The times., 1897-08-22
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Reggeeeeee9ee&


about and written OF than any other person
Oh the island, and whose name OF John
Somebody" IS never mentioned without
arousing curiosity. A hundred different
accounts nave been written and published,
but none OF them have ever given the full
and truthful particulars. John Somebody
owes his life to me, and can write OF three
years of his life with better knowledge
than any other man living.
! was making my third voyage as an
apprentices in the bri z Helpmate, of
Liverpool aud We were bound from that
port 10 Java. When the voyage was 50
nearly Completed, or the first half of it,
that we were within 80 miles of the coast,
strange fate befeli the ship and worked
her destruction and that oil most OF her
crew of twelve men. AT O'Clock III the
afternoon, witt moderate breeze ON the
port quarter and the sea showing only an
occasional white cap, there came out OF
the east tidal wave reckoHed 20 be at
least twenty feet in height, and reaching
away to the north and south ds far as the
eye could see.
We felt no submarine shock, or had other
warning The man az the wheel first
caught sight of tire wave, but it was 20
close thar we hear its roaring at the in
slant he called out He attempted 10
throw the lows of the brig up To meet the
wave, but before he could 10 50 IL came
rushing aud roaring upon US The craft
was overwhelmed. ana foundered ont of
hand Every person on deck vas carried
nyerbnaid, ana believe / " as swept along
for mile before the wave left me behind.
and / go, my head above water | was
siill icing carried Co The west, bur there
was a LOT of wrr,kage around the, and !
.s5oa got soid of the shattered remains u
one of the quarter-boats One side OF it
bad been forn away. but there was enough;
to give me a bnoyant support, and ten
mihutes arr the ware had passed the SEA
was as calm as before.
II was an hour after noon. as | said
when he wave struck us ! reIuemher
little about the afternoon. more than that
/ knew the wind was driving me steadily
toward the coast and saw nothing fany
OF the rest of the crew. Two hours after
sun,town / heard breakers close al hand.
and five minutes later was carried through
- high surf and flung upon sandy beach
Before I could get above high water
mark / was almost exhausted by the
fell sleep. When 1 awoFc il was da v
light. / sat up and saw the beach Gov
cred vita wreceage but my first move
was to lind fresh water. / had not faT
to 90 u fipd spring, and between il
and the shore Were many trees laden with
tropical fruits. When had drunk my fill
ami taken tise edge off my hunger, went
back to the beach. Almost al once / IAN
upon Capt. ayton, who had been dread
fully hurt, but WIS still alive. A dozen
rods away was the cook, negro, who had
broken leg and other injuries and was
unconscious. l brought water 10 the
captain, and then managed To pull him
along into the shad e of a tree and make hin5
more comsorta be He said that he and the
cook tad come ashore on the broken bow
spirit, and he believed that all th e others hal
been owned outright. To the best of hts
! knowledge the island On which W chad been
cast " as charted as Gull Island, and was
| about eighty miles eff the coast of cent raI
l lava. Whom had rendered him what as
| sistance could, he asked me to look about
| and eff the place wasinhabited.
l took walk OF two miles along tie
| beach and ttaen crossed the island. /
| found the length about three miles ana tfit
| breadth half OF that, but neither on ths
| shore nor in the woods did l find evi
| dence OF occupation There were birds,
monkeys and serpents in plenty, and
| found three or four more springs and
the greatest abundance of shell fish and
| fruit When l returned TO the captain
| to make my report l found his condition
much worse, and he told me that he
| did not expect to live more than q few
! hours. BY his direction | carried wa6eI
to the cSpk, who was still unconscious
aad tried to force some between hi,
| slenched teeth. / also dragged him int
the shade. but it was plain that his
case was beyond hope. When so reported
| Capt. DAYTON said to me:
Boy, you Will be left here all alone
You must turn to and save wha
you can make use of among the wreekage
II you find matches you must keep a sigma
fire always burning, and at some point "
the west side OF theisland you must get u,
"a Flagstaff. Help will come from that side
Even il the place IS not inhabited it mus
be visited by native craft quite often. Yol
will sooner or later be taken off, art
it viii be for you to tell how the bril-
was lost.
He then gave me message to his wife
warned me to be careful of the noonda,
heat aud the dews of night, and talke,
for half an tour about the singular fat
sf the brig aud the sudden doom OF ne
crew. Then he sent me away and told m
to come back in an hour. 1 heard hir
praying aloud. and upon my return foun
MIN dead and a peaceful look upon hi
face. l went over to the cook and discov
cred that he was still breathing, but evi
IDENTIFY near his end. l was badly upset
as you may suppose, being only boy u
fifteen, but l pulled myself togtheer an
began searching among the wreckage
save what l could. found three chests o
clothes, one of which had belonged to tn
captain: two barrels of flour, barrel y
vinegar, two cases of ale, box of candles
Il Tin box holding gloss of matches, a Ia
of canned IIuit, condensed milk, three Z
four hams, d barrel Of beef, and many otht
things unnecessary to mention. There weT
also boards and planks and II tangIe {
ropes and two or three sails. / worke
until dark getting these things up the Shor,
audit was noon next day before had conl
pleted my laboTs When / awoke in th
morning the cook was dead. / al fir
thouyht to give both bodies burial in q
, sands, having found tools to dig with, bt
had fear of their presence on the islan,
and after f.esitating awhile / settled Il
matter BY dragging the bodies down To u
water. The tide was at its highest atnool
and when / returned from trip to IL
| spring the dead had floated away, l too
from the captain only his gold watc
which was afterward handed over TO b
S wife.