The Pensacola journal., 1907-04-28
GRUESOME
DISCOVERY
WAS MADE
Skeleton of a White Man
Found in Rude Boat on
Florida Keys.
CRAFT FORMED FROM TRUNKS OF
A ROYAL PALM TREE-coN-
TANNED REMAINS OF SOME
HAPLESS VICTIM OF THE SEA.

The following is from theaNIiamt,
Record:
Capt Charley Thompson, who is so,
well known as a marine hunterSof that
which is wonderful and curious,
brought up yesterday from the lower
keys a relic which rivals q story so
pathetic and startling that 1t might
seem TO be borrowed from Defoe or
Cooper
The story is told by a~canoe formed
from the trunk Of Il royal palm tre6
containing the bones OF am unknOwnt
man, and each mark on the rude boatS
gives evidence of the anguish and ter-'
ror under which is was constructed.
Capt Thompson found the canoe IN
Stirrup key, where it had been cast up!
by the waves, and was nearly hiddenI
by the sea weed and debris Wlhent
drawn out from its hiding place the F,
nodded and decayed bones of a humant
being We're found in the bottom of the
rude boat, which had never repaid the,
toll of its builder, who had evidently,
expected il to be a preSerVer of life.
instead ofsa coffin
The gaping skull found in the little
craft showed that the unfortunate be
Ing was undoubtedly Caucasian, as1
the form Of the cheek bones and fcre-i
head were not Of the same shape as Is-
characteristic of.Other races.
A great many theories might be all
vanced regarding the building OF the.
improvised boat, but the first impress
sion gained by u person viewing the
little craft leads him 10 ponder the
story of a. castaway on some uninhao-
tied island.
Shipwrecked and the only survivor,
perhaps, of some Inflated vessel, with
no means of subsistence, cast ashore
on an island from his vessel the md
rooned man set. out TO fashion a boat
from the trunk of palm tree, which
grew along the shore.
The bIflboats part of royal palm
was selected and with only sheath
knife as a toor 10 work with, the te-
dious task was commenced.
No heavy instrument was used in
telling the tree or digging out the
trunk. as can easily be seen by the nu-
merous hacks made in the craft by
knife.
few nails are in the top of the,
lttle boat. some of them bent and!
only half driven, aS If the workman
had used a rock in place of hammer
One can easily imagine the 6esper-
ate straits of the person; how he
worked to complete ihis task before he
succumbed to starvation or rtrrfSt;
how he gatheTed2 shell fish and fruits
of the palm trees%to appease bis l;dn-
ger while working in this his ship or
hope.
Perhaps he could look across tho
water and seen the hills of another
and larger island. where this imagina-,
tion told him there was a chance oft
life
And then a scrap of canvas was Sc
cured from the remains offhe wrecked.
shin. sail was made and fastened tot
wide sticks which served as a mast,
and after days, weeks and possibly
months of toll, the boat was launched
and the trip back to the world was
commenced. only to end in death in an
obscure corner of the Florida keys.
No clue whatever was found that
would lead to a discovery OF who the
unfortunate could have been, and af-
tor 2 Droper burial of thesdisnIen bered.
skeleton. the canoe was towed up TO
the city by Capt Thompson