Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1897-07-23

OF deeds Of heroism unsurpassed IN one
tase at least, IN the history OF the navy,
and recalled acts which never received
that public attention which both OF
them deserved. Lieutenant Mckee was
son OF the gallant William K. NC
Kee who fell with Harry Clay at the
battle of Buena Vista. The deed which
made his name an hOnOred one was IN
leading the desperate assault on the
Korean forts in 1871. John Tal5oI,
who was the friend. classnate and DIS
tant kinsman OF Mckee, persisted under
the most dramatic circumstances, AFTER
successful attempt TO save the lives
Of his comrades. having volunteered 10
make an ocean journey of fifteen hun
dred miles in an open boat for their
relief. On the 29th of October, 1870
The United States man -0t-war Sagl-
nav was wrecked near Ocean Island, IN
the Pacific ocean. and all OF her officers
and men cast on its barren and unln-
harited shores. Ocean Island was
about midway between San Francisco
and YOkOhOma, entirely cut OF the
customary track of navigation, and ful-
" fifteen hundred miles from the near
est civilized mort The crew of the
Saginaw was therefore in terrible
Might. Only a scanty store of provl-
sions had been saved from the wreck
age. the sand bank yielded nothing that
was nourishing. and the chance Of the
crew being saved by passing craft
was about as remote as the possibility
OF the Pacific returning the wrecked
shin intact. A call was made for vol
unteers to undertake a voyage OF nj
teen hundred miles in a small boat
tho captains gig-to procure relief be-
fore the men could perish from starva-
ton and exposure. Lieutenant Ialpot
and five seamen volunteered to make
the Journey. with Honolulu &c their
objective point. Talbot and the men
unGer him began their trip with mea-
gre provisions, some of them a'ready
considerable damaged and practically
useless. insufficient fresh water and q
small oil cooking stove. After having
heen five days cut, the little company
encountered storms and lost al means
OF procuring light or fire. Then COM
menced many days of suffering from
exposure and want Of food which was
not positively sickening. Lieutenant
Tlbott fell ill., and remained so, and
then. to add to the horrors Of the sit
uation. one of the seamen became in
sane. Thus the sig and It's heroic
crew drifted for thirty-One days. Tai
not at times almost exhausted, but al
ways courageous and cheerful, keeping
I'D the hopes of his comrades and nav
igating the little craft in an intelligent
manner. Finally the boat. ieaky and
dangerous, with Talbot and two or the
men extremely i'll and another insane
but harmless to a pitiable degree, sight
ed the coast of Kausi, one of the Ha-
waiian group. 1t wag here that Talbot
met his death. The boat got into shoal
water and was capsized. and every man
save one. Talbot included. was washed
into the sea. Before the boat was
righted Talbot. heavily clothed and
much exhausted, made desperate eff
fort to save himself, but g breaker car
ried him away. He sank without a
cry. One Halford, the sole survivor.
chung to the boat, ana was washed
ashore. He told his story, and in a
short time a vessel was on its way to
Ocean Island to rescue the shipwrecked
seamen. Talbot's body was afterwards
found on the beach and given a tempo
rary burial Later it was brought to
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