The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-03
TEN MONTHS FROM 7HE World.
The CnstawAJ Crew or the Lost seiadon or the
Lonely Island or sophia.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.

From the San Francisco Chronicle.
A remarkable tale of %shipwreck and privation
is that told by the crew OF the Scladon. the Nor.
wcgian bark wrecked on Stradbroke Island on
Aug. Z of last year. Out of sixteen men who left
Newcastle thirteen have arrived to tell the tale.
The three who lost their lives were the Captain.
the first mate, and the carpenter. The Captain,
who had been in i'll health previous to leaving
Newcastle, died on Aug. n from the effects or
exposure in the open boat.
Seven days previous to this the mate lost his
life through the capsizing of tho boat OF which
he had charge, and the carpenter died shortly
after arrival at Sophia Island, which place the
castaways finally succeeded In reaching, after
terrible hardships. This is the story contained
in Australian mail adviccs brought by steamer
yesterday. and solves an ocean mystery when
unrcmitting search for nearly n year had failed.
The vessel, which was under the command Of
Capt, Adal Jeger. sailed from Newcastle, y. s.
w. on July 10. 1896, with a cargo of coal for
Honolulu. On the night, OF Aug, Z she struck
on q reef of Strsdbroke Island. From that date
until Sent. q the crew underwent almost in
credible hardships, their sufferings terminating
on the latter date, when their boat tho sur
was cast ashore on the sandy beach of Sophia
Island. They spent ten months on the island
They we're ees" tsk esSt to suv Sy and p Sfser Z f s'sad% nSs'
stay at the Fiji capital. were picked up by the
bark Ellen. C;lpt. Anderson, ana taken on TO
sydney, arriving there on the morning of
Aug. %.
The second mate. who, after the successive
deaths OF the Captain and first officer, was the
chief in command, tells the story OF the disas.
ter. They were wrecked, he said. on n reef Off
sttr ,%d EfI Island somSwner r :, to ,h the northwest
that this was about east longitude 175'
latitude To- south. lie and the Captain
charge of another. The Captains boat had a
S chi and sni,iG compass Srsft and nd rs, IS this this wa tho tho
decided decide { 'I 'hat t& Ssa't ca pit shS ' SoSi 't should %Ti
tow the other. Their stock OF provisions on
leaving tho wreck consisted Of some tins OF
salmon and snrdincs. a small bag of biscuits.
two or three tins of l,tef, and two small kegs Of
water. ~ pT,elicing the most rigid abstinence
and making one sardinc serve for a meal. this
meagre supply was made TO last twcnty.one
days. In the meantime the Captain had died of
mate himself drown d. The men had been re-
ducod to the last stages Of exhaustion. During
the whole time they had sighted nothing but
On Aug. 81. with no provisions remaining and
no prospect Of rescue. the end seemed at hand.
their water supply. and. with a few teaspoon.
fuls a day. they mLnnRcd to snhsist six days
longer, On sept. g they sighted land. 1t proved
to be Sophia Island. some hundred miles to The
north of Fiji, and here they, landed. or, rather.
were cast ashore, TOO weak TO stand. They
who, to the total number Of ten, nroved 10 be
Me sole inhabitants of the island. Through the
Kindness of their rescucrs they recovered
remained on this solitary spot-its total
circumference is not more han a few furlonGs-7
" I" w wv wa ''iiNh Ai'N
themselves carving watch chains. boxes and
various articles out of coCoanut and other woods.
Their food consisted OF cocoanuts. turtles and
sea birds. with the occasional luxury OF poultry
and a few small pigs. On July Il their romantic,
IL uncomfortable. existence on the island came
TO nm end through the passing of the steamer
Clyde. This vessel noticed the signals held out
by the crew and conveyed them to Suvn;, From
there they were taken of by the bark Ellen. ar
irving in Sydncy as above stated.
According TO the chart the wrecked sailors
must have made a voyage OF about 1000 miles
in the ship's boat before they reached Sophia
Island. After leaving Stradbrokc Island they
steercd northwnrd for some distance. as Nal
den Island and Christmas Island lie consider
ably 10 the north. Then they sailed south and
west till they made Sorhia. which lies in To- i6'
south latitude and l79' 81 east longitude.
Sophia Island lies just north Of the Fiji group
and is a small wooded island two or three miles
in circumference Stradbroke Island. where the
Inflated bark was wrecked, has been very
vaguely placed on tho charts, and IL is to this
cause. probably. that so many previous wrecks
have taken place there. There was formerly n
guano deposit there. and several Auckland yes.
sells visited ii, but il is now deserted.