The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1916-03-18
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wreck and with them land.T on a desert island,
hundreds of miles distant from the nearest point
or possible communication with the civilized
world. The shipwrecked marin ers were far out of
the ordinary course of vessels and it seemed
probable that only a bare chance could save them
from ultimate starvation.
After a weeks stay on the bare reef Lieutenant
Commander Sicard asked for five volunteers to
man a small boat and undertake a perilous voy-
age of 1900 miles over a trackless ocean to Homo
lulu. Nearly every man in the ships company
volunteered to attempt a journey of which there
seemed but one chance in a hundred of successful
accomplishment The commanding officer chose
Lieutenant Talbot to command the forlorn hope.
and chose for service under him Coxswein Will
liam Halford, Seamen Peter Francis, James Muir
and John Andrews. One of the ships boats was
partly decked over with material from the wreck
OF the Saginaw. A small mast was stepped and
provisions and a compass were put on board.
Then the expedition started while the wrecked
crew cheered from the coral reef.
The frail bark kept on it's way day and night
for a week, officer and men 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, working laboriously
at the oars.
Finally a gale overlook them, and for two DAYS
and two nights they expected to be overwhelmed.
There was no sleep for any one of the little COM
pany, and while two toiled at the oars to keep the
crafts head up to the wind the others bailed. At
last a respite cane, and by lot one man was
selected to watch FOR an hour, while the others
slept. For "a hours they lay to, trying to recover
from the effects of the exertion of the struggle
with the elements. A large part of the provi-
sions had been almost ruined by sea water and
the supply of fresh water ran short. Then there
were days of untold suffering. The food was salt
soaked and nauseous and created a burning thirst
which the men did not dare to fully crafty be-
cause of the shortness of the water supply.
Strength was rapidly leaving them, and yet it was
necessary to toll at the oars. Lieutenant Talbot
was i'll almost unto death, yet he kept a cheerful
face and inspired the men by his example. He
worked with a will born Of spirit rather than of
strength.
One day. after a computation, Lieutenant Tai
bot came to the conclusion that owing to an error
in an instrument they had gone out of their
course. The information came like a deathblow
to the men. There was nothing to do, however.
but to change the vessels head and go on once
more. More days passed by and the exhaustion
of two of the men was so great that they could
not sit in their places at the oars, but fell inert
to the bottom of the boat. The condition of all
was 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 some Roadway with the
oars, and a favoring breeze helped. At daylight
the next morning the shore lay before them but
a mile distant, a 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 a rock and in a moment was overturned.
All the members Of that heroic crew were too
weak to struggle and all save one was drowned
when the long-sought land was almost under their
feet. Coxswain Halford managed to struggle for
a few minutes with the waves, then he was
caught by a breaker and thrown on to the sandy
shore. He was resuscitated with difficulty, and
then he founl he was on 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 were dispatched
from Honolulu to the rescue of Lieutenant Com
mander Sicard and his men, who were found well
and hearty, though living on somewhat short ra-
lions.
On the sands and reefs of Samoa 27 years ago
were wrecked the United States vessels Trenton,
Vandalia and Nipsic. Forty-se7en American off,
GERS and men there lost their lives. The story