The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-20
EITEL'S ISLAND PRISON
CAPTIVES TELL OFRESCUE
Yearning Of Norwegian Ships Captain for Fresh Fruit
Led Him to Find Crews of Sunken
English and French Banks.

A., turned over the ship. we pere ordered
To- the cutter and soon after were
aboard the Prinz kItel Friedrich, the
finest ship ! ever Was on, and I've sailed
for twentr years"
capt. Sharpe told Substantially the
same story as he sat ia the patio
OF the Hotel Central and wished there
was some real Scotch whishey n Pan
anna.
They treated us WELL 10 said.
The French officers told me that they
also had beer we'll treated. The Eltel
Friedrich picked up the French bark
Jean on December 9. and had her in
tow making for Cooks Harbor when
We were overhaulei. Two tows were
too much for even "a big liner. so N.
coal ana stores were taken from our
ships and they were sunk.
Just before the order TO tirc was
given the first officer OF the Friedrich
invited me and Capt. Brinon, that's the
Frenchman. into his cabin. but VIC chos.
20 see the end OF our ships and
watched the whole proceeding. The
Friedrich stood on about a mile. and
the gunners never made a miss. Three
shots were Aired into the kildalton and
1--WE into IN" Jean. which was a larger
ship Il mine Capt, Hrifrou had
sailed the Jean for eleven years, nc
! think he cried whom she settled and
disappeared.
W were landed at Easter Island on
December 81. There We found the Eng
lish agent OF the Easter Island Trading
Company. Mr.. Billings. and his wife
and a Mrs. Rutlidge. who is representing
the British Museum In the study OF
the statues. monoliths and tablets found
In p~rofus.on on the island. The Ger
mans treated US well. but they were able
to let us have only scant ratlons when
obey sent us ashore.
The agent had little toodstun and
therefore Wa ran short OF food. There
is n large quantity OF cattle, sheep, goats
and small wild animals on the island,
but little cultivation has been attempted
! was told there IL not a spring or well
anywhere in the thirty square miles, and
all Of the water Is caugh, from the rains
and saved up, We We're short Of all
breadstuns. and during the last month
only twice a week could we give bread
20 N" men. Beef and rain water were
the steady diet"
Tho first mate OF the Kildaiton, WILL
lam Mcdonald, said
Easter Island IL not a bad place.
About a hundred Kanakss live there
ana seem % get along all right, The
crew had 10 live In the hutg with them.
They we're Kind 20 US. They do no
work. except such as the women do a
few hours "A day In raising tarp. rice and
some green vegetables and In cook
ing the meals. Meat !s the article of
diet most u use because the large num-
Der OF Wild and scmi-wild cattle makes
Il the easiest 10 procure.
Min is used by the natives. and
they make a kim of cheese that is
not bad. In fact. one OF our men mar
ried "A kanaka girl, IA fine young, wild
woman, and expects TO spend the rest
of his life there, This was one OF the
great events of our two month"; exile
the other VAS the death on February Q
Of David Campbell"
From the stories told by the men Il
Is evident that Easter Island Is "A fertile
but uncul'ivated place: that except for
the idleness the sailors had 4 rather
good two months Of Il.
Capt. Briffuu OF the Jean and Ave
NJ hts men had refused to ny
tho rest of the sailors on the horde.
saying they would remain until a shin
came along that would take them II
Valparaiso. Capt. Brlron is said Ia
have taken quite an interest IN the
studies of inscriptions being carried or
by Mrs, Rutlidge. and he was her con.
slant companion on all Of her excursions
about the island.