Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-12-27
Schulz Tells of Four Days in
Jungle; Clothes Torn to Tat
tiers, Body LaCerated

| AS TOLD Dy CPL J0hn Schun, 1Vtn
| Company, Coast Artillery Corps. sta
| toned at Fort De Russy, the four days
during which he wandered last week
! through fern forests on the slopes of
Mauna Loa, hungry and thirsty, was
| simple struggle for existence during
which he did not stop to fear the end.
Schulz tells. the story simply and with
| out emotion, but the narrative itself
| speaks of the courage and strength it
must have: taken to bring the man
! safely through the experience.
Schulz is tall and just now is gaunt
because of 80 pounds lost during his
days in the tropical forest. He is an
| Austrian, with calm nerves that were
large factor in saving his life. He
I has been a member of the 10th Com
| pany for two years. T"
This is Schuh's account of his ex-
perienoe as told by him yesterday.
Sunday ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS u,
| that was-my company was encamp-
ed below the Volcano House near the
| Kilauea crater. / went walking that
afternoon and made my way up the
hill following a trail and always. with
/ L
back / simply had to 60 down hill.
walked for probably three hours and
then started TO go back for supper but
in doing so switched off to new
trail. For long time / followed this,
so sure ! would eventually reach the
road below that / never gave it a
thought until dusk began to settle.
Then it occurred to me, must have
taken the wrong trail and began to
hunt for way out.
Began to Get Cold.
Before night / followed several
trails, each of which ended in nothing,
and when night came on it was cold
and / could not sleep. so ] kept going.
The brush began to get thicker and all
night | forced my way through the
network of underbrush, stumbled over
fallen trees, and tore my flesh on
branches and broken limbs.
When morning came / found my
self in the midst of a fern forest where
the underbrush was tangled and twist
ed and the ground was carpeted with
foot of soft half-wet leaves and vege-
table matter. In whatever direction
l moved / had to force my way by
pushing aside brush and tearing away
limbs and throughout the whole OF my
time in the forest this was the case.
There was no clear way out, forward
or backward, or to either side. was
literally imprisoned in the forest.
Early Monday morning l climbed a
tree hoping to get sight of a road or
catch the glow of the volcano, but
from the top of the tree / saw only a
vast spread of ferns stretching away
like sea on every side and disap-
pointed, as | was could not help
admiring the beauty Of the forest as
seen from above.
Water from cupped Leaves.
nowhere was there drop of wa
ter. From cupped leaves that found
l drank little portions, never more
than a teaspoonful at time and
this only in the morning after the
nights dew. During the rest OF the
day and night I struggled along with
my throat parched and my stomach
empty. There was nothing to eat, not
a berry, or a root that could find.
Sometimes in desperation l tried to
eat fern leaves but could not swallow
them after l chewed them up.
During the day kept moving, be-
cause of the light, and the hope al
ways with me that just ahead | might
find trail. During the night the cold
mists, almost like rain, came up, and
wet and cold had to move. / tore
my hands to pieces showing the brush
aside, my legs were lacerated and
sore, and l was terribly weak, but l
kept going. / think only made two
or three miles day, but | moved in
nearly straight line.
Tuesday evening using every ounce |
of my strength / climbed tree and |
saw the familiar view-the calm sea
of ferns on every side, dipping into lit
tie valleys and going up little hills,
but nowhere single sigpe OF life or
any indication of trail. After that
night was not strong enough to climb |
again.
Skin Peeled from Lips.
ION Wednesday / simply struggled
on. My lips were parched and the
skin was peeling away and hanging
from them in shreds. My mouth was
sore and coated and my throat burning
all the time My shoes, which were
new when / started, we're worn away,
the soles and heels being all gone and
the uppers cracked My clothing was
torn and | was dirty, and terribly
weak. But still had hope, and all
day l kept tearing at the brush and
slowly pushing ahead.
Behind me, the first few days,
tied streamers of paper to trees, so
my comrades might trace me if they
came across my trail. kept diary,
and Wednesday, when it looked hope
less, wrote directions for disposing
of my body if it was found, and gave
the names of my relatives, whom
wished notified of my DEATH
Capt. Stayton, Wednesday, had CIV
en- up hope of finding Schulz. Before
this, the whole company had gone into
the forest, in extended order and had
started to force their way through the
brush in an effort to find Schulz. An
hour after they started, Capt. Stayton
hogan to call and found that half OF