The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1907-12-06
TALES OF:
WRECKED ON LAND OF FIR

American bark Prussia, wrecked on
Staten Island, Terra del Fuego, were
landed at New York recently by the
steamer Tennyson, which brought
them from Monteyideo. Four mem
bers of the crew perished and three.
are still in the hospital at Punta Ar
enas. One of the three is, John c.
Drake, son of well to do Norfolk,
Va, family, who shipped before the
mast at SIS month for the good of
lis health and for the experience.
Ie has sent home request for $400
o get back in comfort with. Those
Who got in on the Tennyson were
John Hunter, the mate, who has rela-
ives in the city; Carl Stark, the car
,enter; Ernest E. Rainey, seaman
md a native of Portland, Me-; Her.
nan Heyne, native of'Leipsig; Geo.
Richter, also native of Leipsig; and
Z. Takoman, the Japanese cabin boy,
Who is detained at Ellis Island Gap
ain Johnson died at Staten Island;
sabata, Japanese cook, and Harry
hammond are supposed to have pei
shed in the wreck. Joseph Hosteth,
Norwegian, died in trying to get to
he lighthouse on New Years Island
or help. Stanislaus Porthin, sail
,r, and Helman Harke are at Punta
Arenas.
The Prussia was owned at San
Francisco and sailed from Norfolk
IN March 17>with cargo of coal said
o be for the Government and des-
ined for San Francisco.
On June 19 she was off Staten ISL
md. 1t was bitterly cold. Captain
Johnson was trying to make. New
Years Island light. A storm came
lp in the night and the bark. was
ashore a. wreck before the. danger
vas realized. She broke up at once.
Every man jumped overheard and
,levenrof the thirteen reached strip
If sand which was somewhat shell
ered by overhanging rocks. They
1ept warm as best they could through
he night. At dawn Sabata, the cook,
Ind Hammond, a sailor, were missing.
The Prussia was gone. The strip of
sand was not more than 900 feet
long and impossible cliffs kept the
men from escaping across the island.
The captain was so exhausted that
ne died early in the morning and.was
buried on the beach. The men col
!ected what wreckage they could,
made fire, constructed what shelter
they were able, secured some cans of
provisions, and talked over means of
escape.
Carpenter Carl Stark was set %
work at once to build small boat.
He had no tools and had to make
hem from iron in. the ,wreckage. All
hands helped, but it was a slow, tedi-
ous job, and they feared that their
provisions would not last. It was de-
,ided that two of their number should.
Try to work over the mountains, and
The lot fell to Porthin and Hosteth.
These two scaled the high rocks and
started across. After few days Por-
hin returned, crawling on his hands
and knees. His feet were badly froz-
frozen to death.
The food had given out. The rocks
we're covered with limpets which the
sailors collected, and they killed some
seals that entered the cove. The
seals, Rainey says, seemed to acquire
wisdom, and after a few had been
killed avoided the place. The boat
was finished after thirty days of hard
work and Mate. Hunter, Stark and
Heine started off>to find New Years
Island and send a rescue party to
heir mates. 1t was only thirty
miles to the island, but the frail shell
In which they risked their lives had
20 be favored, and they avoided the
open sea and worked in and out of
the bays and inlets. 1t took them
six days to reach the lighthouse and
they think they went 100 miles.
Lieutenant Delgado, who is sta
toned at the light, called for volun-
teers, and with six men in whale
boat, with Hunter acting as pilot, he
started to rescue the men still on
Staten Island. The weather grew so
bad that they, too, spent six days at
it, and consumed more than half of
the provisions they had taken aboard, i,
The bad weather lasted and they had:
to wait six days longer Before ven
turing On the return voyage back,
with little left ito eat Luckily sthe'
voyage to the light was anick one,
taking only one day. The sailors:
were carefully nursed at the light and
sent on by the tender Orestes to Pun
ia Arenas. Porthin was in the worst
shape, and it was feared that he
would lose both feet 3, ,<
From Punta Arenas the six men
were sent by steamship to Monte
"ideo g. :;