Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1901-08-02
THE DERELTCT
A Weird Story of the
Polar Sea.
BY A. G.. Pc A r s E.


from Wellington, New Zealand, when
we were about $50 miles 10 the south
ward OF Cape Horn. that we fell In
with the dereiict ship Her name. still
faintly 10 be read on the SCARED tim
bers, was Resolution. That is all we
learned about her from personal OBJ
seryation. for the fact that her hold
was half full of water precluded the
possibility of careful examination.
But on board Of her we discovered n
human derelict. He was lying in n
heap In the galley, and OF first we
thought 1t was a mere bundle OF furs
and rags. Closer scrutiny. however,
4, revealed the fact that the bundle was
man. There was a flicker of life In
him-no more.
Pull him around IL you can" said
the skipper to the ships doctor. 81
should like TO hear how II was that he
was drifting around in that Old hulk,
which. by the way. is a danger to uavi-
CATION"
4, My one fellow passenger. a man nam.
ed Holroyd. and myself hailed with
satisfaction the doctors announcement
b couple OF days later that the patient
was sufficiently recovered to come rp
on deck and spend an hour with ms i'm
the saloon We half led. half carried.
him from his berth and sat him down
on the after lockers.
The stranger looked from one TO the
other of us with an expression that
was pitiful I'm his eager longing TO give
utterance TO some half formed ideas.
Then suddenly he turned TO me and
asked:
What year is this?" / told him.
81 thought perhaps II was n frlghtfuI
dream" he murmured. "but II was real
ity. Six years! My God. six years.
He stopped abruptly and covered his
face with his hands. Horoyd pourcd
out glass OF wine and gave II TO him.
This frightened him up bit, and he
slowly began again:
ION the Goth OF December. six Years
ago, we sailed from Adelaide i'm the
ship Enterprise ON an exploring expedi-
zion in the antarctic regions The cap
tain'S name was Cleveland
I'VE steered for Kerguelan island.
where we landed some seal fishers. and
then proceeded on our voyage. On tho
18th or January we made ont some
high land on the port bow. To the west
the water was fuii of summer ice. but
the water was clear 10 the southwark.
and we pushed on until the ODD OF
March. when we were beset I'm the ice
pack. and IL was only with the greatest
difficulty that we warped the ship into
a small Inlet which the cantaIn deter
mined TO make his winter quarters.
''As soon as the ship was safely
moored we started TO explore this desc
late land. which no living man had ever
set foot upon or even seen. II was evil
IDENTIFY part II great southern CONT
nent which stretched beyond the pole
ITSELF And over those frightful and
Voiceless solitudes Of snow Cleveland
determined 10 force his way as soon as
spring rendered travelling possible.
with the first traces OF returning
light we made preparations for an ex-
petition 10 the south. and on the oath
or September we started. For a month
we travelled under sky as blue as
ltaly's. and then the weather changed
Fogs. snowstorms and gales succeeded
each other. rendering travelling work
Of such difficulty and danger that we
had TO make the best OF our way back
TO the ship. which we reached In Janu.
airy. only 20 find that the ice had forced
her high up on the shore amid a mass
or debris She was still habitable.
Enough she would never float again.
"Six more weary months dragged by.
Escape TO the north being cut off by
barrier OF ice mountains. Captain Cleye-
land determined TO make another at
tempt TO cross the polar sea. or contl-
nent. whichever IL was. and reach Ora
ham Land. where be might be picked
up by whaler.
sour original crew OF SO was now re-
dueed by sickness and accident to about
20. We carried quantity OF provisions,
hoisted the ensign at the peak and babe
goodby 10 the Enterprise on Oct 20.
'As we advanced farther the peaks
and rough ground fell away until an
unbrOken sheet OF snow stretched away
before us Nowhere else on earth would
1t be possible to find such utter desola-
ton.
THE c.ew held a consultation. and
even the boldest OF them, being dis
mayed by the gloomy prospect. ad-
dressed request to Captain Cleveland
to return to the Enterprise. This he re-
fused TO do, but eight men determined
to go back alone, and SO, giving them
one OF the sledges and their provisions,
we parted company. Whether they eve
er reached the ship know not.
'We kept on and on, forever toward
the south, and one by one my compan-
ions died along the road until there
were only four Of rs left-the captain,
myself and two seamen. 1t was about
this time that ] fell into a sort OF
trance, How long | continued In this
dazed state ] do not know, but when ]
recovered consciousness l found my
self standing on rocky headlapd gaz-
Ing down upon ship which was Inn
bedded in the center Of a field of rough
ice. A few PAGES from me stood Cap
tain Cleveland, gaunt and hollow eyed.
No one else was in sight.
"The strange ship was the American