Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-08-19
THELADRONESIN1848
NEW YORKER WHO WAS WRECK
ED on TINIAN FIFTY YEARS AGO.
Charles MiIes's Account of the
Observation-Disclosures shown by the
New York SUM-
Prisoners.

|
trifie better known than the islands
Of the Polar Sea. Spain had taken then
from the natives early in the seventeenth
Gentry and made use of the beautiful
islands with the Infamous name given by
Magellan when he discovered them FOL
an infamous purpose. Thieves Islands
Magellan had called them, because the
natives had stole his things; criminal
islands the Spanish made them by using
them as penal settlements, mostly fol
political prisoners Except when some
| storm-beaten ship, blown out of her
course, lay to off the islands, or an &C.
| casional American whaler entered their
one harbor, at Guam, or was driven upon
their rugged cliffs, the inhabitants had
no communication with the outer world
unless they made the voyage to the Phil
| ippines in open sailing canoes.
| In the fall of 1913 the British merchant
ship Canton, bound from Sydney to Hong
kong, lost her reckoning in long
continued foul weather and went ashore
| on the Island OF Tinian, now called An
|
recovered his ship there in a storm which
| blew her from her anchorage out to sea
while her commander was on shore, and
then drifted her back again. The youngest
person on the Canton was an apprentice
named Charles Miles, who was then 16
years old, and he was one of the five sur
vivors of the wreck who drifted ashore
in a lifeboat Subsequently he became
lawyer in England and is now cashier
for Emmens, Strong & Co., bankers, at
1 Broadway Forty years after the wreck
Mr.. Miles amused himself by writing
an account of the adventures OF himself
and his comrades, which, having finished,
he put away I'm a drawer of his desk
and never again thought Of 1t until he
read the Suns account last week which
told of the American flag flying over
Guam. He looked up his memoirs and
from them the following extracts are
taken.
After telling of the events OF the wreck
and the long wanderings of the five ship
wrecked men without seeing any sign OF
civilization and without food, except
lines and guava and a few shellfsh, which
they struck from the rocks, he writes:
1T must have been about the tenth day
since we were thrown ashore that we
heard a cry I'm the woods sounding like
'Coo-ee-coo-een 1t might be the cry OF
hostile Indiansl Even they would in our
case be almost welcome. We utter faint
shout; are answered by the 'Coo-ee! of
several voices; we huddle together. We
now hear the bark Of dogs and the crack
ing Of wood. Several dogs dash through
and eye us with angry and surprised eyes.
Then more dogs and five Indians, carry
ing two muskets and spears. We stand
L. shar, tb.rg
friendly signs TO us, beating back the
dogs and offering us something. We APP
proach and see that they are partly cloth
ed. with their teeth between red and black |
from chewing betel nut.
What they offered us was rude kind |
OF cigars, which we accepted, and from |
satchels made from leaves they handed us |
boiled heads of Indian corn and watched |
US greedily devouring them. They then
beckoned us to follow them which we did |
most gladly, until after several hours we |
reached a substantial looking dwelling
facing the sea, while around it were seye-
raj bamboo huts. There stood dark wo-
man, nearly black, sucking a child. She
approached and smiled patting me on the
head, as If commiserating my youth, say
ing, All right This was all her English.
We were told the Governor was away
searching for us, and would soon be back.
She gave us some watermelon, which we
lte, at the same time longing for more
substantial food.
Having finished our melon, we had time
o look about us. and were much struck
With the beauty Of the scene. IL appeared
o be really a terrestrial paradise, and we
lad been wandering near it for the last
our days. IT appears our ship had struck
IN the opposite side of the island. which
~
With the inhabited side. The settlement
vas formed of the Governors house,
olidly built on piles of some antiquity.
With a veranda facing the sea, three large
,amboo sheds, a row of huts, and some
mall sheds.
"A sudden stir among the Indians and
he temperance OF the Governors wife
bowed that the great man was approach !
ng. Here he comes, with dogs in front |
md four Indians armed like our escort |
With hintlock guns and boar spears. he ,
wearing a large cavalry sword hanging ;
rom his girdle, and evidently much in (
is way. He appeared middle-aged. On his {
cad he wore a white hat Of the beaver s
ind, much battered. An outer tunie, fas- }
aned by a grdle and blue cotton trou- y
ars reaching TO his ankles completed his
tire. His feet were bare. But that ter 2
BILE sword How he must have suffered :
y its unsuitableness for the tangled | n
oodsl Here he was. the representative ,
Z the chivalry OF Spain, and it was ne ,
sssary TO impress these Englishmen with >
he dignity of his office. What as likely
the sword of his fathers to do this? !,
e had, indeed, a deal Of dignity In his !,
amer, and his face was a pleasing one !,
is name was Don Diego Lomez, sergeant =
the Colonial forces OF Spain. After
aking a bow to his wife and baby he =
rned TO US and said-much 10 our de-
;ht-in tolerabe English: How do you
}; good morning (the sun was setting) :,
nd then shook hands all around, coming -
me last and saying, Poor boy" !,
The Governor explained, the narrator =
,es or 10 tell, that some Of his men y
id observed wreckage coming ashore -
I'd had subsequently found the life =,
,at, also a box of wax candles. These =
e Governor piously burned before the =
rine Of st. Anthony with prayers for -
c safety Of the shpwrecked men, and >
made no doubt that il was owing TO >.
e help of the saint that one of the =
arching parties had found the sur -
vors in time Don Diego fed the Eng -
hmen well, and then explained that he ~
d a political prisoner there, one ! o.,
IN Manuel, whose entire family
d been sent TO various penal y
Ionies for taking part in an in -
ERECTION at Madrid The political pris ~
er was made free of the island h ,,
planned, except VIXEN visitors arrived. -
itch was about once year, but II they NJ
'uld promise not 10 assist him TO escape -
would be allowed TO have his Gus N