The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-06-07

and smashed some Of the small boats
and there was a panic on board.
Fortunately all escaped in the
boats that remained whole, but many
we're only partly dressed and some not
at all. After terrible experience IN
heavy gale, lasting for almost whole
day, We reached the shore OF one OF
the deserted islands the following art
ernoon and, after a battle with the
heavy sea, managed to drag our bodies
up on to the land.
Naked and wounded, for what
clothes We had had been ripped on
our bodies torn and bruised ~ oelng
battered around, we looked like oanu
of phantoms marching on to the con-
quest Of some Internal island.
Almost starved, we lighted Dig
fire with flint and attracted some sea
birds which We captured and ate. MAX
ing clothes for ourselves out OF long
grass and leaves, we started out 10 eA'
plore the island. After search that
lasted three days, some OF our party
discovered rude shelter, showing
that shipwrecked people had been
there at some time before.
"on the following days we killed.
with rocks, number OF albatross ana
caught a quantity Of shellhsh, on
which we subsisted. Also, we captur-
ed small seacow, which proved to
be decent eating.
oP hing OTTr nOUdi-
ton known, we caught three albatross
alive and set them free with bark
cards tied around their necks, stating
our plight in French and English. But
day after day passed and help failed
to come.
I'VE resolved to make the best of
our condition, because we feared-and
rightly so-that we might be left on
the island for months, even years, be-
fore we could in some way or other
attract the attention Of passing yes
sci. The vessels, we knew, gave the
particular island we were on very
wide berth.
80 we got up a little government
all Of our own and called ourselves the
'Ship-wrecked Kingdom Wo had
sort Of king, or boss, cabinet of ad-
visors and all that sort Of thing. Our
'army-or exploration party-was dis
patched into the interior Of the island
and the army consisting Of eight
men. discovered some wild sheep.
ION May Z, after we had been on
the Island Kingdom for over three
months, the New Zealand government
steamer Hinomoa rescued US. This
vessel had on board the two daughters
of Mr.. Mills, the New Zealand Minis
ter of Commerce, who superintended
most of the work Of helping us back
to our natural civilized state and, as
a token of our gratitude, we gave them
the cat that had been saved from the
wreck Of the Anjou and that had gone
through all our troubles with us as
mascot of our little Kingdom"
At the end of the captains report,
there Is the simple statement that ten
large vessels before the An1ou had
been wrecked at the same spot during
fifteen years, among them the Gen
eral Grant with a loss of seventy-hve
lives.
And there are scores Of true tales
like this that have never come to the
eyes Of the great reading world, actual
romances and dramas Of the deep that
rival the attempts Of fiction.
Tho Voyage Of the Kerosene-Laden
"ThornIlebank."
A ships fight against storm, made
more exciting by the fact that some
dynamite happens to be included in
the cargo, is one Of the favorite and
stock devices Of the sea-fiction writer's
What would you think Of story
concerning leaking clipper ship, with
eighty-six thousand cases Of kerosene
and benzine aboard, that went through