Year: 1868

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A ROMANCE OF THE SEAS.


The Boston papers contain q very interesting &C
count of the wreck of the ship General Grant
owned in that city, which, during a calm, driftet
like log on to the iron-bould shores of the Aux
land Isles, not to be ground to atoms against tht
almost endless wall of rock environing them, bu
tobe embayed in one of the cavernous creyice'
here and there formed by volcanic or other action
then slowly but surely to be drawn, as it were int
giant cave, against the sides and roofs Of which
the good ships timbers crushed until she settled
down into the deep abyss of waters. 1t was nigh
when she dlfed into this cave, which is described
as being nearly four hundred feet deep. The night
was very dark, and nothing could be seen but the
black rocks around and above the ship. When
daylight came the boats were lowered; there were
including twenty -four Of crew, eighty-three pas
sengers in all, among whom were six ladies and
about twenty children. Of these there escaped
from the sinking ship four male passengers ten
seamen, and one female, the stewardess-ffteen in
all. The captain of the ship was last seen in the
mizzen topmast crosstrees; within few moments
of disappearing he waived his handkerchief as an
adieu to those who were in the boats. The suffer
ings endured by the survivors from the wreck for
eighteen long months on the Aukland Isles, are
thus narrated by a correspondence Dunedin, Ota-
20, New Zealand, who writes under date of Feb
ruary oath:


''Slowly and sadly the survivors pulled away from
the dreadful cave wherein so many Of their fellow
passengers had found their last resting place. The
coast, as far as they could see, consisted of high
perpendicular rocks and there was no possibility
of effecting landing. They were many times In
peril before they landed; they were all the day
pulling, sometimes in the teeth of the wind, and
it was night before they reached large rock about
one and half miles northeast of Disappointment
Island. In trying to effect landing for the pur-
pose of obtaining fresh water, one of the boats
swamped, but the men got safely on the rocks
Of all their provisions only three pieces of pork
and nine tins of bouilli were saved. The boat,
however, was recovered On the morning of the
18th of May they got some fresh water They
had been unable to procure any wood for ire,
and even if they had they would have hesitated
before risking their.last match on rocks where it
would have been impossible for them to live. They
were obliged to keep on their oars all night so as
to prevent being blown off the land.


About noon of the 18th they entered a place
called North Harbor, but they did not think it a
fit refuge so at daylight the next morning they
started again and reached Port Ross There they
camped and set about the anxious task of lighting
fire, in which they were fortunately successful.
The fire they lighted that evening was not allowed
to 90 out for eighteen months They caught two
or three birds, gathered a few impets, and these,
with tin of bouilli, were cooked and heartily en-
joyed by the poor shipwrecked people The next
day they discovered some old huts, which had,
doubtless afforded shelter for other sufferers, and
gathered mpets and killed four seals on the beach
at Enderbys Island. They saw some goats but
did not succeed in catching any. Knowing that
ships had been wrecked there before, and that the
island they were on had been refuge for men in
the same condition as themselves, they passed the
next few days in searching for food, tools and clo
thing, which they thought might have been left
for the benefit of future castaways. They were
not successful


They.were very badly off for clothing. There
were some who were without coats, hats, and shoes
and stockings. From this cause and from the want
of nourishing food, the party for many days were
in state of dreadful suffering. They were at
tackled with dysentery, and became so reduced and
emaciated that they feared none would be left to
tell the story. One day when they were out in the
bay searching for the hutleft by Captain Musgraye,
who, with some of his crew, had but few months
before escaped similar peril after twenty months
suffering, they describe themselves as being so
weak that they could scarcely lift t.. " oars out OF
the water; when, after an absence Of eight days,
they returned to their companions, they were star
tied with horror at finding the men they had LETT
reduced almost to bare skin and bone They knew
then how they themselves had changed But after
time they rallied; they got more accustomed to
the food; they succeeded in making little salt,
and from the skins of the seals they made mecca
sins for the shoeless. They also managed to make
a sail from sealskins


On the llth ofJuly, theycame upon Musgrave's
hut; their joy was great, for they thought they
would find there well-stocked depot; but their
disappointment was greater, for everything had
been carried away except few rags Of old canvass
and an old boiler, which they afterwards used to
boil salt in. They made many discoveries, which
although trihing in themselves, were Of absorbing
interest and value to the 6nders- They found two
files and another hut fitted up with three bunks
in which there were an adze, spade, and little
wearing apparel. They saw some pig tracks, but
nopigs. AS have said before, their covering al
night was grass, and the weather being bitterly
cold, their beds were not as comfortable as they
would have liked. They managed to catch seals
enough to live upon. 1t was a long time before
they knew how to use the skins for clothing; they
were so hard; but at length they discovered that
by pairing the dried skins close to the roots Of the
hair, they could obtain very soft material. AND