Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-04-14

had come down. but there was no sign. |
One more point remained to be Wis |
tied before returning TO our search |
party, and this was the latitude and |
longitude given in the consuPs mes
sage as the place where Jeffs remained |
behind. The guides said there was no
water within miles of this vicinity, and
no one could live there. The spot was
marked by a high mass of rock Off
shore called Nameless island, and the
Yankton lay between this and the
main island While the fruitless search
was made. No remains of q camp, no
water, no anchorage, no traces of any
thing that. could bear on the loss of the
ship or any of its men were found.
Returning TO the place at which q
landing had been first made. the party
who had spent the>night and day were
picked up. They had found footprints
on the volcanic crust clearly depicted.
showing that man had lived in the
vicinity ut some past time. The foot
prints led to brackish pool of water
almost hidden under some dense brush.
and here the remains of fire we're
found. No other trace of the missing
man was found. The party separated
and walked miles up and down the
beach as far as time permitted both
days they were ashore.
| Had Jeffs been alive aud been any
where on this side of the island he
| would have heard the guns of the ship
! or the shots of the search party. 1t is
| fai f1. Tn a
/ Jeffss died from illness and hardship
alous0n this most desolate of islands.
The har1fships of the party who sur
yived coald be appreciated from see
ing their wretched camp and realizing
that their only food was turtle and
| fish, for even the cocoanut palm. found
nearly everywhere in the tropics. fails
to find enough substance on Indefatiga-
| BILE TO grow. A turtle steak is an ex-
| cellent article the first time it is eaten.
About Me fourth time it pals, and to
continue daily TO live on it would out
do the thirty days of quail so often
cited.
At night the shore of the island
swarmed with mosquitoes, so that sleep
for the party ashore was impossible,
and they sat to ieeward of a bonfire
to relieye the assaults of the little
pests. On some shallow salt ponds
back from the beach teal. ployer and
lcurlew swarmed at shutdown, and to q
party having shotgun and plenty of
ammunition these would have made
welcome relief. hut it Is nrobable
/ that Jeffs had firearms of a. sort and
|
tion II ~!
There are ianaoubtedly certain val
leys back In the haountain where there
IS water and many edible fruits and
plants grow. Also there are about
these places wild cattle and goats. but
to get them would mean clearing
path through an almost impenetra bic
barrier of cactus and thorn which to
be appreciated piust be seen. Water
to last while the path was cleared
would have to be carried: huge assures
In the ground would be met with
which would block a. trail except in
certain spots. and the men who under
took to do 1t would have to give up
the chances of rescue which would
come by living on the shore Besides.
man ignorant of the interior would
not know if there were, any places
| where life could he sustained while
attempting to penetrate to it.
i Altogether the trip. while not realiz-
ing its object. was of the greatest in
| terest. and the glimpses taken of these
extraordinary and interesting islands
will be remembered by all on board
Fine Anyway.
i He-Have you any fine tooth combsf