The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-03-18
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wreck and with them land-6 desert island,
hundreds of miles distant from the nearest point
of possible communication with the civilized
world The shipwrecked marin ers were lar out OF
the ordinary course Of vessels and it seemed
probable that only a bare chance could save them
from ultimate starvation.
After weeks stay on the bare reef Lieutenant
Commander sicard asked for five volunteers to
man small boat and undertake a perilous voy-
age of 1900 miles over trackless ocean to Homo
lulu Nearly every man in the ships company
volunteered to attempt journey of which there
seemed but one chance in a hundred of successful
accomplishment. The commanding officer chose
Lieutenant Talbot to command the forIorn hope
and chose for service under him Coxswein Will
liam Halford, k,eamen Peter Francis, James Muir
and John Andrews One Of the ships boats
partly decked with material from the wreck
OF the Saginaw. small mast stepped and
provisions and compass put board
Then the expedition started while the wrecked
crew cheered from the coral reef
The frail bark kept on its way day and night
for week, officer and taking turn and turn
about at the oars. At times the wind was with
them and then the sail helped wonderfully At
other times, with the breeze dead ahead, they
could not but creep along, y ork-ng laboriously
at the oars.
Finally sale overlook them, and for two days
and two nights they expected to be overwhelmed
There sleep for any one of the little COM
pany, and while two toiled at the to keep the
crafts head up to the wind the others baed. At
last a respite cane, and by lot one man
selected to watch for hour, while the others
slept. For "a hours they lay to, trying recover
from the effects of the exertion of the struggle
with the elements. A large part of the prov-
siOns had been almost ruined by sea water and
the supply of fresh water short. Then there
days Of untold suffering The food salt
soaked and nauseous and created burning thirst
which the did not dare to fully crafty be-
of the shortness of the water supply
Strength rapidly leaving them and yet it
necessary to toll at the Lieutenant Talbot
i'll almost unto DEATH yet he kept a cheerful
foo o17di Gpfro Tho l7ic Mo
worked with will born Of spirit rather than of
strength.
One day. after computation, Lieutenant Tai
bot came to the conclusion that owing to
in an instrument they had gone out of their
course The information came like deathblow
to the There nothing to do however,
but to change the vessels head and go
more. More days passed by and the exhaustion
of two Of the men great that they could
not sit in their places at the oars. fell inert
to the bottom of the boat The condition Of all
desperate. Their tongues were so swollen
that they could not swallow the little food they
had.
Toward evening of that dreadful day land was
sighted Lieutenant Talbot and Coxswain Hal
ford managed to make Roadway with the
oars, and a favoring breeze helped. At daylight
the next morning the shore lay before them but
mile distant, heavy line Of breakers interven-
ing Beyond the white wall of surf they saw men
on the beach
At that moment of supreme joy their boat
struck rock and in moment overturned.
All the members CT that heroic crew were too
weak to struggle and all was drowned
when the lOngsOught land was almost under their
feet Coxswain Halford managed to struggle for
q few minutes with the waves, then he was
caught by breaker and thrown to the sandy
shore. He resuscitated with difficulty, and
then he foun1 he the beach of one of the
Hawaiian islands, and that he was the only sur
vivor of the boats crew. He told his story, and
within "a hours two steamers dispatched
from Honolulu to the rescue Of Lieutenant Com
mander Scard and his men, who were found well
and hearty, though living on somewhat short "a
tions.
On the sands and reefs of Samoa 81 years ago
wrecked the United States vessels Trenton
Vandalia and Nipsic Forty-se7en American off,
and there lost their lives The story