The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-01-30

Hendlg0. tried 6llfef-lnlulhb az -
Am. and al a later date worked slue
by side IA the tin mines at MOUNT
Zoehan. in Tasmania. besides conduct
lng several prospecting trips on our
Jwn account r,,.d
OConnell was a man for whom / nau
a wholesome respect He was quiet
reserved good-natured fellow VINO
never drank too much, and VINO haUeu
nothing In this wor.- more lnah TOW,
pe was man of immense physlca'
strength. en- expert boxer, and a mag
nlfcent swimmer His placid demean-
NJ hid an indomitable spirit, and
would as soon have fought steam
roller as Jim OConnell; the one would
have been as incorporating as the
other.
II was on one Of our prospecting
tHps that Jim told me the particulars
OF his strang experience on Copper
island. a brief hint Of which / had al
ready obtained from police court par
agraph some time before in the Bris-
bane Courier.
It seems that Jim was in Sydney
ont of work. when he saw one day an
advertisement In the Sydney Morning
Herald asking for half-dozen miners
70 proceed to Copper island-an I'M
inhabited island lying between Brls-
hAne and Thursday standard there
prospect for copper. OConnell imme-
diately made application to the adyer-
user. one Captain D., a mining e1
Jert D. had control of the busl-
ness on behalf of well-known Sydney
firm of shipowners, who held con-
cession for mining on the island.
OConnell being a practical miner Of
wide experience, was made the boss
Of the gang, and five other men having
been engaged and contracts signed 1or
six months, the little party were Ia
ken by Captain D to the scene OF
their operations in a schooner char-
tered for the purpose.
Having duly landed the men on the
island whose sole inhabitants they
we're to be, D left them, promising
to return at the beginning OF each
month with rations, etc. For time
ali went well. The men were amply
p1ovisioned, and, besides, there was
some feathered game to be shot, hsf
to be caught, and fair supply Of egg
of various kinds. The men soon settled
down to work in earnest, meeting witt
considerable success in their search TO
copper. But the month expired, and
contrary to their expectations, Capital
D-'s schooner. came not. There wa
still plenty of food on the island, how
ever. and the men kept at their wor
and were not at first, uneasy. But whe
second month elapsed and still Their
was no sign of the schooner they be
gan to get seriously alarmed.
The stores became exhausted, an
soon! after a far greater evil befel
Hitherto plentiful supply of waite
bad been .obtainable, at spot WheI
the islanders fondly imagined sprin
existed, but no rain had fallen sine
their landing, and the basin becomin
empty. it was seen that there had bee
merely a surface supply, and now M
a single drop was to be found on u
whole island!
In this awkward difficulty 0'Col
nells resourcefulness soon showed
self. Everybody naturally looked
= him; even had he not been their "bos
1t would have been just the sam
Digging for water proved barren OF
suit, and, as there was evidently
water on the island, OCOnnell dete
mined to look elsewhere tor it, Abo
a mile to the westward lay anoth
small island, and thither O'Connen d
termined to make his way, He gu
gested that one of his mates should
company him, and that they shou
take an empty cask in tow and bri
back supply of water if any we
found. Four of the men acknowledg
themselves to be swimmers, but 1
one volunteered for the mile sW
through the shark-infested sea.
AS it was more than one mans wo
however, to tow a laden cask, in
event of success, lots we're ultimate
cast, and man called Gange set fol
with O'Connell. The two reached
island without any misadventure, w
fortunate to find an ample supply
water, and brought back their wellfii
cask in safety. They had but one ca
ard, as it held only scanty supply
one week, it became necessary to mi
periodical visits to the other isla
It was, of course, impossible for tn
to take Up their residence there.
\ only was enc of their number n
s. swimmer, but they had no means
transferring their firearms and ann
49, rrrnr, -rrIinL ~ u,rrr l. NJ