CAPTAIN JOHN D. RUSSELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 17 April 1901, Page 55

CAPTAIN JOHN D. RUSSELL.

A CELEBRATED EXPLORER. i,See Illustration.) Hea.rmg that Captain J. D. Russell, who has gained considerable reputation as an explorer in different parts of the world, intended giving one of his popular entertainments m Dunedin the writer interviewed the worthy captain, with an idea of (hawing out some of his qualities as a lecturer and getting an insight into his chequered career. The Captain is one of those restless spirits who aie born only m the colonies or America, and who has lived a life of strange adventure and fascinating interest. He has turned up quite recently 100 miles from an}'v here—the captain, like the leop&rd, changes his spots. If you put youi hand haid downhe isn't there. He is, in fact, like the straddle bugs m "Huck Finn—"t he more you find him the more you don't." Clap your hand down quickly, and xou h*ve the captain— looo miles

away. This much-travelled showman has been all over the world from the Gulf of Carpentana to the most southern headland of Australia. The breezes of the South Seas, laden with perfume, have played hide and &eek in the ccptam's hair, and the fierce cold blasts of Cape Horn have beaten furrows into his face. He has trodden alone the burning sands of the SJiara to the deepest lecess of an Indian jungle. He has faced the wildest snowstoims m Northern Canada, scorched o i the Equator, and met with strange ad\ entires in the piimc\al depths of a South American forest. Born in Poit Jack=on in 1831, Captain Russell, after pome years of instruction from a convict aitor, and at ar early age, formed ore of the search paity who went in quest of the missing explorer, Leichhaidt. Subsequently he was <-ecend m command of an expeditnon to exploie the northern coast line of Austiaha. It v.as then he distinguished him~elt by capturing a monster alligator, over 35ft long, neai the Gulf of Carpsntaiia. Referring to this, Captain Russell says "On the morning of May 7, 1857, I met with a surprising ad\enture. I went out for a walk, a few hundred yards from our camp, and picked up an iron tent peg that one of our native fellows had dropped. This tent-peg consisted of a stout piece of metal, 2Jft long, by 4m thick m the middle, where a square hole was punched, from which it tapered to triangular points at both ends. Without any definite object beyond taking it back to camo, I carried it along, until I suddenly walked into some marshy ground, overgiown with tall reeds. Progress was impossible, to I icsohed to letrace my steps, when all at once I heard a 'whislnng' sound, and received a \ 10lent blow on the legs which knocked me down l Glancing round, I saw an enormous alligator making at me with his jaws wide apart! Mad with terror, I struck out instinctively, fortunately with tha hand that held the tent-peg, and b\ an extraordinary accident, the monster snapped at the tent-peg, and firmly fixed it between his upper and lower jaw. He gave a tremendous lash with his tail, which I fortunately avoided, and then, mad with pam, endeavoured to crunch the great iron bar. Of course, the only result was to firmly impale Ins jaws to th_> tent-peg. I removed myself as fast as possible from his dangerous vicinity, and, bruised and shaken, hurried back to camp. The "beys" on hearing my story turned out, and m halt an hour five of us, well aimed with guns and native spears, surrounded the alhgaloi. lie had not moved very fa.i, but had levelled the reeds, within a circle of about thirty jards m diameter, with the furious lashings of his tail. His jaws, which were prised apart by the tentpeg, were streaming with blcod. Spe'iis znd bullets scon dispatched him, and then ne found that he measured from snout to tail no less thai* 35ft Bm." How.doth the little ciocodile Improve his shnm <* tail, And pour the waters ci the Nile On every golden sci'e. Ho.v cheerfully he seems to grin, And neatly spreads his <~l.iws, And welcomes little firhes m With tjcn'ie smiling jaws. He bears this legend, ''Island of Death," as his epitaph. "Age unknown ; length 35ft . general occupation, grnihr-g amongst the ma. grove swamps of Northern Queensland, favounte diet, native Australians with an occasional explorer as a tit bit — this veiy particular alligator didn't get Captain Russell, so the smile,' 10ft long, is conl.nued ii the Sydney Museum.' Next, Captain Russell traded m a schooner to the Polynesian Group, wheie h:s experiences included being chased b\ a fleet oi war canoes manned by a lot of unpleasant persons who purposed knocking him on the head. This cheeiful experience was followed by the wreck of his ship off Fiji Intending to viS[t England, Captain Russell was shipwrecked off the Falkland Islands Rescued by a whaler he was landed m Amciica, and. A3 the Ciol war was thin raging, he joined the New Yoi k Cavalr}'. He look part in many battles, and remained in the service till the close of the war, when he retired with the rank of captpixi. Jcmmg a party bound for San Francisco, when there was no direct railway, Captain Russell had some exciting experiences in the territories of the redskin and the buffalo He djd not get to San Francisco that time, for he joined .mother party, with whom he hunted in Arizona and New Mexico. Next he spent a year m the agreeable society of the Mormons, and then he struck for New Zealand From Ncv» Zealand he went to Australia, where he had a spell of gold digging. His next experience was as coinm.i.ider of an exploring part) to New Guinea. Luck was agannt hmi, for having landed his ptiriv they wcie massacicd without m.neteo=ary delay, and so, haviig no rart\ left to comii.and, he came away. Finally, he lesohed to settle down in New South Wales, but the bank crisis started him on his travels again. Captain Russell, m spite of his hair-space escapes and De Rougrernont adventures, is a hale and heartj old man of the world — a burly ton of one of England's soldiers — Ins father wa«. an oCrsi in the Bntish aim}- and O"e of th'. 1 hero°s cf Waterloo. Captain "Pusseli has gA en his lectures in ihe Alhambra Theatre, London, the Crystal Palace, Sydeuham, and before the Royal Family. j In conclusion, to show m what respect Captain Ru=sell is held m other places, the propnetois of the Norddeutscher Lloyd line of steamers have m pamphlet form di°tributpd a testimonial from the ceptain referring to their steamers, heading the pamphlet, " Reliable information from a Great Traveller " Dear Pasqum, — Yesterday I ran across one of the most-travelled show men in the world — i.e., Capt. J D. Russel' — a man who yet is to all anpeaiances in the prime of life, while he admits to being some 70 j ears of age. The captain has been a wandcier and exploier si ice the early age of 7 — for at that age he began his tra-^els, accompanvmg his lather (who held a Government appointment m N.S.W.) to the then unknown backblocks of that colony. At the age of 12 he lomed a party sent out in search of Leichliardt — this tup was unsuccessful, and lasted thiee years, during which time ths captain went through a vast number cf adj ventuies. At the age of 16 he v.as offered, a, d accepted, the post of second m command with a party sent out to explore the Cca^t to the Gulf of Caipent.iria. 'Ihis trip abounded in adventure, and several times the paity were fieicely attacked by the natnes It was, during this trip that Captain Russell had a sta.itLng experience with an alhgatoi--a \ cry large one, it being some 35ft long. The epptpm had a very warm encounter with the monstei, and after some hours' tussle succeeded in captaimo: it, aided by some members of his paity who had come upon the scene. The skm of this monster (stuffed) is now m the Sydney Museum. The trip north having proved successful, the exploring pait)' icturned to Sydney, and after a buef spell the wandeier w«s once more on the "load" this time on a tradmq and exploring tour of the North Po!) nesian group of islands. Here the captain picked up the Kanaka language, which .soon after stood him in good stead, fo r he was taken pnsoner at the island of S in-ta Ciuz, and was ordeied foi sacrifice. Howovei, his knowledge of the people and his native wit came to his lesrue, and to the astonishment of the assembled chiefs he informed them that he was Kaora (a gieat waichief who had been dead SO years), come back to \isit his pcopTe m the gins'* of a white man. The boldness of this assertion and the fact that he spoke the langiiasjc like a nati.-e cax -icd weight, and instead of being binned and eaten he was at once pie°entcd to the King, and a gieat feast gi\ en m his honour After residing wth the natives (ss a great chief) for some

months, he managed to escape and get back to civilisation once more. He then set oiit for the United States. Joined the army there, and served all thiough the Civil war. At its conclusion m 1865 he retired with the rank of captain, and set out from Fort Mayne, Indipna, for the goldfields of San Francisco. He got into the Indian country and lived for two years with a tribe of Indians, as he found the life of a hunter moie congenial than tnat of a minei. Getting restless once again, he made his way to Melbourne, and from theie went piospectmg m Northern Queensland, and then joined an exploring party bound foi New Guinea , here he took the command of a schooner called the Albatross, and on one of his visits to the natives had the misfortune to have nearly the whole of his party massacred by a bloodthirsH tube. Not being yet satisfied with his many exploits, the captain leturned to Melbourne and again organised a trading paity to the Poiynesipn gioup, and here he was very saccebstnl, amassiiig a t.dy fortune, the bulk of w hch is invested m freehold pioperty. Since then the captain has toured India, China, Japan, and Java, and has recently returned from a very successful lecturing toxir through the United Kingdom He came to Duiiedm to rest, but he informs me that the old ro\ ms spirit is growing very strong, and he new con templates another trip he proposes wi'l take him completely round the woild. The captain is o~f a jolly and genial disposition anJ an hour's chat with him is full of interest, i i he has not only seen a lot, but knows well how to lecount his various adventures. I may smth.it it v.as a pleasuie to me to meet him, and over a glass of "old Scotch ' I got his permission to" send you this buef account of a chequered career. — Yours uruly, HARRY ABBOTT. Dunedin, April 6, 1001.