| Show Marooned Bird Hunters i t l for Cor nearly six months on one emme of oC the Islets of oC the Hermes Reef 1000 miles to the westward of oC HawaII three Japanese rescued last December by the tho auxiliary schoon schooner er Flaurence Ward Vard und and were brought to Honolulu yesterday ester a The story of oC their sufferings and the tho wretchedness of their exIstence Is only relieved my the tact fact that their companions on th the vessel that left eft them at the lonely Is Island Island land have probably perished Tho Japanese schooner Mara sailed from YOkohama June 7 ot of last year car caron t on a expedition to time tho t H and Islets Included between La Lasan Lay san san and Midway Island In the tho north Pacific not far above aboc time tho equator This stretch Includes several severa hundreds hundred of miles of oC neglected ocean to which sea birds of oC various kinds have for tor uncounted un uncounted counted ages made their annual Tho plumage or of these theRe birds s Is sought by the London market marlot maln Iy for fOl millinery and Japanese expeditions furnish time the supply On Jul July 7 four Caul KI s anti and landed on a a little Islet of the Reef Reet wIth a months provisions They Wore to gather sea birds and preserve their plumage while the tho schooner Jall aall cd ad to leave I other parties on other islets I and to return In a month to pick up each ench party part and Its catch The Islet In question Is about three quarters of a mile long and a 11 quarter of If Ifa ofa a mile wide rising on only a few tew foot tet above the tho ocean and Is covered with i long grass graMs which grows In the tho coral sand Soon after the men had ma made themselves n a storm swept over the low Islet destroying their tent ruining a part of oC their provisions and spoiling their supply of fresh Cresh water It Is believed that In this storm the Re Kc lobe loho Marti was wrecked for or she has never noer been seen nor heard of since and It Is probable that all on board were lost Despite their wretched condition the themen themen men continued to gather plumage eat lag Ing birds eggs the birds themselves fish and an turtle and ob water b by distilling sea water In a rude appliance the they had con They Thoy built a hut but out of at th time long grass As days passed and the tho schooner lid not return the they began to suffer more and more The bh birds ds migrated from COm the Islet leaving them without this source o of food supply It was oft often n bO 60 storm stormy for Cor days das together that tho they could catch few tew fish The boat which had been left leCt with them was destroyed by h hea heavy V seas Finally then theil gave out and for Cor several days das tho were without fire and unable to procure drinking water The They felt themselves loomed doomed to swift destruction At last one of them be bethought bethought thought himself of his watch erutI and with that when the sun shone the they were able to start a fire using the dried grass for tow But the they were often orten for tor da days without fire because the theaky sly would bo be overcast At last scurvy attacked them and succumbed to It Life LICo now nott depended on the tho slender hope that some passing vessel essel might see seo their signals ot of distress and rescue them By day they kept Opt flying such Much tattered pieces of oC sail and clothing as remained and b by night the they kept a fire blazing The found on the Islets the tho rotting timbers limbers of oC a wreck and with these they kept such fire burning as the they could The Ward sailing roiling through this region all on her wa way from Honolulu to Midway with supplies for tOl the cable station In December fortunately saw their sIgnals of oC dIstress Capt Flits sent a boat to the Islet and the scurvy strIcken emaciated and almost InS Ing castaways were taken on board Charles L Rhodes In New York Eve Post |
