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His Last Request Ship Found In A California Desert

His Last Request Ship Found In A California Desert image
Parent Issue
Day
3
Month
February
Year
1871
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Djnn Piatt speaks of the correspontents wfao wunt ti San Domingo, and hcir pdrtinucity and enlurauco, ut folowa : Commodore Alelen, who euperiotauded the fjettiug out of thu vesel gave tu a very iutorestiog account of tho maunei' in wiiich íü wua oLlii;ed to stow r - - uway the correspoudents. There were quarters for fourteoa of theui, and uineLeu would htiva to sleep upou deciig uüdtic the guns, aud exposod to all sorls of weather. Ho said they wcro a plueky nut of fellows, hojvever, aod weut iu gailj, íi(úug their proponed privations witli hubliuio iudifferenuu. He was approuched by oae fat fellow, wtioe name bu dd nol gut, but I suspect fruiu hl desoriptioD, a "quHl-driver" wull kaovvn tü thü "ltow," who Kaid : "I iy, Commodoro, I do not mind sboitouiug niy lifo ten years Ld dyiug in ujy youtL-ï'ur the benefit üf my cüuutry, but I would like to have souie place lo etleop ou Ihis little trip." -M_v deur tir," respouded the Commodore, "iha veseel is not made of iüdiarubber, uor yet is t an omuibus. I fiiinuot stretch it au iuch, aul when I crowded you people, in accordance with the orders of the i'rusideut, you -must lako your cl'.aaces." 'Nowr, CVmmodore, if I go up town and get a fuather bed, eau you give me about two feot by three soiijewhere, so thut, 1 eau sleep oae-half at a time, at leas! V!' 'No, sir, I oannot." "Well, then, oould you squeeze in a demijolm of ld rye, so that I could Iiuvü bi;d and boaid iu the very euiallest oompaM V" 'l'liis the Commodore conscuted to, and the "ijuill di iver" left, it is prosumed, with his (ieiüijohu to live upoo. If his is not a pursuit of knowledge pndër diffiyultioi, I do uot kuow what is. Jy many ït has beea held as a thcory ihat tho Yuuia desert was onco au oceau Led. At intervals pools of salt water bave stood for awhile in tho midst of tho surroundiug waste of sand, ditappeáriug mly to riso again in scme other louulities. A fthor time sineo oue of thote saline lakes disappeared, and a party of Indians reported tho diècovery of a "big sbip," left by the recediug waves. A partj of Americana at onco proceeded to tho spot, and inund imbe'd(led u the sauds the wreek of' a large vcseel. Ncariy one-third of the forward parta of the fchip or bark is plaiuly visible. The stump of tho bow reuiuins, and portions of tho timber of o;;k are perfect. Tho wreek is located forty uiiii.s north of the San Bernardina and Port Yuma road, and thirty miles west of Los L'almos, a well koowo watering place on tho desert. Tlio road aeross the desert has beou traVeled for more than ono hundred yoars. ïhe history of the ill-futod vessel oan, of oourse, never hu known, but the diacovery oi its decaying timbera in the midst of whal has long been a desert, will furuieh savans with food for discussion, aud uiay pirliaps furnish important aid in tho eluj cidatiou of' qucfltiooa ui scieuce.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus