The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-07-23
FOUND IN THE ice.

VI Tie iii Jay OF OcLODer, 1897, the
ship Princess left Australia for Lon
don with a cargo of wool and other
articles valued at $250.OOO. She had
IN her treasure room gold in dust, bars
and coin aggr egating $1,3O0,OO0. AS
she was one of the largest and tnest
of the Australian liners she was
crowded with passengers, the list
counting up over 200. Six days after
sailing the Princess was spoken by a
craft bound to the east, but that was
the last heard of her for many long
years. When she did not reach the
Cape Of Good Hope vessels were sent
out to search for her, but though this
search continued for a year and hun
dreds of other craft kept watch as they
y0yaged to and fro, not the slightest
trace of the lost ship was discovered.
1t was finally concluded that she had
struck a floating wreck in mid-ocean
and gone down so suddenly that no
one could escape. Had she sprung a
leak or caught fire a part of her peo-
pie must have got away in the boats,
and it could be figured on that at least
one would have reached some island
or been picked up. Aside from the
money loss there We're many promi-
nent people among the passengers, and
there was mourning in England and
Australia for many month after the
ship was posted as lost.
In June, 1868, sixteen years after the
loss OF the Princess was one of the
crew Of the Boston Whaler Talisman,
which was trying the cruising ground
to the south of Cape Horn. We had
had a fair run of luck, when we got
a gale from the north which lasted for
four days and nights without break.
This drove us away south among the
ice and on a daZen different occasions
the ship was within hairs breath of
being cast away or overwhelmed.
After the fourth day Of the gale there
was a calm lasting thirty hours. Dur
ing this interval the Talisman lay be-
tween two monster icebergs, with her
boots down and ready to tow her out
of the way should they close in on her.
Then we got a strong breeze from the
east which lasted for day and went
clear around the compass to the west.
Sometimes we lay moored to a berg
for several hours; again we were
pounding among the great cakes Of ice,
which threatened every moment to
crush in her sides. We had been driv-
ing to the southeast for three days,
heaving sea, with a monster iceberg
about two miles away to the south.
The ship had thus far sustained lit
tie damage, but the crew were ex-
hausted and given an all days rest,
and no accident occurred until late in
the afternoon. This mass Of ice had
front a mile long on our side, with an
average height of 300 feet. What it's
width was we could not say. Over it
was floating quantity Of smoke. The
smoke did not rise from it's crest, but
from the far side. No one doubted
that it came from a fire lighted by
shipWrecked sailors, who had caught
sight of the Talisman and We're max
ing her signal.
The third mate and three men were
ordered off in one of the whaleboats
to investigate and I was one of the
three selected. We took with us a
breaker of fresh water, bottle of
rum, bread, meat, blankets, a boat
compass and a lantern, and darkness
fell as we pulled away from the ship
We pulled to pass the western face
of the berg and found it to be about
half mile long. AS we reached it's
southern limit and turned to the east
we caught sight of a small fire on a
ledge about hundred feet above the
water. AS soon as we got up to it the
mate hailed and was promptly an
sWered that there were two men on
the ledge, one of whom had broken
leg. Thereupon was ordered to re-
main by the boat and hold on, while
the mate and the two men landed on
the berg and began making their way
up to the ledge.
The evening was perfectly quiet and
there was no surf on the south side Of
the berg, but the tragedy that followed
was brought about from causes far
down in the depths Of the sea. The
men had not yet reached the ledge
when the great berg suddenly canted
to the north, and to prevent the boat
being lifted out of the water I had to
let go Of the painter; which had turn
around lump of ice. AS I did so l
was shot away to a distance of 200
feet and flung down on the thwarts.
! had just got an oar in my hands
when the berg came back at me and
there was such a cracking, crashing
and groaning that was frightened al
most to death. Hundreds of pieces of
ice fell into the sea around me and I
heard cries of terror from the men who
had landed.
III my Irlgnt may nave pulled the
boat some distance away or the send
OF the waves may have carried her
beyond danger. Be that as it may,
the berg split fair in half with report
like that of a dozen cannons fired at
once, and each half turned bottom
side up. This movement kicked up a
tremendous sea for few minutes, and
anything but a whaleboat would have
been swamped out of hand I must
have been driven mile or more to
the south by the waves.
The mate had taken the bearings of
the ship by compass when we turned
the corner of the berg, and I knew
that she would also run lantern aloft
as guide, but when the sea quieted
down | looked for her in vain. AS a
matter of fact was so confused and
frightened that I might not have seen
the light had She been only a quarter
Of a mile away
Twenty minutes after the berg split
a fog settled down, and with it came
q breeze. / did not know what to do.
and so laid in my oar, wrapped myself
in a blanket and sat down on the bot
tom of the boat. You Will think it
( @6at fol