The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-11-06


MODERN ROBINSON CRUSOES.
A stirring story of three months
spent on an uninhabited island by tht
shipwrecked crew and passengers o
the bark Anjou (2O69 tons), consist
ing of nearly forty persons, was TOLD
by the captain on the arrival of tht
liner Ernest Simons at Marseille!
yesterday.
The Anjou, while on a voyage from
Sydney to Falmouth, was wrecked or
one of the Auckland group in the Pa
cific.
The captain stated that they lef
Sydney on January 20, and during {
thick fog and rough weather on Feb
The masts fell and smashed some Of
the boats, and there was considerable
panic on board. Fortunately all es
capped In the boats that remained, but
many were only partly dressed. AT
ter q terrible experience In heavy
gale they reached the shore the fol
lowing afternoon and landed.
HALF dressed and many injured
we looked like a band of phantoms
marching to the conquest of an infer
nal island" said the captain. A big
fire was lighted, and sea birds attract
ed by it were captured and eaten
The party started to explore the isl
and, and three days later discovered
shelter, showing that shipwrecke6
people had been there before. On the
following days they killed a number
of albatrosses and caught quantity
of shellfsh. on which they subsisted
A small seacow was also captured anG
eaten. AS a chance of making theil
condition known, several albatrosses
which were caught alive were agaiI
set free with cards tied round thell
necks, stating In French and English
the position of the shipwrecked peo
pie.
Later, in the interior Of the island
they found some wild sheep, and es
tablished a sort of fold in which tt
keep the animals for use as neces
sary. Boots were made Of pieces ot
wood and sheepskin, and the skin:
were also used for clothing. A sigma
Of distress was hoisted on the highest
point of the island to attract the at
tention of shipping.
New Robinson Crusoes, we were
living an extraordinary life, fishing
hunting, getting our food sometimes
In cave, sometimes on rock, ac'
cording to the weather, and sleeping
where we could" said the captain
"A great deal Of the weather was
very bad while we were on the ISL
and" On May 7. after they had beer
on the island over three months, the
New Zealand Government steamer Hi
nomoa rescued them.-London News
HE PENETRATED DARK CHINA
The Outing Magazine has an inter
esting account of how Frank N. Mey
or, an intrepid scientific explorer fol
the United States Government, pene
trated into remote districts of China
to secure new varieties Of seeds. The
writer says:
Danger from robbers was not the
least harrassing of the scientist
troubles, The Chinese hate foreign
ers to learn about their country, ant
lied In answer to the interpreter
simplest questions, Wrong name!
would be given for plants, Carter:
would be bribed to go the wrong way
When Meyer asked questions, hi:
companions, without any reason a
all, would answer with the most men
daclous and misleading information
This irritation was constant for the
three years. Then there was thu
danger-very real in the mountain
country toward Siberia-from wil6
beasts. Near one hut where the ex
plorer slept some species of panther
which the natives described as ii
ger, had carried off field laborers bod
lily and won a terrible reputation as /;
man-eater. When the white mar
asked why tho village did not club to
gether and kill the marauder, tht
people took apoplexy from very fea
and set Meyer down as "a foreign
devil" indeed.
On that same trip to the peacl
country of the North, Meyer had ;
still narrower escape. AS far as
can judge from his letters carts hat
been exchanged for wheelbarrows
The roads were vile. 1t had beel
raining in deluges, and the six coolie
were dragging behind with the bag
gage while the white man pushed
ahead to hunt night quarters. B.
night he found himself far ahead o
his men, and entering a deserted roat
hut he fell sound asleep. Suddenl.
he was awakened from deep sleep b.
the sense of human presence, by ;
sort of intangible premonition Of ter
rible danger. He looked up--twt
men stopped above him, one with ;
drawn sword pointed at the sleeper
throat, the other with raised club
] don't need to tell that it didn't taxi
Mr.. Meyer very long to get up. ant
the fash OF his pistol barrel as h
swung free for arm space did the rest
The Chinese aSiailants bounced bacl
so violently they SpraWled head owe
heels acr0sS Il big roadside bowlder
Meyer did not even fire his pistol, fo
n,ericans have a worldwide reputa
tion for shooting to hit. By the time
the assassins returned with mob a
their heels the coolies and interpre
ters had come up. Explanation
noisy enough to split the welkin ap
peased the crowd, and all sat down t.
a smoking Of pipes like red Indians.
Do you want to know what tn
country pays a modern explorer TO
doirg this kind of work? Put it dow
in the list of things you are proud Of
Meyer was paid $1,000. Then, in
burst of generosity, the country raise'
his job to $140O year.
BATTLE WITH A BEAR.
A dispatch to the Seattle Post-ln
felligencer from Gral:d Forks, b. G.
tells of a display of physical strengt1