Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1918-03-08
Personal Narratives of Sailors
Are Particularly in Demand
at This Time.
OLD TALES ARE READ AGAIN
Interest in Merchant Marine RESPONSE
bic for Demand for Stories Of
SaIors-Escape Of Mariners
From Arabian Sands Told.

Er6SSlOudI llUIdIy, WHICH, Is III a way h
. clearing house for all the libraries +
of the country, state that at present r
there Is q lively demand from read
ers for all kinds of literature relating 6
70 sea lore, and especially to the adj {
ventures of sailors in the American f
merchant marine.
Personal narratives are in greatest {
demand, and are the hardest for the {
ordinary reader to find. There are,
however, good many of them, both
here and in public Libraries and spe-
ciai collections in Eastern cities.
Many of these books, now being re-
read with public interest after many
years, have particular point at this
time for their value in indicating the
grit with which American sailors face
peril and hardship, such as the pres
ent era Of German "frightfulness" at
sea is apt to impose at any time on
American crews.
A visitor to the capital the other
dag had in his grip one Of these old !
volumes of adventure that may be
cited as an example of the kind OF
literature the American sailors of long
ago produced for the benefit Of pos
terity.
1t was written and published in 1894
by one Daniel Saunders, an American
sailor and described his sufferings,
and those of his shipmates, in escap-
ing from the Arabian desert, after be-
ing cast upon it's burning shore by
shipwreck.
Daniel Saunders was a seaman on
the ship Commerce Of Boston, which
while coasting in the Eastern seas for
cargo, and on a voyage from Mad
ras to Bombay "on the coast Of Mala-
bar" stranded in the night on beach
on the Arabian coast, the captain hav-
ing lost his bearings.
On attempting to land on the beach
the crew Of "a souls were menaced by
savage natives. They therefore
manned their boats and coasted along
shore. On the second day out they
were caught in a gale on lee shore,
and obliged to make landing on the
beach through high surf.
In making the landing one boat was
upset and three of it's occupants lost
their lives, among them being ma
thanlel Seaver Jun, the merchant
son." In those days, merchants made
voyages, and the father Of this lat
'stood an unhappy spectator of thi
melancholy catastrophe" His grief
saws the author, "may be more easil
imapined than described"
Attacked by Arabs.
Wet and weary, the sailors lay dow
to sleep. They were reused by tn
approach Of band of Is Arabs
mounted on camels, land armed wit
spears, cutlasses and knives" who a
tackled them, stole all the stores ths
had been in the boats, and robbe
them of all their clothing, even TO IL
shirts off our backs"
AS the camels could not carry a
the plumber, the brigands finally lie
"some old clothes to cover us, to pr
vent the sun from burning our skins
One got pair Of trousers, another
coat, another shirt, but one got on
a strip of canvas, which he wrapp'
around him.
Thus arrayed, the shipwrecked m
riners, on being left by their plunde
ers. set out for Muscat, which tn
were told was five-days' journey q
tant
Their way lay Through fields
burning sands and over mountains
rocks and precipices, affording neitf
food nor water"
In this scorching desert, famish
and with tongues cracked and mOu1
sore, the sailors found themselves
posed to a sun of incredible fiercen
by day, and to cold dews at night.
For two days they stumbled
along the seashore, with neither II
nor water. On the third day the pa
broke up into several smaller grOu
Some sought q shorter route by
lowing paths that led inland. Sa
ders and three companions tried
inland route, and came upon sc
vines that bore a kind of melon,
sembling watermelon.
Feyerishly tasting some of the II
they found 1t bitter and unnt
food.
Turning back to the beacn, the v
derers met three Arab fishermen,
robbed them Of some books and
pers, and took from the man with
canvas his sole protection from
sun. Later that day Saunders and
party met an Arab who directed t
to a well. Here they were joined
Captain Johnson of the Commerce
a few of their mates.
The next day they found food, IN
form of crabs and cookies taken
rocky point on the beach.
Natives Were Kind.
The wanderers now began to
more natives, both men and wo
The latter were kind to them, g
them water from gOatskin contal
but robbing them eventually OF
shoes. Captain Johnson was rell
of his trousers.