The Irish standard., 1898-02-26

of the ordinary course of vessels and it
seemed probable that only bare chance
could save them from ultimate starva-
tion.
After a weeks stay on the bare reef
Lieutenant Commander Sicard asked for
five volunteers to man small boat and
undertake perilous voyage of 1900
miles over a trackless ocean to Homo
lulu. Nearly every man in the ships COM
pany volunteered to attempt a journey
OF which there seemed but one chance
In hundred of successful ACCOMPLISH
ment. The commanding officer chose
| Lieut., Talbot to command the forlorn
nope, and chose for service under him
| CoXswain William Halford, Seamen Pc
ter Francis James Muir and John An
! drews. One of the ships boats was
partly decked over with material from
the wreck of the Saginaw. small mast
was stepped and provisions and a COM
| pass were put On board Then the ex-
| petition started while the wrecked crew
| cheered from the coral reef.
That frail bark kept on its way day
and night for week, officer and men
taking turn and turn about at the oars.
AT times the wind was with them and
then the sail helped wonderfully. At
| other times, with the breeze dead ahead,
they could but creep along, working la
boriously at the oars.
FINALLY gale overlook them and for
two days and two nights they expected
to be overwhelmed. There was no sleep
for any one Of the little company, and
While two toiled at the oars to keep the
crafts head up to the wind the others
balled. AT last a respite came, and by
| lot one man was selected to watch for
an hour, while the others slept. For "a
hours they lay to, trying to recover from
the effects of the eXertion of the struggle
with the elements. A large part of the
provisions had been almost ruined by
sea water and the supply of fresh water
ran short. Then there were days of un-
told suffering. The food was salt-soakel
and nauseous and created a burning
thirst which the men did not dare to
| fully crafty because of the sbortncss of
the water supply. Strength was rapidly
| leaving them, and yet it was necessary
| to toll at the oars. Lieut.. Talbot was i'll
| almost unto death, yet he kept a cheer
full face and inspired the men by his ex-
ample. He worked with a will born of
| spirit rather than OF strength.
One day, after computation, Lieut..
| Talbot came to the conclusion that ow-
ing to an error In an instrument they
! had gone out of their course. The in
| formation came like a deathblow to the
men. There was nothing to do, however,
| but to change the vessels head and go
on once more. More days passed by and
| tho exhaustion of two of the men was
SO great that they could not sit in their
| places at the oars, but fell inert at the
| bottom of the boat. The condition Of
| all was desperate. Their tongues were
| so swollen that they could not swallow
| the little food they had Toward even
| ing OF that dreadful day land was sight
| ed. Lieut.. Talbot and CoXswain Ialford
managed to make scre headway with
! the oars and favoring brecAe helped.
AT daylight the next morning the shore
| lay before them but a mile distant.
| heavy Ene OF breakers intervening. Be
yond the white wall of surf they saw
| men on the beach.
At that moment Of supreme JOY their
boat struck Il rock and in moment
| was overturned. All the members Of
that heroic crew were too weak to strug-
| gle and all save one were drowned when
the long sought land was almost under
their feet CoXswain Eaiford managed
| to struggle for few minutes with the
waves, then he was caught by n breaker
and thrown to the sandy shore. He WAS
rcslscitated with difficulty, and then he
| found he was on the beach of one of Tho.
! Hawaiian Islands and hat he was the
only survivor of the boats crew. He
| told his story, and within "A hours two
| steamers were dispatched from Honolulu
to the rescue of Lieut.. Commander
| Sicard and his men. who were found
well and hearty, though living on some
| what short rations
| In late November Of the year 1877 the
| United States steamship Huron, new
| iron vessel, was wrecked off Nags Head,
| on Tho coast of North flrolina, and of
a ships company Of 1872 officers and men
only 81 were saved. The cause has
never been thoroughly understood
| There was only Il moderate gale blowing
at the time, though there WIS a trc-
! mcndGrs sea running. II has been sup
| posed that some local magnetic attrac-
| ton disturbed the compass and throw
| the vessel off it's proper course. At any
| rate, it struck the rocks and in less than
| an hour the disaster WIS complete. The
| wreck OF the. Huron will be ever memoir
! able for the heroism displayed by Cadet
! Engineer Lucien Young and Seaman
| Williams. Young had been ont Of the
Naval Academy little more than a year.
| When stationed on the European squad
| ron he had distinguished himself by
| jumping overheard and saving the life
| Of a sailor who had fallen into the water
I