Show SAILORS MAY HAVE STARVED IN NATURAL PRISON boat and raft of lost steamer valenda and eight skeletons Sele tons found in cave on pacific coast rock barred egress victoria dispatch from Car manah respecting the finding 0 a lifeboat and a i antoon from the steamer valencia in caved with eight skeletons has supplemented by a later message from the lighthouse keeper at Car manah which throws further light on the find does not indicate where the cave is located or who has made the find but his alon of the situation indicates that there Is a possibility that the tons are those ol 01 a band less fortunate everi than those who remained the valencia and went down to certain death his information gives rise to the possibility that the eight persons represented by the skeletons now dis covered were caught in a trap sur rounded by high stone walls and there starved to death the cave in which the boat and the skeletons were found Is described barred at the entrance by a large rock the passage on either side of this rock is far too narrow to permit ot the boat being taken out that way apparently the boat got in by being washed over the top of the obstruct ing arck on the crest of a great wave once behind the rock access to the open sea was cut off even when the water subsided as it was sible to get the boat past the barrier the prisoners were also walled in from freedom on the land side and must there have perished for lack of food th boat Is not damaged except tor a small hole in the forward air cham her near the gunwale to take it out of its place will require a strong forca of men the light keeper says t am tod short handed here to do any thing the cave Is apparently a gathering place of debris as the lighthouse keep er says that in order to make an at tempt at identifying the skeletons it would be to remove several tons of rubbish which had since be cumulated and with that accod something might be found within the cave which would give a clue as to the identity of the unto dunate refugees who perished in the prison the indians it is reported knew 0 the presence of the boat and bodies tor several months but kept it secret in the absence of knowledge of the source of the information it Is presumed that it came from the indians capt gaudin s personal opinion is that the story will prove a false one he inclines to the belief that it has originated with the indians but will have the matter fully investigated capt gaudin points out that it Is un reasonable to suppose that a boat would be dashed over a rock such as Is described as barring the entrance of the cave and sustain no injury this feature ol 01 the story capt gaudin thinks throws a very strong suspicion on its reliability he further thinks it unlikely that in the patrol of the coast which took pla e immediately after the wreck occurred such a spot as described should escape notice |