A Romance of the Sea.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1621, 24 April 1875, Page 6 (Supplement)

A Romance of the Sea.

New Stoby op Pitcaibn Island.

An educated Jack Tar in the naval hospital at Mare Island, Cal., sends to the San Francisco ' Call/ the romantic details of a marine adventure, being an incident in the cruise of the United States steamer Vandalia, wherein the perils of a shipwrecked crew in the Pacific Ocean and a visit to Pitcairn's Island are graphically told. The fact too, that a Boston clipper ship and a Cape Cod captain constitute, mainly, the subjects of the story, lends a local interest to the sailor's 'yarn,' and reminds us, for the thousandth "time, that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. As long ago as 1858, the Vandalia sailed from Panama for the Marquesas Islanns, a distance of 4000 miles, which was accomplished in thirty days. The day after the arrival there, a trim little schooner-rigged yacht, bearing the Stars and Stripes, came into the harbor, which is called JS Tukahiva, and anchored alongside of the war vessel. The crew of the strange yacht proved to bo Captain Enowlcs, Mr. Bartlett, his chief mate, and the carpenter and three seamen of the clipper ship Wild Wave of Boston, which was lost on the Island of Oeno, in the Southern Pacific, in the month of April previous. The schooner yacht was called the John Adams, after the last snrvivor of the mutineers of the ship Bounty. The lost Wild Wave had voyaged from Boston to San Francisco, and not being able to procure a charter at San Francisco, the Captain concluded to go to Valparaiso in quest of business, lie took 32-5,000 with him, as it often happened that a guano ship in distress put in at the latter point and he might bo able to purchase a cargo of guano ; if not, he would be in a fair way for Callo, whore charters were plenty. Before leaving Boston his mother had requested him to send his brother's remains (which were buried at Lone Mountain Cemetery, in San Francisco,) home for burial in the family grave-yard. Accordingly, he had them exhumed, a case b<>ing made to enclose the coffin, and put on board the Wild Wave. With several Chilenos as passengers, crew and all numbering forty-two souls, he put to sea in March. With a good ship and gentlemanly officers, all went well uutil the fatal night when the ship struck on the coral reef of Oeno. After experiencing great trials and privations on the island, Captain Knowles, having first reburied his brother, started for Pitcairn Island, a distance of seventy-five miles. A picked party accompanied him, and a large supply of the necessaries of life and a chronometer were taken along. The voyage was a daring one. Captain Knowles started in a metaliic life-boat, and arrived safe and sound. But there was no one there to greet the party. The houses were deserted. There were twenty eight houses, a church and a school-house. Posters written in English and stuck up conspicuously, told the shipwrecked sail- ; ors the fate of the offspring of the mutineers of the Bounty ; they had been taken, by authority of the British government, and carried to Norfolk Island, some 3000 miles away. However they left behind them everytning to make the party comfortable. There were all the spontaneous fruits of the tropics in great abundance —oranges, lemons, pine-apples grapes, bananna, plantain, guava, cocoanuts, bread-fruit, etc. There were also innumerable wild hogs, dogs, cats, chickens, goats, sheep and ducks, which could all be had for the mere trouble of capturing. The inhabitants had been gone four years. The houses were well supplied with bedding aud rude furniture and plenty of cooking utensils. There was an oven by the side of each one, and an

aqueduct of water running past all of them. There were, also, all kinds of necessary clothing, lots of calicoes and white cotton not made up, carpenters' and blacksmiths' tools, books for the church and schoolhouse, muskets, powder, etc., etc. The party's boat having been smashed while landing on the island, a new one was made. On the first night the Captain, with his mate, buried the §25,000 which he had with him, at miduight, and they alone were in the secret. The new boat was launched after much difficulty, and when all was ready, for sailing, three of the sailors refused to accompany the expedition, requesting the Captain to inform the world that Pitcairn Island was re-inhabited, and ready to open fresh trade with all passing ships desirous of a fresh supply of fruits, vegetables, mutton, fouls etc., and securing a promise from the Captain that he would send them each a Kanaka maiden for a wife. After shaking hands with them and bidding them goodbye, the schooner sailed away. It was the'intention of Captain Knowles to revisit Oena, but having a strong northwest wind for three days, it drove the party so far to the south-east that they concluded to go to the Sandwich Islands. With all the necessaries of life, they rather enjoyed themselves. The wind headed them off westerly so much that they concluded to go to the Marquesas, where, after a passage of seventeen days

(the distance straight is 1100 miles), they arrived, as we have before stated, and anchored near the Vandalia. The next day the Yandalia sailed for Otaheite, a distance of 700 miles, with the party of the yacht John Adams on board, making the passage in three days. Here Captain Knowles was left, who had the promise of Captain Sinclair to endeavour to save his brother's remains, while Mr. Bartlett promised to get them to Boston. Mr. Bartlett was made a master's mate and the others shipped to be discharged at San Francisco. The Vandalia then sailed for Oeno, a distance of 1200 miles directly east, where she arrived in six days. The

wreck of the Wild Ware was found. On

I reaching the nearest point of the sottloment, early next morning, the romains of (Japtain Enowle's brother wero obtained

from their second burial place and brought on board. The boatswain of the Wild Wave had died and was buried there. Everybody came on board bringing their effects. The large schooner spoken of had been built by the second mate, with the assistance of his companions. The Vandalia next went to Pitcairn Island, and Captain Knowlos and party landed and 1 remained several days. Whether he recovered the §25,000 he buried, is not known, but it ia presumed that he did. No doubt there are these of Boston's old merchants engaged ill the early Pacific trade who are cognizant of many of the facts herein related, and the publication of them at this time m».j serve as a reminiscence of the early days when Boston sent more ships to the Pacific than she now does. Captain Josiah Knowles, mentioned in the mm n tire, is one of the several brothers of thiifc name, and is a native of Yarmouth, Capo Cod. He is still in active service, commanding the ship Glory of the Seas, now at San Francisco, and a better sailor never trod the deck of a vessel. — Springfield liepublican.