Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1857-03-11
Heroic Conduct of I Woman.


Our readers will remember an account taken
from one of the California papers, relative to the
heroic conduct of Mrs. Martha Ann Patten, wife
of Captain Patten, of the ship Neptune's Car,
who, during her husbands Illness, took charge
of the vessel and navigated it safely into San
Francisco. This lady, together with her hus-
band, who is now so sick that ne Is not expected
to live, arrived in this city in the George Law,
and are now stopping at the Battery Hotel. Her
story is an interesting and painful one, and shows
how much weak, delicate woman can do when
great emergency calls out her powers.
Mrs Patten was born in East Boston, OF veal
thy parents, and received an excellent education,
and was in every respect tendeny nurtured and
cared for. She is now but twenty years OF age,
de petite taille, has small hands and features,
delicate blond complexion, soft blue eyes, and
altogether gives one an idea Of feminine softness
and womanness that it is Impossible to assocl-
ate with the daring nerve and decisive qualities
she exhibited in a remarkable degree. AT eigh-
teen years of age, she married Captain Patten,
then but twenty five years OF age, he having
rbeen master of vessel-the f-,k *. Andrew,
which piled between New York and the South
American ports-and was then off duty, waiting
until the Cornelia Lawrence, new ship, was
ready for SEQ.
Shortly after he was married the master OF
the ship Neptune's Car sickened as she was a.
bout to put to sea for a voyage around the
world, and the owners, Messrs. Foster and Nick
erson, offered the post to Captain Patten, but he
hesitated, as he did not wish to leave his young
bride. The owners, however, gave him permis-
sion to take her with him, and in twelve hours
after the first notification the young couple were
on board and the vessel getting ready to leave
the dock The Neptunes Car first sailed for
San Francisco, thence to China, from China to
London, and finally arrived in New York, after
an absence of seventeen months. During this
time Mrs. Patten amused herself by helping her
husband in his nautical observations, worked up
the time from the chroDometers, and occasional
ly kept the reckoning of the ship.
Last August the Neptunes Car again put to
sea, and it was on this voyage that Mrs. Patterns
misfortunes commenced. AS the vessel neared
the straits of Magellan, her husband was taken
with disease in the head which finally devel-
oped into brain fever. He attended to his ship
as long as he was able, and when it was impos-
sibe to give any personal orders, he found to his
dismay, that his first mate was wholly incompe-
tent to take charge of the ship, and that there
was no officer on board qualified TO take the ves-
sci into port He found that the first mate was
anxious to run the vessel into Valparaiso, but
this he earnestly forbade, as the crew might all
leave and the cargo be destroyed before the con-
signees could send for the vessel.
In this emergency Mrs. Patterns rare qualities
developed themselves. She assumed command
of the vessel herself, and the nautical observa-
tions she once made in sport and for pastlme
she now undertook as duty. Her time was
spent between the bedside of her delirious hus-
band and the writing desk, working up the in
tricate calculations incident to nautical observa
tions making entries in the log-book in her own
delicate penmanship, and tracing out with accu-
racv the position of the ship from the charts in
the cabin. The rough sailors all obeyed the
slitte woman" as they called her, with will,
and eyed her curiously and affectionately through
the cabin windows while deep in the calculations
on which her life and theirs depended. There
was one person on board, however, who viewed
her course with jealousy and mistrust. This
was the first mate He wrote her letter, warn-
ing her of the responsibility she was assuming
and profferring advice but she spiritedly replied
that 'her husband would not trust him when he
was we'll, and she could not do so now that he
was sick"
For fifty days Mrs. Patten did not undress her
self and took very little sleep, working day and
night and never leaving her sick husbands room.
Her labors are the more surprising in view OF
the fact, that she was all this time in delicate
condition, and soon expects to give birth to her
first child.
The Neptune's Car arrived safely at San Fran
cisco on the 18th of November last, it having
been for ffty-six days under the command of a
delicate female not 90 years of age. What
splendid text for the women's rights people.
Mrs. Patten is now at the Battery Hotel with
her husband, who, it is supposed, is in dying
condition. The fever has never left him. and
for some time past he has been blind and deaf.
They did expect to leave in the boat for Boston
Yesterday for her own home, but he was too sick
to be moved.
Mrs. Patterns case is one of the most relnarka-
ble on record, and adds one to the many instan-
ces that history records of female devotion and
heroism.-N Y. Herald.