Evening star., 1934-07-29


month and in which the accused had
the best counsel available, all five men
were found guilty of mutiny and de-
sertion and were sentenced to be hung.
The sentence was approved by Com
modore Jones. In the case of three OF
these men the sentence was afterward
commuted to confinement, but the other
two were executed. John Black, who
was the first man to seize Ensign Gibson,
was hung on the Ewing and the other
man was hung on the Savannah.
I'm a letter to Supt. Bache, dated
October 27, 1849, Macarthur says: Thus
have passed through an ordeal as re-
pugnant as it was necessary. These men
had signed the usual shipping articles
used in the service of the United States;
they had several months in a very proper
and quiet manner; they had not only
never been punished, but had never been
spoken harShly to. Their immediae
commanding officer, in his proper uni
form, was seized and thrown from the
boat and left to drown. I felt con-
vinced that I had not the power to
punish such an offense, and reported
it to the commander in chief of the
United States naval forces in the Pa
cific, and the law has taken its course.
1.-The effect which this solemn affair
has had, so far as can be perceived, is
highly beneficial and I feel convinced
that shall have no more trouble"
Thus ended the first mutiny in the
United States Coast and Geodetic Sur
No. Ar%Iz -
Sary to proceed to the Hawaiian Islands
to recruit crew to carry out his sur
yeying instructions.
THE Jefferson was an iron paddle-wheeI
steamer with draft of about IL
feet. She was en- route from Phila-
delphia to San Francisco in the Summer
of 1851 for survey work on the Pacific
Coast.
New boilers had been installed and
she had been otherwise repaired for her
long voyage through the Straits Of Ma
gellan. But when head-winds were en-
countered to the south and her coal
consumption proved to be eight tons
instead of five, her commanding Officer
grew uneasy. When he struck the
northeast trades he had but 18 tons OF
coal left and plenty of sea ahead to
overcome it. With three masts and
barkentine rigged her engines were cut
out under sailing weather and the
buckets from her paddle-wheels removed
to lessen her drag. On April "a, 1851
she arrived at Rio de Janerio.
Yellow fever was rife in this port,
many vessels in the port having lost
their entire crews, according to her
commanding officer, Lieut.. F. K. Murray.
On the 4th of May the Jefferson was
at Montevideo. Here she took On coal
and encountered the first of Winter
gales and storms. Then
"On May "a, during a very low
barometer, a northerly gale overlook
them and the Jefferson scudded before
it with full steam and all sail that could
be safely carried. On the afternoon of
the 25th, heavy cross sea boarded her
and threw the vessel on her beam ends
when she Immediately broached to and
lay exposed to the terrific seas following
her.
Orders were given to let fly all sheets
except the StaySail, but finding that she
did not recover, the order was given to
cut away the masts The crew jumped
to this dangerous work with will and
succeeded in getting the fore and main
over the side. Relieved of two of her
three maSts, she righted and fell off
before the wind, much to the delight of