Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-12-27
CHRISTMAS AT FUEGO.

black outline through the constantly an
| preaching combers She had broken nm
very quickly and now but a few spectral
RIBS remained to show where she had
! struck. She had come so close in the
| furious energy of storm that some of
her coal cargo had washed UP on the
beach, and this had been used as fuel
by the survivors. All her crew had got
ashore alive but two, Norwegian sea
man and Japanese steward, who were
| never seen after the waves started to
break over the vessel. The others, ten
| hands all told, amid the uproar of the
| gale, cracking timbers and falling wreck
age, had jumped overheard and had
| nonhdered and fought their way safely
| ashore.
They had found themselves on appar-
emily small island far to the south.
ward OF the Falklands. Making for the
Straits OF Lemaire n sudden storm. which
seemed reinforced by the FESTIVE turmoil
OF the southern ocean, drove the vessel
on the minhabited splinter of rock.
Stony ridges, white with snow, rose in
land, and on the beach outcropping lodges
added to the forbidding aspect. OF vcge-
tation there was none except some brack
en- which struggled for existence in the
assures of rock. In the lee of one of
the rock lodges temporary shelter was
quickly erected from the planking and
bits of canvas that had come ashore from
| the wreck.
In all the chaos of things tossed on
the sand by the laundering surf there
was but little food. Some few tins of
biscuit and meager fragment of salt
meat were the only articles of food the
first mornings search discovered How
| ever, when Il fire had been built and
! some warmth restored the soggy biscuits
were dcvoured greeedily Capt. Jennison
superintendcd the construction of the
| hut, but was so weak from exposure that
| he did no work himself
Scarcely had the shelter been COM
p!eted when the skipper succumbed to
| fever and had to lay up, being made as
comfortable as possible in protected
corner of the hut. The mate provided
what simple remedies he could and told
off man to act as the shippers special
! attendant. This was Jim Ranney, a sea
man, who hailed from the same town in
| Maine that the skipper came from and
had sailed with him before
Huntington, the mate, calculated that
| the island at which the Star Of Prussia
| had stranded was between forty and fifty
miles to the eastward of New Years
| island, where there was lighthouse
In the deep gloom of those frigid nights
ON the beach he had imagined he could
! see a faint loom of light to the west
ward. If this lighthouse could be
reached by some of the castaway crew
it would probably be possible to save
| the others. How to get to New Years
island was the question. After consulta-
ton it was decided that skiff should be
built in which to attempt the trip.
The available timbers were gathered
together and within week the car
pcnter had constructed crude but
staunch skiff. Then ensued several days
when the surf was too rough to launch
the boat safely. A meager store of food,
lmpcts gathered from the rocks, and
some slmcds of salt junk, was placed on
board, with water enough to last several
days. Finally, while Capt. Jennison yet
lay in a weakened, scmi-conscious state.
the slSiff was launched successfully with
seven men aboard, including the mate.
Pcrthn, the Frenchman, remained with
Ranney at the island to care for the
skipper,
The mention of the lighthouse island
seemed to start the shippers thoughts
once more toward home.
Must be getting along toward Christ
mas, jim said he. What do you reck-
on the date to be?"
Pretty near Christmas, capn," said
Ranney. Il figure it'll be just a week
from today.
Il guess we won't have any turkey,
ch ?" the skipper asked.
Not much" returned the seaman.
Lucky if we can hold out that long"
About II week after the slitf left the
island, Porthin started toward the in
terror to climb Il rocky hill with the idea
of taking long sight to the westward.
The men were terribly anxious to catch
the first sign of rescue party. Their
condition was such that if help did not
come soon they would be beyond aid.
The meager diet of limpets and small
shcllfish found on the rocks would not
sustain life much longer. Snow fell
after Porthin departed, and when he did
not return for many hours Ranney de-
clared that he must have lost his way
and been frozen. Ranney, who had been
growing more irritc.ble end dispirited as
the skipper recovered, left the hut grum-
blingly to hunt for Porthin. Capt. Jen-
nison smiled grimly at Ranney's com
plants. Little use to complain In the
situation.
Upon his return Ranney reported that
he could find no trace of the Frenchman
He seemed to have disappeared com
pletely. Ranney was cold and weak on
his return and talked in a rambling mon
otone of old voyages, i'll luck, Portland
Harbor and other things. The skipper
thought that the sailor was in Tor
smell OF fever and insisted on his turning
slept soundly and the captain took up
the duties of nurse.
The following day somewhat warm
or sunshine than usual flooded the
island. The skipper, recovering some
thing of his spirits through the more
suspicious weather, decided to climb the
rocky hill inland to see If he could make
cut ANYTHING to the westward. lie lett
Ranney asleep, apparently restoring him
self after season of prolonged labor
Making his way through the rocks, the