A Furnace Afloat: The Wreck of the Hornet and the Harrowing 4,300-mile Voyage of Its Survivors
On May 3, 1866, the clipper ship Hornet was consumed by fire and sank in the middle of the South Pacific. Thirty-one survivors boarded three tiny lifeboats and began the 4,300-mile voyage to the Hawaiian Islands. Along the way, they faced terrible heat, storms, starvation, treachery, mutiny and the threat of cannibalism. Those who made landfall, six weeks later, became some of the 19th century's most famous castaways. True crime veteran Jackson (Leavenworth Train, etc.) superbly retells the tale, drawing on impressive primary sources. In addition to the journals left by the captain and two passengers, Jackson incorporates interviews with the survivors conducted by a young reporter named Mark Twain, who happened to be in Hawaii at the time. (Twain's articles on the Hornet were picked up by newspapers worldwide and made his reputation, despite a mistaken byline in Harper's of "Mark Swain.") These sources allow Jackson to quote dialogue, sketch characters' thoughts and avoid the speculation that diminishes so many historical narratives. These events are dramatic enough: a thief steals bread-and murder is nearly the result; a seaman sacrifices a water ration to a sick man he fully expects to eat the next day; and mutineers huddle in the stern to plot. Jackson weaves in astute tidbits of history, philosophy and science, explaining why, for example, cannibalism is not a physiologically effective survival tactic. Vividly and sympathetically written, this is a tragic yet triumphant book about the limits of humanity and human endurance.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.