A TALE OF THE SEA.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5557, 27 July 1886, Page 2

A TALE OF THE SEA.

The following remarkable story of a man named George Fletcher, a thirdclass passenger by the steamer Catterthun, for Sydney from Hongkong, is published by the Toicnsville Bulletin :— "Late in November, 1884, the BhipJßothwell Castle, Captain Jumper, left Newcase, New South Wales, for Amoy, laden with coal, and having a crew of 13 in all. All went well until December 21, when one thick stormy night the ship struck on a reef six miles from Raven's Island in the Caroline Group. Although we made every effort to save her, we saw it was no good, and within six hours of her striking we had put off in the boati. The vessel sank about half an hour afterwards, and we then made for Raven's Island, which the captain ascertained by looking at the chart was six miles distant. We arrived there on the morning of the 22nd, and were well treated by the chief native of the islands, who furnished us with plenty of fresh provisions in the shape of cocoanuts, bananas, yams, &c. Most of the provisions taken off the ship were damaged by «ea water. The captain, whose ntme was Jumper, on the 29th of the sime month took the longboat to go to Guam, taking with him the second mate, an able'seaman, and a boy, and promising to return with assistance as Bpeedily as possible. For 13 long weary months we nine men stayed on the island, being unable to get away, as the few trading vessels which at rare intervals called in at our island prison declined to give us a passage to any place whence we could be forwarded home. Some few months after we had been on <he island we heard that the c >ptain and his companions had been picked up in the vicinity of New Britain. Fortunately the natives treated us very kindly, and shared their food, which consisted of pork, yams, cocoanutp, bananas, &c, freely with us. After the second Christmas had come and gone we began to despair of ever getting away, and one poor fellow once went on his bended knees and implored the owner of a smali schooner to take him away, but he refused. In a few months the clothes we had on when we were wrecked fell 'o pieces, and for the rest of the time we had to go about in the dress of the savages, which consisted simply of a very short girdle of native grass, a costume which during the winter months wa3 far from comfortable At the end of 13 months, however, the San Frisco, a German trading schooner, called at the island for the second time, and the captain, who had previously refused a passage to any of us, at last took pity on our forlorn state, and gave three of our number a passage to Hongkong. Three others, about a month before the second visit of the San Frisco, had obtained a passage in another trading schooner to Bonaty, the chief island of the Caroline Group. Before leaving Raven's Island, the three men who were not taken wore promised by me and my companions that we would make every effort to induce some vessel to call and release them from their painful position. The names of those three men, who, I believe are still on Raven's Island, are

Thomas Shaw, Brunsley, and Swanson. On arriving at Hongkong we reported the matter to the harbormaster, who held a court of inquiry. As I wished to return to New South Wales to see the owners of the vessel, I applied for a free passage to the harbormaster, who said he would consider the matter. I then wrote to the Colonial Secretary, who furnished me with a ticket by the Catjterthun, for Sydney. The Bothwell Castle was owned by Messrs .Ellis ji'id Co. The men left on the island were in a very miserable condition, and hoping every day that the island would-be revisited-by a British ship."