The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-01-14
A TALE OF THE SEA.
How Flock of Birds Rescued Sailors
from Desperate Plight.

From the Philadelphia Telegraph.
The stanch British steamer Kensing-
ton arrived at Philadelphia the other
day with a cargo of sugar from Sour
abaya, Java, and her captain, John
Langwill, unfolded to a reporter
story of the trip, which it is safe TO
say has not a duplicate in maritime an
nails 1t reads like a page OF one OF
Clark RusSell'S books of big ocean
marVels. but it is even more wonder
full, for it had the stamp of undoubtei
truth. Tales of the sea have been writ
ten of ship and crews owing their sal
walton to various causes, but surely
no one every heard of a crew owing
their lives to the intervention of birds.
Yet these are what Captain Lang
will and the sailors of the R"nsinS'
ton, for had it not been fo" tEtir
fortunate Intervention they Woutl have
Ecen unable to eXtricate themG",v"s
from the unusual enemy that assailed
them.
The steamer was about five days out
from Sourabaya, which she lett on
Sept. 10. She was ploughing ner way
through the Indian ocean, 1t was ter
rifcally hot. Captain Langwill declares
he never knew it to be hotter. The
sun beat down with blistering erect
UP the decks, and so heated did they
become that it was impossible for one
to place his hand upon the iron plates
without having it burned. The cargo
of sugar was in baskets, of which there
were Il, ,S23 each basket being about ilfe
fee. high. Ii was coarse, brown su'
gar. and as soon as ii began to teeI
the effects of the suns furnace rays
il emitted an odOr that resembled that
which comes from candy manufac-
tory.
lust then the vessels prov turned
into a vast field of seaweed, a growth
peculiar to that portion of the Indian
ocean, and then began the crews
troubles. These weeds extended for
miles. There appeared no end of thsm.
Far as the eye could reach nothing
else was visible. They covered com
pIetely the whole oceans surface.
These weeds were the home of a pecu-
liarly large and Voracious species of
the dragon fly. The steamer was no
sooner in their midst than, attracted
by the savory fumes of the sugar, they
swarmed upon the decks i'm millions.
They covered everything.
Thousands of them penetrated the
hold and toasted upon the sugar.
Thousands We're on the decks, seeking
to get below. Then these got savage.
A sugar laden vessel was something
they did not strike every day. 1t was
delightful change from the monot-
ony of weed fare, Big enough TO do
mischief, they got savage and attack
ed the crew. Captain Langwill had
Just thrty-two men, and they had the
battle of their lives. The flies could
not be driven off. Beaten off by the
crew, they only returned in greater
numbers and renewed the attack. Their
bites We're something awful. Captain
Langwill said, end it was not long be-
fore the body Of each man of the
crew was a mass of blood.
This terrible pest of flies lasted for
five days. How much longer it would
have continued Captain Langwill could
not say but when hope had died in
the breasts OF the crew, and they were
thinking Of giving up a hopeless fight,
strange event occurred.
Rescue was at hand. 1t came none
too soon, for the crew had become too
weak TO longer struggle against their
fly foe. Far up in the sky the desper-
ate sailors saw a fock of birds wheel
ing and circling. These proved the
savors Of the KeT sington's crew. They
were a mighty army of boatswain's
! birds. the deadly foe of the dragon fly