The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-04-01

rive years nave elapsed since, the
East Indian ship, Borneo King, sailed
from San Francisco, bound for trad
form the East Indian archipelago,
stretching far eastward into the Pacific
Ocean. Her departure had been of in
terest to many Minneapolis people be-
cause she carried with her DR.. Adelbert
v. Murphy. who was going out to join
the Penguin, one of the United States
fish commissioners steamers, which
was at that time investigating deep-sea
life in the waters around Borneo.
He had always wanted to visit the
East Indies; SO, when he heard that
the Borneo King was preparing for a
trip to that very locality in which the
Penguin was working, he FASTENED to
apply for passage, and his request was
as readily granted.
Mails from Honolulu brought advices
that all on board the Borneo King were
we'll; and that was the last ever heard
of the vessel.
There was the usual comment in ccm-
merciaI and insurance circles, for the
vessel carried a valuable cargo and
was fully protected in Lloyd's. At the
university there were expressions of
sorrow because of the loss of a valu-
able worker; but while relatives and
friends mourned for him, they refused
to give up hope until at least five
years had elapsed without any news.
Four of the five had passed, when one
day there came to the photographic
office at Washington, a package for
warded from Guayaquil, Ecuador, by
a sea captain. who explained that it
had been picked UP about fifty miles
out from the Peruvian Coast, and
might be of some value in studying the
of the Eastern Ocean.
The package contained a bottle,
thiekly encrusted with various marine
formations and a piece of parchment
paper on which was written:
Regular Hurricane blowing. Ship
beyond control, won't steer. Land near
by Last observation taken at ..
m, u degrees S. by 1s2 degrees E.
..ADELBERT V. MURPHY.
80 p. m, May 18th, 1902
Messages picked up at sea are sent
to the government photographic office
at Washington, d. c., by the score
during the year. and usually create no
comment One of the clerks traces the
course of the bottle from the point
where it was picked up, and adds the
data to the record on file. The clerk,
to whom this message was handed, at
once noticed the probability of a ship
wreck, and took the paper to his chief.
That gentleman read it. over two or
aree times.
" May 18th, 1902 Why, that's over
five years ago. Well, If those fellows
were shipwrecked that long ago, they
are either rescued by this time or else
very dead. Put it on file with the
others And then, as the clerk turned
away, he called out:
Here, let me see that again, Mr..
and once more he read it
over. 'Murphy-Murphy Adelbert V.
he slowly repeated the name.
STRIKES me that's the name of the
young man the University of Mime
sofa lost about five years ago."
"By George, I've got half notion
that Murphy isn't dead. You know his
people would never give up. They
ought to be told of this message, too.
I am going back to the Office and study
the thing over" And the weather
maker excitedly excused himself.
The Penguin rocked at her anchorage
In Manila Bay, a thin stream of smoke
was just beginning to pour from her
tunnels, and the officers on the bridge
were experimenting the preparations
for departure. There shot out of the
mass of shipping a small disatch boat,
which toot-tooted her way towards the
Penguin. A few moments later Cap
tain Emmons was reading the follow
ing:
SEARCH San Christoval and adjacent
islands for evidence of DR.. Murphy and
the Borneo King. Bottle message re-
ceived from Il degrees S. by 162 de-
praaS r