AN EIGHT DAYS' SWIM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 151, 22 July 1901, Page 2

AN EIGHT DAYS' SWIM.

Eight Arabs were brought to Thursday Island from Caps Grenville by a lugger which has been working in the vicinity. The men state that they were siilors in a boat which was lest in a hetvy storm, but after swimming tight days they reached Cape Granville together. When the steamer Omba passed there on Saturday she reported these men to be French etcapeex from New Caledonia.- The men attended at the shipping office, whien J they told the shipping master a most] J extraordinary story. Their c-.pt-»in,j through an interpreter, paid thev wer<all Arabs, who had left Port Slid three j months «go, and bad been sailing all thetime.touchingat no place. Their boat was about tnn tons burthen, and they encountered a big storm, during which it foundered. They then reached shore after being eight days in the water. Mr. Bennett, the shipping master, passed the men over to the police as vajrants. None of .them speak English; but one of them, who talk* Spanish, told a story similar to their captain's, varying, however, es t ■ r.h>a size cf their vesse', which he said was a schooner. No one of the company was lost when the boat |foundered, but all were able to swim the time stated and get safely ashore. Appearances go to show that the men are J Lascar?, who may have jumped overboard from some passing steamer. The captain said that he did not know where he was going, and had no cornpars or chart, but the Spanish-speaking man raid they were going whaling,