The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1908-03-12
FREDERICK JEFf'S
EXTREME PERIL

Tacoma, Wash. Rescue after many
long months is In store tor Frederick
Jeffs, son Of Mr.. aud Mrs. W. j.
Jelfs, formerly Of Tacoma, but now OF
Victoria, b. c., who Ia marooned on
Indefatiga able Island, one of the Gala.
paqos group, off the west coast OF
Ecuador. Admiral Evans has received
orders from the navy department to
send ship to rescue this sailor.
Fred Jeffs ia q years OF age. 1t
was when Mr.. Jeffs was Ia business In
Tacoma that Fred began his acquaint.
ance with the sea captains and other
officers which finally resulted In his
going to sea. After being away sew
eral years he returned to Tacoma and
for some time he was with the Con-
nelly Shoe Company on Pacific ave
nue.. Later he went to Hood River.
Or, to manage loot and shoe store.
Then again the longing for the sea re-
turned and be went as mate on ship
bound for Australia.
A brother, George, was drowned on
the ill-fated steamer Clallam some
four years ago, az he was returning to
Victoria from visit to his brother.
s. j. Jeffs, at Olympia. The latter Is
now manager Of the boot and shoe de-
partment In the Peoples Store, Ia
coma, and another brother, William
Henry, Is marine engineer on one
of the steamers plying between San
Francisco and China, and still another
brother, Albert Victor, Ia manager OF
marine boiler works at Portland
Jeffs, who was working bis way
back to the United States, after hav
ing seen the better part Of the world,
shipped on the Norwegian bark Alex
andra, of Christiania, which sailed
from Newcastle, New South Wales, on
November 26, 1906, for Panama, with
a cargo Of coal aboard.
After having been becalmed for
many days and the supply OF water
threatening to give out, Captain Il.
Peterson, the skipper OF the Alexan-
dra, on May 8, ordered the boats
lowered and an attempt WAS made to
land at Charles Island Of the Gala
pagos grodp.
Owing to the strong Antarctic cur
rent, landing could not be effected,
and In endeavofing to locate Chat
ham Island, another OF the Galapagos
Islands, the water supply gave out
entirely, compelling the crew Of nine
men to seek refuge on lndefatigabie
Island.
To find water on a volcanic Island,
where there is none except during
the rainy season, IL not an easy task,
and when drinkable water was at last
found In a cave, the crew discovered
that their boats we're lost and they
could not return to their bark.
For two months the stranded marin
ers lived on pelicans, tortoises, ig.
uanas, crabs and various sea foods,
While there Ia thick vegetation IL
parts Of interchangeable, one of the larg
est islands Of the Galapagos archipel
ago, for the most part 1t is covered
with lava and cactus Ia the principa
plant life. 1t is the home OF speci
men of iguana peculiar to the Gala
pagos islands. This animal is of tht
lizard family and the specimens {,
be found on these Pacific Islands arr
the only animals OF their kind tosliv,
In the water as well as out of 1t.
That Jeffs was not rescued from
the island with his comrades was evi
IDENTIFY due to illness, which caused
him to refuse to join The other mem
bers of the party when they changed
their camp from the west side OF th
island to the eastern shore. In hi
report, after being rescued, Captain
Patterson tells Of the way In whicl
Jeffs was lett behind.
t'Some Of our men, he says
"found cove on the east coast OF th
island, which they called sTrapper'
Cove, and which they thought woult
be more likely to be In the view o
passing ships, as vessels plying be
tween other islands Of the group ant
Guayaquil passed the eastern side o
the IndefatiRable In following thei
course. AL but Sailor Fred jeff
agreed to 60 to the new camp, and W
left him, after using every possibl
means to urge him. Thinking tina
Jeffs would decide to follow us, W
left him bag Of provisions, som
turtle and built him a fire. Afte
many days Of hard walking over th
sharp rocks and stones We arrived a
the new camp"
BY questioning the members OF tn
crew after they we're rescued, th
American vice-oonsul at Guayaqui
learned that Jeffs had been suiferin
from pleurisy and that his companions
weakened from lack Of water and pri
walton, had been unable to carry hir
over the treaoherous country betwee
the east and west shores. The Gala
pagos Islands are the home of th
largest tortoises known to exist, man
measuring more than three feet |
length, and 1t was necessary for th
stranded party to fight these creature
by day and barricade themselves a
night.
The Nor wegian consulate, havin
learned that the bark Alexandra wa
supposed to have been abandoned |
the waters surrounding the Galapago
Islands, sent the Bolandia Isidra Js
cinta from Guayaquil, under con
mand of German captain, Bohnhoti
who found the crew of the abandone
ship on October Is. Not havin
sufficient provisions to permit Of th
men returning to find Jeffs, Captai
Bohnhof decided to pass along th
western shore OF the Island on the wa
to Guayaquil. Here again the Antarc
tic current proved too strong for th
vessel and severe storm made 1t ut
terly impossible for the skipper {
follow out his plans, so that the effort
TO locate Jeffs had to be abandoned.
or the nine men who had orieinall
landed on Indefatigablc Island, bu
seven we're rescued ty the skipper 9
the Isadra Jacinta. Sailor Marti