The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-09-27
STORIES OF CASTAWAYS.
iuseested by The Finding of a Stranded Hulk
on a Chilean Island.
From Shipping Illustrated.


Wis.,. Dy ADVERSE gales. Ihe Vlrilc |
Vikings. long before Columbus put in
an appearance, had accidentally dis
covered what is now known as North
America: and Left, son of Eric the
Red, is said to have founded colonies
800 years ago where Boston and New
York now stand. Island after island
in the Pacific was doubtless peoplel
IN some measure by castaways who
lad started out from some lonely islet
under auspicious omens. intending to
return at nightfall. but who were
caught in an unexpected cyclonic
storm and driven many miles to lee
ward of their island home. Some of
them perished miserably at sea;
some died from exhaustion. after ar
rival at an unknown land, and some
remained just where they gained
safety, and eventually forgot whence
they came. A recent number of the
Chilean Times reminds us that even
in the, twentieth century successors
to Robinson Crusoe are not alto
gether unknown, although their wan
derings do not always have so happy
a termination. 1t is reported that
on the shore of Guafo Island there
have been discovered the remains of
q ships hull, many packages OF cargo,
number of skeletons, and a ships
spar bearing the inscription Castle
ton, Newport"
Some years ago the American sail
ing ship Joseph Spinney, when about
two hundred miles from the Pellew
Islands, rescued an old chief and FIVE
other natives of that group who had
been blown out to sea in an open
boat. They had been eighteen days
without food, were Just about to kill
and eat the sixteen-old son of the
chief when the vessel bore down on
the curious object to reconnoitre, and
two of the castaways died despite
the most careful nursing and the
good food supplied to them by the
master of the Joseph Spinney.
, While on her way from Australia
to China the American bark Tewkes-
bury l.. Sweat was wrecked on one
of the Caroline Islands during hur-
I'cane. The castaws.ys lived with the
savages for seven months; then
grown tired of involuntary exile, they
sailed 1000 miles in boat and canoes
and were eventually picked up by
another vessel and taken to Honolulu
A few of the old time American
whaleships met with curious adven
lures in the Pacific Ocean and the
| Inf lxy
of sensuality and ease on one of th'
islands rather than risk their live
in pursuit of the crafty cetacean 70
return scarcely worth mentioning
And there were some whaleship
under Old Glory in those days! Com
modore Wilkes, U. s. NJ. In his re
nowned exploration cruise saw sew
eral American whalers during rui
of few miles, and Captain Coffin, o
the Plymouth whaler Mary and Mar
tina, spoken by Commodore Wilke
to the southeast of New Zealand, il
1S40, reported that there were a
least 100 similar ships Fishing" II
the neighborhood. One of the whale
ships in 1904 under Captain Folge
happened on the descendants of tn,
castaways known for all time as tn,
Bounty" mutineers, who after send
ing adrift their commander and thos
who refused to join in the mutiny hat
settled at Pitcairn Island with SOM
male and female natives of Otaheite
Captain Folger apparently did no
disclose his find. for six years ha,
elapsed before the island was agail
visited by any one from the outsid
world. Four years ago Nova SEQ
tia bark, the Angola, was wrecked ol
q reef six days after leaving Cavlte
III the Philippines. Seventeen SUI
vivors remained on the reef unit
two RATS had been constructed an
then attempted to reach the neares
dry land. During the night tn
smaller raft with five men disaT
peared and the twelve men of tn
large craft were fated to undergo
most terrible experience. Afte
drifting twenty-five days, destitute c
food and water, two men went ravin
mad and drowned themselves NeS
day a French sailor killed the mat
with an axe, quenched his thirst wit
the murdered officers blood and wa
later on killed by the second mat,
His body was eaten and cannibalisl
was resorted to again and again unit
only Swede and Spaniard wer
left to tell the horrible tale whe
the raft drifted ashore, after fort,
eight days experience, on an islam
of the South Natuna group. whel
the natives attended on their ever
want until strong enough to procee
to Singapore in junk.
} In 1892 the metal bark Compadl
, caught fire at sea and was run ashol
on Auckland Island to save the liv,
OF all on board. There the cast
+ ways spent about as monotonous
: hundred days as can be imagine
, until rescued by a passing ship. A
other metal bark, the Henry Jane
bound from New South Wales to Ca
. ifornia, piled up on coral reef ne
Palmyra Island. Her crew and pa
a songers sought safety on this inho
! pitable place; a boat, with the ma
$ and four men who had yolunteere
t succeeded in reaching Samoa after
r starvation trip covering 1900 mil
in nineteen days, and the Maripo
o OF tho Oceanic Steamship Compan,
3 fleet OF San Francisco, Cal. went o
of her way to rescue the castaways
III A.