NEWS UNDER A BUSHEL.

Dunstan Times, Issue 898, 4 July 1879, Page 3

NEWS UNDER A BUSHEL.

Few readers of the “Herald” imagine the difficulty often experienced in getting a small item of news, occupying a space in the paper perhaps of only a few linos. The following is a case in point. The Italian bark Amalia Zoaguilo, from Leghorn, artved at this port yesterday morning, and the intelligence was flashed to the city by telcgrapo that she had rescued and had on board a shipwrecked crew. A “Herald” reporter was despatched to meet the vessel at her dock and ascertain the facts concerning the wrecked schooner to which they belonged. The bark was made fast to a dock in the East River, and the sailors were busy about the deck stowing the sails and otherwise preparing fjr discharging the cargo. Approaching the mate, the reporter endeavoured to learn something of the shipwrecked crew. The conversation detailed below was held in a mixture of English, Italian, Fr- nch and Spanish. “ Is the crow on hoard!” “What crew?” “ The shipwrecked crew. ” “ What shipwrecked crew ?" “ The one yon picked up at sea, ” turning away and whistling an Italian air. “ Yes, ” pursued the writer, “ there was a crew picked up somewhere, and it was said your hark did it.” “ Yes.’ “Yes, what?” “We have the crew.’ “ Where. ” “ Don't know. ” “ Do you mean to say you picked up a crew at sea and do not know where they arc?” “ IVo did not pick up a crew at sea. ” “ But you just said you did. ” “ Yes, the English ship picked us up.” “ What English ship?" “Don’t know. ” “ \ r ou mean the English ship picked up the crew and transferred them to you?” “ Yes. ” “ Well, what did you do with them ? ” “ Don’t know.” Almost in despair the writer asked a Custom House officer, who was standing by, to help him unravel the enigma, hut he gave it up after a few weak points. Hut the writer returned a ~tin to the charge with an Italian, who professed to ho prefect familiar with the patois. The interpreter said to the writer—“Ho says that the crew were picked up at sea in laitude 31 deg., 17 min., longitude 71 ‘log, 48 min. ” “ Well, w here are they now?” “He doesn’t know.” “How, then, docs ho know they were picked up at all?” “The captain of the

ship said so. ” “ What captain of vvhal sliip?” “The English ship.” “Then tho English ship picked up tho crew nm not tho bark. The men must consequently bo on board the ship?” “ 110 says not.' 1 This conversation was prolonged for nearly an hour, and tho writer was about Rending for an ambulance to carry him to an asylum when one of the crew thought of apiece of piper in the cabin. It was brought and in a few words exclaimed tho mystery. The crow of the brigantine Emily were picked up by tho English ship Kirk ham at sea, but wore afterwards transferred to the Sophia, bound for England. The captain of the Kirkham had asked tho Italian bark to notify the public of the fact when it reaches there in safety.—N. Y. “ Herald. ”