The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-24

was nearly 200 miles from the point
where the schooner sank
On June IL OF last year the schooner
FL Dorado was abandoned at sea, and nor
captain and ten men managed to make
their way several hundred miles to the
northwest and the shelter OF Easter
Island, Chilean possession lying to the
west OF South America about 2 500 miles.
The skipper Capt. II. u. Benson, and
three volunteers, then determined to get
In touch with civilization by way of
Tahiti. inasrnuch as but one sailing YES
sci once year touched at Easter Island.
on October 7, having provisioned his
little boat. Capt. Benson and his three
volunteers set sail and on November s
they reached Tahiti, after suffering from
thirst and hunger and being pretty
nearly spent when land was sighted. A
British steamer. the Knight Of the Gar
ter. picked up the rest Of the El Do
RADIOS crew after "A six months so
journ among the well nigh savage ma
tives Of the Chilean island.
The story Of the FL Dorado and Capt
Benson's venturesome trip recalls an
other shipwreck and the spectacular res
cue OF the crew left stranded upon
well nigh barren island in mid
Pacific Get map Of the Pacific north
of the equator. Put your finger at the
' top Of the lS0th meridian. Just half way
around the world from Greenwich.
Slide southwark until you come to the
east and west line marking latitude 30
degrees north. SLOW up a hit and halt
when you have traced two degrees
further equatorward. and then shift
your finger a trifie to the east There
= = "a nj
fore the name Midway Islands. Here
is where the story had it's beginning
/ forty-odd years ago.
Many years ago the Pacific Mail
Steamship Company awakened the Ua-
/ waiian Islands to new life CONNER
I cially. Plying between San Francisco
ana the Orient, Honolulu made a con-
venient hating place for the vessels of
= that line. There was no coal in the
islands. none could be prohtably shipped
there from the Atlantic seaboard ana
coal mining had not developed on or
near the Pacific coast. The needfu fuel
came from Australia and was held in
hulks at Honolulu for sale.
Then the Hawaiian King bethoprb+
himself OF scheme to swell his Golfers
he proposed to levy a heavy import dutv
upon that necessary coal. The Yankee
I owners OF the Pacific Mail steamers
didn't intend to be held up in that
fashion, and decided to shift their fuel
base fifteen hundred miles nearer Japan
and Midway Island was chosen for n
coaling station. A shed was built there.
coal was piled up. and the Isolated spcck
on the bosom OF the broad Pacific be-
came bit Of America by reason of the
Stars and Stripes unfurled there. But
that was not all that was necessary to
m the island for a hating place. I'm
fortunately polyps had reared a coral
reef just where the entrance to the har-
Dor was already hazardous enough, and
a naval survey showed that the danger
would have TO be removed Therefore.
Congress granted $4,000 to get rid Of
$50 feet OF the reef, and an American
contractor took the job, The u. S. S.
Saginaw, under Lieutenant Commander
Montgomery Scard, was sent TO the
island while the work was under way
I to carry back to San Francisco the con-
tractors men. There was where the
trouble began.
On Friday afternoon. October rs, 1870.
the little Saginaw-of less than 500 tons
started back upon her long voyage to
San Francisco. Before heading directly
for the Pac!ac coast the steamer was
swung to the westward for Ocean Island
to look for shipwrecked sailors. As
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Slcard ex-
planned:
81 thought Il was my duty to do this,
as the place is quite out of the usual
track OF vessels, and az | was near IL.
the detour would delay me but a few
hours. Accordingly, / shaped a course
for the island. though was somewhat
uncertain about the deviation OF the