The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-03-20
EXPEDITION OF
RELIEF VESSEL IS
WITHOUT RESULT
Signal Pole and Rusty Razor
Are Only Traces Found
ot Frederick Jeffs-

oy. Board the ". S. S. Yankton. AGO.
prlco, Mexico. March 17.-Marked by "a
signal pole erected by II solitary man,
the point on the desclate Indefatigablo
island ut which Frederick Jeffs. aa
American sailor, made his last unheed-'
ed appeal for succor from death has
been found by Lieutenant ". r. Chez
ardi. commanding the Iankton, and his.
volunteer rescue party. recruited from
the American battleship fleet in the
Pacific.
The signal pole was foundb by the res
cue party alongside of q bracl.ish
spring ten miles from he spot where
The captain of the Norwegian vessel
Alexandria, which was wrecked on AL
bemarle island in May. 1907. contrivea
10 exist with Il part of his shipwrecked
crew until relief arrived. Had Jeffs
remained With his shipwrec!Ned mates
he would have been saved.
h failure of the relief party under
Lieutenant Gherardi means hat Jets
In all probability is dead. The Tescuer
went to their work equipped With every
known means Of locating the missing
man. Guns We're fired by day and rock
, cts by night. Powerful searchlighta
were fitted up and used to throw bolts
OF light into unknown Businesses of the
Island. The crew under Lieutenant
GheFardt was cut up INTO small parties,
and each of these. accompanied by q
native guide. went as far inland as pos
sible until prevented from proceeding
by the density of the cacti and the vol
san!c formation OF the surface.
Aided by Native Guides.
The Yankton's men camped ashore go
that no time might be lost In going to
end from the ship each day. The ma
tive guides We're men from Chatham
island, another Of the dreary Galapagos
trr0t1n ENUayS, " re Tim Snn,,t t,,tIv,
End marks Of habitation made b. the
few men who ever lived on 1ndefatiga.
Bile Island was known to these men, one
Of whom served 4 term Of three years
Of e1!lo on 1hdefatigable island tor
murder and explored It thoroughly.
None OF The efforts OF the Yankton'a
men result ID in finding trace OF Ieffr
or his body
One faiot ray II hope remains TO tho
eaIniiy OF the lost sailor, that os his
cescue by some passing vessel, but this
ss SO dim that 1t is scarcely worth har-
boring. So far as Is known, 10 vessel
has visited the island since last Octo-
Der. when the captain of the Alexan-
dria and those of his crew who were
! with him were taken off by q sloop sent
from G~uayaquil, Ecuador.
When the Alexandria was wrecked,
IN her way from New Castle. Australia,
to Panama. in November. 1906, this
crew took to two boats. the arst mate
AlO d phII Oh lnS ere" III one ana ll3
captain and the rcst Of the men in the
sther. The mates o reached q set
Element on Chatham island and the nlen
we're sent to Guayaquil on a schooner.
On their arrival they caused to be or
eanized he expedition that found the
40 boat since that time has touched at
the island and that therefore Jefts had
no opportunity to escape prior to the
arrival OF the Yankton.
Find a Deserted Camp.
Even the boat in which the captain
and his men made Indefatlgable island
was wrecked. There were no trees from
which another might be made. The
shipwrecked mariners fell into great
hardshtps. Turtle and FISH were found
In abundance. but there was no fruit or
other form Of food. In the party wna
n rifle and a shotgun. but there was no
cattle or game to shoot. One Of this
party ~succunbed to the hardships In q
Few days and was buried on the island,
Camp had been pitched first near the
same spring at which Jeffs' signal pole
was found. but on exploration it wa
found that better water could be had
10 miles away. and the camp was
moved. Jefrs refused to go with the
others. saying that there was as lnuch.
chance of his being found where he was
as at the other place. That was the
hast seen OF him by any of his fellows,
: n the probabilities are that when
his mates moved their canp away from
him he looked for the last time on 81
,, human being.
, The rescue party from the Yanktor
located without dihlcultythe abandoned
camp Of the Norwegian captains crew.
, Following directions obtained from
: Guayaquil the United States marines
!, had no difficulty in finding the original
= camp in which Jeffs was left. Here
r also they found q rusty razor, on the
h q r,11o ~ u,h{cL NO q n r,,n A. 49,
"Jeffs."
' The Je1s relief expedition was ths
result OF Information sent to the state
department at Washington by r. Il
Jones, American vice consul at Guaya.
Gull, to the effect that an American
, island. The Information was communi.
4 Gated at once to the navy department
\ and a dispatch was sent to Rear Ad.
I DirRl Evans asking him to try to fin
I Jcfs. The Galapagos group is almos:
n in direct line with the cute Of tn,
= American feet from Callao to Magda
= lena bay. Admiral Evans immediatel,
: asked for volunteers. 1t was know,
that the expedition would be traugh
= with danger.
). Galapagos group Is uncharted, an,
what little 10 known OF the channel In
!. dicates extreme danger to navigation
- In a distance OF 1000 miles there is onl
- one lighthouse. at San Cr1stobal, an
q this serves to illuminate only fou
miles OF sea. In the navy department
the charts Of this region are dotte,
with such notes as current yer,
strong"
Despite the difficulties there wer
many volunteers. among them Lieuten
ant Gherardi. The Yankton was as
~ signed to the task and as many volun
- teers as could be used to advantaK
20 went on her. The departure from Cal
:, lao wal the signal for a demonstrate
:, IN which the appreciation of tn
- bravery Of the volunteers was minxle
= = with apprehension for the safety OF tn
- Yankton and her men.
IN Frederick Jeffs was working his wa
y, home from Australia when he was sht1
n wrecked. He has a sister. Mrs. Herr
=. 9. Claridge. living at South Norwall
Conn. while his parents live in Viz
toria, B.. c. He was 20 years old.
AAAEAr DErttI h-u~A,o