The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-08-01

W w a1!o~eu W sleep, lOlROGGeQ. Ever
nation whose flag foated over th
highways Of the North Pacific saw II
ship2 msnaced by the unknown. Her
~ss vast area Of ocean into whic
their ships were liable to be blown b
storms which was absolutely unknown
lying we'll of the beaten track OF nav
igation, ard possibly made hszardou
by the presence Of characteristic cora
reefs and island which in the Pacif
are generally so low as not to be visi
bic until ship is almost upon them
The greater part OF this unknown
area still exists. It is to the soutt
and east Of the route from San Fran
cisco to Australia, and to the south O
all the routes from the Hawaiian Is
lands to Panama and to Callao. Wha
lers had explored it only tentatively
noting certain islands, some Of which
remain mythical to expeditions which
made systematic search for them.
The almost absolute silerce and mys
tery about the disappearance Of the
Leyant, especially, as the years rolled
on, the fact that no trace OF the
wreck appeared, beyond the stranded
malnmast and yard, inspired every
sailing MASTER traVerSing those waters
with q firm belief that the Levant had
cast her crew upon some land, herself
cltnging fast upon the rocks which
caught her.
Between 1927 and 1889 this un
known region had been somewhat mar.
rowed by cruises Of three British and
one American expeditions. All OF these
expeditions reported indications OF
shoal water and urged the need OF fur
ther Investigations. During sixty
years, however, no further progress
vas made. In 1899 the Fish Conmis
sion steamship Albatross traversed
part OF the doubtful region and re-
ported seeing several lowlying islands,
ev dencly the same that exist in Wha
lirg annals.
Oae year before the loss Of the 'Ls-
want Captain John ie Greaves, sailing
from Hololuiu to Callao, reported the
di:cWery CT an island at longitude
13. sand north latitude II, which was
about fifty feet high and two miles
long. This island was so near the
route Of the Levant that If she had
reached that neighborhood in the
nigdt she might easily have been
wrecked upon it.
The LATEST effort Of the United
States Government to dispel the mys-
:ery ct the Lavant was made in 1908,
wien President Roosevelt dispatched
the Tacoma out on an expedition OF
discovery. All that the Tacoma did
was to narrow the unknown region
down to an area Of about the extent
OF the State OF Maine. It discovered
no island where there were visible
signs ct a wreck, or which we're inhab-
tied. The Tacoma negatively dispos.
90 of several island theories, but not
of The possibility Of the existence OF
one upon which the aged Robinson
Crusoes OF the LeVant may now be
living.
Ole of the great characters Of fc-
5ion is popularity supposed to be among
these castswags-Philip Nolan, the
pathetic hero OF Edward Everett
Hale's Man Without q Country, "
whom the author disposed OF aboard
the Levant. Captain Lawless, in
writing OF his cruise. mentioned re-
ceiying letter from the aged author
OF that masterpiece ic which be said:
IF you have found dear Phil No
Ian. bring him at once to this toUse;
I will adopt him as my grandfather. :"
The great historical analogy for the
theory that members OF the crew OF
the LevanG are still alive on some
unknown island is the existence Of
che colony on Pitcairn Island, In the
South Pacific, these people being de
Scsndants Of the crew OF the Bounty,
which mutinied more than a century
ago and were wrecked on that island,
there to exist for eighteen years be-
fore their fate was discovered and
made known to the world.
These Bounty mutiness for nearly q
score OF years we're genuine z ,binson
Crusoes, subsisting wholly upon fish
and the other sea food, the birds and
animals aud the fruits which the is
land afforded.
The Levanters were, perhaps, able
to save part Of the wreck Of their ship
from which to build huts, and some
OF the stores, including clothing.
II these cid men are now clothed at
all must be with the skins and feathers
OF birds, or even woven grasses, OF per-
haps the woven fibre of the outer husk
OF the cocoanut. 1t is possible that
there were seeds aboard the LeVant
and that this colony Of Crusoes has
been able to cultivate the soil as q
neane CT varying their supply OF fish,
birds, eggs, turtles and so on. PJs'
siply the salvage OF the ships chrome
meter may still give them the time
OF daV. AS at least score OF than
must have been men Of education,
doubtless they have kept diaries which
contain records Of their strange ex
perieuces from day to day.
But the mystery OF the lost Levant
and his crew, and also OF the great ua'
explored region, is 200 fascinating fol
attempts to solve it to cease until
avery aquare mile Of those latitudes
has been scrutiniz.d. Even ten years
from now, il the fatal island is found
it is within the possibilities that some
broken, half savage old men may be
rescued to tell civilization the true
story OF the loss OF the Lsvant and
of their long and wonderful exile.
Caught Up With.
Anna Nolan, negress, employed at
Lauderdale Springs hotel, forty miles
from Meridian, Miss, was arrested
Wednesday morning charged witch an
attempt ut wholesale poisoning Ct the
proprietor, attaches and guests II the
hotel by placing q quantity OF R)ugt
or D ,tc in tho cofPao eorve6 Thursday