Wreck of the Rainier; A Sailor's Narrative by Omar J. Humphrey, With a Preface by Robert Rexdale. Published in Portland, ME. in 1887. (148 pages)
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Contents:
Chapter I. Bound for Japan — Chapter II. Wrecked on a Coral Reef — Chapter III. Among the Savages — Chapter IV. Building of the Schooner — Chapter V. Voyage of the Ujea — Chapter VI. Voyage of the Lotus — Chapter VII. Life on Ujea — Chapter VIII. Natives and their Customs — Chapter IX. The Spirit of Libogen — Chapter X. — The Second Mate's Story — Chapter XI. Bound for the Golden Gate
Preface
THE author, one of the officers of the American ship "Rainier," has endeavored to tell the story of a memorable shipwreck among the South Sea Islanders, and has not sought to invest his narrative with fictitious interest. A sailor naturally approaches a subject bluntly and to the point, and in this characteristic is found much of the writer's charm. "The twinkling Stars and silvery moon," as his vessel speeds on through the night, lend enchantment to his thoughts, until, as he says, it seems grand to be a sailor Yet the hardships, the perils, the longings for loved ones at home, are all forcibly depicted in his account of their stay among the savages. The officers and crew of the Rainier numbered thirty-two but the ship's company received a welcome addition in the person of the captain's daughter, who had recently married the first officer and looked forward to a happy voyage with her husband and father. The cabin had been handsomely fitted up for the bridal party, and provided with an elegant piano, the gift of the bride's parents. Alas! Through what trying scenes was the young wife destined to pass, ere she would again see home and kindred dear. The "Rainier" was built at Bath, Maine, by Messrs. A. Sewall & Co., in the year 1883, and was a fine ship of two thousand tons burden. Soon after being launched she proceeded to Philadelphia, thence to take her first cargo to the port of Kobe, in Japan. Misfortune seems to have attended. the ship thus early, for while lying at her moorings in the Delaware, a large English steamer collided with the "Rainier," badly wrecking her hull and delaying departure for the Mikado's kingdom. It was not till August 12, 1883, that the canvas was spread for the voyage, and the ill-fated "Rainier" sailed away nevermore to return.
Robert Rexdale
