Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-07-17
THE HUNT FOR 'JEFFS.
Uncle Sans Attempt to Rescue Miss
ina American Sailor.


The United States gunboat Yank-
ton, tender to the Atlantic battleship
fleet, was sent from Callao to the Gal
lapagos islands to search for miss
ing American sailor, one Fred Jeffs.
The information furnished was Of the
most meager description, only that
Jeffs was a member Of the crew OF
the Norwegian bark Alexandra,
that he separated from his compan-
ions on Indefatigable island and that
when they were rescued in October
of the same year at a place called Pu-
erto Aguado, given as in latitude 46
minutes south. longitude 80 degrees
90 minutes 80 seconds west, Jeffs was
not with them. He had therefore
been nearly a year on Indefatigable
island if alive.
The distance to the Galapagos was
covered in four days, and Hood is
land, the most southern of the group,
sighted at noon on March 3, says a
special correspondent of the New
York Herald on board the Yankton,
writing from Acapulco, Mexico. Pre-
vious to sighting land great quantities
of sea life, for which the vicinity of
these islands is noted, and numerous
birds testified to it's nearness.
| In order If possible to gain infor-
nation about the wreck, Chatham is
land, where there is a settlement,
was first visited. Anchoring in Wreck
bay. a messenger on horseback was
found waiting on the beach with the
compliments of the local authority,
the administrator" and a polite in
quiry if any assistance could be fur
nished.
The inhabitants of this island num-
ber about $50, all dependents of a
single estate and mostly engaged in
the cultivation of sugar, cotton and
tobacco. The estate lies in the hills
and valleys on the southern slope Of
the island in the only place where
water is obtainable. Water is the
need of all this group of islands, and
the lack of it is the keynote of their
barren wastes and cactus covered
slopes. The shores Of all consist of
black volcanic rocks and cliffs, with
here and there in a sheltered spot a
sandy beach. The islands, rising in
most cases to 5000 or 1000 feet, have
their slopes covered with a giant
growth of cactus mingling with a
thorn, which made progress back
from the shore impossible without
cutting a way
Two guides sent by the admins
traitor arrived on board the Yanktor
at daylight, and the course was shap-
ed for Indefatigable island, thirty-five
miles distant. The story of the wreck
as told by the guides was interesting
Their information was from a part OF
the crew which had landed on Chat
ham island and from the captain OF
the island schooner, who had heard
the wrecked captains story at Guaya-
; quill. The bark was becalmed neal
: Albemarle island and swept by the
strong current found in these islands
ashore under a cliff, where she soon
went to pieces. The crew escaped ir
two boats, one with ten men, the 9TH
er with the captain and seven men
During the night the boats became
separated, the boat with the ten mer
reaching Hood island, and then, see-
ing Chatham island in the distance
they reached for it, found it inhabi-
ted and told their story. The admin
istrator forwarded them by the Is
lands schooner to Guayaquil with g
letter to the consul.
The captains boat, of which Jeffs
was a member, reached uninhabited
Indefatigable island where it was
smashed on a reef while making q
landing. This second disaster secure
ly locked the party on interchangeable
island, as there is no kind Of wood tc
make boat on the island.
The party, finding only a few
springs Of brackish water near the
beach, began a search for better
camping place and abandoning their
first camp, moved to place called by
the natives Puerto Aguado, but not
marked in any way on the chart. II
from Jeffs took place.
According to the message received
from the consul at Guayaquil, the
captain Of the wrecked bark said
II Taffc roraforra1 70 orb
they tried to persuade him to go with
them, he refused, saying that the
chances of rescue were as good one
place as another and he was going to
stay where he was. The story as
heard from the guides was that he
was i'll and could not follow, and the
others left him.
The guides themselves were pictur-
esque characters. and one especially
deserves more than passing mention
Old and tall and gaunt, with a strag-
Cling gray beard and snappish eyes
he was type not often seen. Unable
to read or write, he showed great in
telligence and caught the meaning of
the ideas expressed before half the
words were spoken. He cheerfully
acknowledged that his acquaintance
with interchangeable island was due to
murder committed at some pre-
vious time, for which the administra-
tor, who appears to be an absolute
monarch, had marooned him on In
/. defatigable island for three years dur
ing which time he had lived there
alone.
!; The YanktOn approached the land
on the eastern side and dropped q
whaleboat, which conveyed ashore
Chief Boatswain Grone and three
men. They made their landing
through a break in the reef on a
smooth sandy beach, and the ship