The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-08-03
Ninety.Six Sailors On a Myster.
iOus Island That
NO ONE CAN LOCATE.
On This Island May be Living Command.
er Hunt and the Crew of the
uC,lted States Man.of War
That Disappeared Long

Hardly year passes that the PresI.
dent Of the United States is not i'm
portuned to send forth naval exped-
ition to solve the most fascinating sea
mystery that ever existed and this
one has bafllad all inquiry for nearly
half century.
If Robinson Crusoe' is the most
absorbing piece OF sea fiction ever
writa5n, how much moro interesting
would be the authentic record of ad
ventures Of no less than ninety. six
Robinson Orusoes all cast away on the
same uncharted island in the North
Pacific forty six years ago.
Whenever sea. .faring veterans con.
gregate to exchange experiences aud
"reminiscences the probable fate of
this whole ships Grew Of CIusoes Is q
fayorite suit ct for speculation.
Aye, aye, Captain" says grlz-
zled old second officer of a tramp
steamer, II remember the Levant as
we'll as IL I'd seeu her comm up the
Bay only yesterday. In those days she
was q man o. war to be proud Of The
United States had few stauncher. The
whole crew lost, you say, Bin2 Not a
bit Of 1t. Pltcairn's not the only un-
charted island to show up just In time
to save shipwrecked crew."
Right you are, Mate," says the
Captain, and there's still q patch out
In the Pacific south Of 20 north lati-
tude and east Of longitude lac as big
as tho State of Maine that nobody
Knows any moro about than they do
of the North Pole. You all know
that's about where the Levant got
caught by the typhoon back In 60n
That's the idea, Captain. III there's
no island In that patch, says l, why
haslnobody ever run aoross the wooden
bull OF the old Levant, or any OF her
fiuatin' junk?"
THE ELL-TALE MAINMAsT.
Except ner malumaSt that strand
cd on Kaalualu in the Hawaiians,"
says Bill, making historical correo
tion.
pbSt stranded, spar goegg to .proye
what I'm tellin' ye," says the cid
tramp second officer. Why was moth.
In but the mainmast OF the L L,vant
ever seen afterwardsp Well, I'll tell
ye The mainmast went overheard
when the typoon fust struck her, an
laid clear course for Hawaii But
the otlicers managed to keep the LIE
wants nose pinted sou sou east for
Panama till this here undiscovered s
land bobbed up, caught her fast on a
, coral reef an made Robinson Orusoes
OF everybody aboard"
Such, In q NUTSHELL are the posi-
bllities- perhaps, even, the possibil-
ties regarding the fate OF the officers
and crew OF the Levant.
Commander William e. Hunt, With
ninety five officers and men, started
with the sloop of-war Levnnt from
Hila, Hawaiian Islands, on Septem-
Der 18, 1860, bound for Panama via
the California coast. These were the
officers under Commander Hunt:
Lieutenants-McB. S. Porter, &c O
Stout, Colville Jerrett and r. T. Bo-
wen. Surgeons. S. Gillian and
William Bradley; Purser, Andrew ]
Watson; Master, James O. Mosely;
First Lieutenant OF M arines, p. l.
Browning; Acting Boatswain, Harri-
son Edmonston; Gunner, Robert S.
King; Carpenter, John Jarvis; Sail.
maker, Charles S Frost.
The Official early records of the Le-
wants disappearance are brief, but in
teresting and significant. Command
er }. B. Montgomery, United States
Flagship Lancaster at Panama. The
following are from Montgomery re-.
ports to Washington from his flag.
ship waiting in the Bay of Panama.
Nov 20, 1861 have recently re.
ceived letters from William &c Hunt
that the Levent is now ready and on
It's way to this port"
January 81, l86i-The Saranac
and Wyoming will proceed In search
OF the Levant, TO Iilo and Honolulu
The unusual length Of time since sail
ing produces serious apprehension for
her safety"
February 13, 1861--N No word yet.
Hurricane last September dsmastcd
an American clipper, and II. b. NJ
line OF bsttleship Ganges had her sails
blown from the yards.
"A letter from Commander Hunt,
dated September 3 1860, stated he
would start from Hllo in ten or twelve
days. 1t is now known that he sailed
from Hilo September 18, Without
change Of purpose TO return to this
port"
February ID, Commander
j. K. Mitchell, OF tho Wyoming, at
lIilo, reports his cruise from Panama.
No word, except that Hunt intended
TO take the usual Northern route TO
Panama, via the coast to California,
to get the record OF his work before
Congress"
June 8, 1861 Thomas Miller, U.
8. Consul at IIilo, reports a mast
washed ashore s9yenty-fve miles from
there, supposed to be the mamma. {
Of the LevanG. Charles Spencer, Isaac
Nichols and Christopher Baker ex.
aminod this mast Of yellow Pine and
pronounced 1T TO be- that of the LIE.
want Part OF q lower yard five feet in
circumference at the slings was found
near the mast. Consul Miller and w.
O. Parks, Marshall at Hilo, confirm
this opinion. Baker was the pilot who
piloted the Leyant In and out OF HjlC
harbor, and he had the dimensions OF
her masts and spsrs."
ACT or CONGRESS- JULY "a, 1851.
Juno 3D. 1861, shall be deemed and
taken to be the day on which the
sloop Of war Levant founderod at sea. y
This act of Congress, Implying that
the Levant, having "foundered, wat
irreparably loss with all her crew, fail
| cd to draw any curtain OF oblivion oveI