Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-11-04
FREAK WRECKS OF THE SEA.
How One Vessel Was Used BY Town
Of Ocos to Supply Lights.

" 0SoS " fSNPf,y A'S'fAo.
81
Suppose you lived in blistering
lit of "a Central American village, with
the Jungle steaming on one side of you
and the sea blazing endlessly on the
other with smelly kerosene lamps for
illumination, and the luxuries of life
fewer than you would expect to find
in an Arizona abode. And then Sup
pose a tidal wave came along and
smashed things up pretty generally,
but ended by picking up fine big
steamer and washing her over the bar
into shoal water near the beach, leav
ing her there high and dry.
And then suppose an enterprising cit
izen of the village, seeing that her
machinery was intact and the vessel
itself unchanged, sent TO the nearest
source of supply which in this case was
Tehautepee, just $50 miles distant, and
obtained a gaedish length of electric
cable and quantities of lamps, assert
ed sizes and rugged up the cable be-
tween the ship and the shore, anG
pumped current from the wrecks dy-
names, which he retailed at strictly
commercial rates to all ambitious ma
tives who fancied the glow of the in
candescent bulb in their palm thateh-
ed corrugated homes. Wouldn't that
be interesting if it were true, that IS!
Of course you don't believe it could
be true. Its too much like chapter
from story about the South Ameii-
can Revolution. and an athletic young
American engineer thrown in. The
fhnny part about this particular sto-
r'y however is that II is true. ii actu-
ally happened. 1t was along about
four years age that the steamer Osiris,
of the Kosmos line, of San Francisco,
was lying off Oc6s, Guatemala, when
an earthquake shook that part OF the
world and was followed by a tidal
wave big enough to pick up q steam
ship aud carry her over the intervening
sand banks to a point near the beach,
where il dropped her neatly between
two reefs just sufficiently far apart to
provide her with a comfortable cradle.
Whom her crew left her judging her.
to be of no further use, citizen OF
Ocos, who had some experience oil
civilized life, rowed out to the wreck
and cast a speculative eye over her
contents. Later he sent to Mexico for
the necessary materials. and proceeded
to form the Ocos Electric Light and
Power Company. Ocos took the hook
sill the way down its gullet-and then
struggled for more. TO think, Of hay-
ing real electric lighting plants 1t
was hardly to be believed. And every
citizen Of Ocos lorded 1t over the eiti-
GERS of the other villages along the
coast, which could not boast OF such
muniiicent luxury.
To be anywhere in Ocos society it
WIS necessary to be able to POINT to
al least one eight candepower incan-
descent pendent from .av roof of the
living room. the mayor and council
even proceeded to have the principal
streets lighted. Business hummed.
The padre had the church wired. Peo-
pie came from far and near to admire.
Oeos was by way of becoming one of
the principal points of interest in all
Guatemala, and it was rumored that
the president himself contemplated
paying a visit to such an enterprislng
community.
Then behold. as joy and pride We're
at their height, what should happen
but brief communication to the Ocos
Electric Light and Power Co. from the
hOSIuOS Line OF sSdn fTdHtiSCp, stat
ing that salvage operations would
shortly be begun with an idea of get
ting the unchanged hull Of the Osiris
into deep water so that she might re-
sumo her peregrinations along the
Pacific coast.
Can you ina CINE the grief III Oeos
Can you conceive the misery Of the
mayor who saw his streets deprived
of their glowing decorations and en-
blems of progress2 Can you conceive
the misery of the padre, who beheld
his church benefit of one of it's most
striking ornaments Can you even
fancy the agony of the souls of the
citizens who anticipated their return
10 dependence on kerosene, with all
the plebeian smelliuess which it en-
taiied2
1t has been almost too great u bur-
den Of disappointment for Octos to
bear They have seen their source of
illumination eut off the salvage crew
at work on the lighting plants regen-
Grafton; presently, they will even be
obliged to witness its actual departure
To- tow Of the wrecking tug it will
grow smaller and smaller on the face
of the waters until at last IL win dis
appear over the horizon IL the direc-
ton OF EstaJos Unldos del ,Norte
where every one has electric light, anc
tie Osiris will seek 10 occupy the sub
lime position of a fore-runner of ci"-