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who had been shipwrecked off the coast of Costa Rica sent out a cry for help in a message in a bottle which they tied to a long line on a passing fishing boat. Their cry for help was heard and they were rescued.

Most other shipwrecked people who resort to sending messages in bottles do not have such a fortunate ending. For example, in 1748, Japanese seaman, Chunosuke Matsuyama who was shipwrecked along with 44 shipmates carved a message on a piece of wood and placed it in a bottle. It was not found until 150 years later. They obviously all starved to death long before the message in the bottle was ever found.

MESSAGES IN BOTTLES ARE SEAWORTHY AND DURABLE

We all know that glass bottles are fragile, but they do very well in the sea. They do not sink and can bob on the ocean for seemingly endless periods of time without being damaged. Glass also tends to last almost forever. For instance, in 1954 a sunken ship was found and on it were 18 glass bottles. The bottles were 250 years old, but were in perfect condition. (These bottles did not contain messages, and the alcohol in them was worthless when found.)

YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE A MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE WILL END UP OR HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO GET THERE

If you ever find yourself lost at sea, it won't hurt to put a message in a bottle and pray for the best. Unfortunately, the odds of a message in a bottle leading to your rescue are slim. It is impossible to predict where a message in a bottle will end up or how long it will take to get there. For example, two bottles were dropped at the same time in the same place off of the coast of Brazil. One bottle made its way east and after 130 days was found on a beach in Africa. The other bottle took 190 days to arrive in Nicaragua. The speed which a bottle travels is dependent on wind and current. A bottle may almost stay put for a long period of time, but it is possible for a bottle to travel as much as 100 miles in one day.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedi a.org/wiki/Message_in_a_bottle
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200 80323/ap_on_fe_st/message_in_a _bottle
http://www.tcmuseum.org /message_in_a_bottle/a_history _of_messages_in_bottles/
http:/ /www.breadonthewaters.com/bott les_in_history.htm
http://www.b bc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A17525027

Learn more about this author, Rebecca Livermore.
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