely shutting them in.
They lay to for the rest of the day and
the following night. By morning half
gale set in and heavy sea sprung up. fill
ing the boat with water to its gunwales.
a current drifted them further and further
TO sea until they must have been fully $50
miles from shore. For two days they were
at the mercy of the storm and with all
their food and drinking water exhausted,
they were in pitiable plight. When they
left the ship they had but a gallon and a
half of water and provisions for day on
board.
Gradually the 81 bated, and on the
third day they bel.. . row toward the
west, hoping to see land before long. They
struck current that greatly assisted them,
and on April 4, the sixth day after leaving
the ship, they saw the coast of Japan.
They succeeded in attracting the attention
of some fishermen, and with their assist
ance made land.
Their condition was dreadful in the ex-
treme, their lips being black from lack OF
water and food and the suffering from a
raging and consuming thirst. Their
throats were parched, while their hands
and arms were raw from the effects of the
salt water. Frederick Bartlett, whose feet
had been frostbitten on a previous occa-
sion, was even in worse state, so swollen
were his neither limbs.
The fishermen gave the starving men
rice and water ana then sent messengers
inland for doctor. At the end of a week
they were sufficiently recovered to travel
and left Kisengori, where they had
landed, arriving at Yokohama on the 18th
inst.
new steamship company is in process
of formation by leading capitalists OF
Japan. 1t will start with capital approx
mating 100000 yen, with power to in
crease 1t to 100000 yen if necessary. Ap-
plcation for a charter was submitted to
the authorities on the 7th inst. The
scheme is to open two routes-one to New
York and the other to Batoum The
former will include service to Portland,
Philadelphia and other points, while the
latter will call at Hamburg, London and
other points commercially connected with
Japan. The object OF opening a service to
New York is to facilitate the exporting of
sulphur, silk goods and other commodi-
ties already exported in large quantities to
America from Japan. Eight steamers of
5000 tons capacity will be buiIt-four for
each route.
AS direct result of the Chinese Jap
Hnese war the slave trade in Manchuria has
been aggravated. Farmers comprise a
vast majority of the residents of Man
churia and since the war they are suffer-
ing from famine. The selling of children
Is always more or less prevalent in China,
but the war and consequent famine are
driving many more parents to sell their
children than formerly. Buyers collect
the poor little fellows Just as keepers of
registry offices collect coolies.
The bean merchant who gives this
statement to the press saw in Manchuria,
at Yingkow, woman leading six chilu-
rem, from to II years old, barefooted and
almost naked. The price of a child. if in
telligent and attractive, is yen-S1 O6;
the ugly ones bring only few cents. The
slave-broker gives guarantee to the pur-
chaser that the child's parents will never
again claim or acknowledge the child
sold.
The Japanese press is watching jealously
a tendency of a part of the Koreans to
lean upon America rather Japan for aid in
reforming the peninsula. 1t tells the
Koreans that such an alliance is shallow
rooted and doomed to end in bitter disap-
that it might serve in time of
peace, but in case of war or trouble no
help could be expected from the proud
parvenu of nations. The japanese press
is full of the term "pro-American" in re-
gard TO Korean affairs. If the Korea an
King changes the way of wearing his top
Knot the new style of coiffure is spoken of
as 'pro-American" hair-dressing; new
newspaper projected IN Seoul is called
pro-A venture and a Korean
privy councillor is stigmatized as a ''pro-
American" statesman.
A DOUBTFUL DOCUMENT.