Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1857-03-06

ne readers Oh tne ll6ra!u VIII rtHiem-
Der an account taken from one Of the Cal
ifornia papers, relative to the heroic con-
duet Of Mrs. Martha Anne Patten, wife Of
Captain Patten, of the ship Neptune's Car,
who, during her husbands Illness, took
charge of the vessel and uavigated it safely
into San Francisco. The Lady, together
with her husband, who Is now so SICK that
he is not expected to live, arrived in this
city in the George Law, and are now stop
ping at the Battery Hotel. Her story Is
an interesting and painful one, and shows
how much weak, delicate woman eau do
when great emergency calls her out,
Mrs Pat;en was born in East Boston
of wealthy parents, aud received al excel
lent education, and was in every respect
tenderly nurtured and cared for. She is
now but twenty years of ,de petite taiile,
has small hands aud features, delicate
blonde complication, soft blue eyes, aud
altogether gives one an idea Of feminine
softuess and womanliness that it is impos-
sible to associate with the daring nerve
and decisive qualities she exhibited in q
remarkable degree. At eighteen years of
age she married Captain Patten, then but
twenty-five years Of as., he having been
master of vessel-the bark St. Andrew,
which Piled between New York and South
American por;s-aud was then of duty
waiting until the Corcelia Lawrence a new
ship, was ready for sea. Shortly after be
was married the master Of the ship Nep-
tunes Car sickencd as she vas about to put
to sea for voyage round the world, aud
the owners, Messrs. Foster aud Nlckerson,
offered the post to Captain Patten, but he
hesitated as be did not wish to leave his
young bride. The owners, however, gave
him permission to take her with him aud
in twelve hours after the first notification
the young couple were on board, and the
vessel getting ready to leave the dock.
The Neptune's Car first sailed for Saa
Francisco, thence to China, from China to
London, and finally arrived in New YORK,
after an absence of seventeen months.
h IT,. r--ssz-z------~I h.-
self by helping her husband in his nauti-
tical observations, worked up the time
from the chronometers, and occasionally
KEEP. the reckoning Of the ship. Last Au-
gust the Neptune's Car again put to sea,
and it was on this voyage that MIS-. Pat
tons misfortunes commenced. As the YES
sell neared the straits of Magellen, her hus-
band was taken with disease in the head
which finally developed into brain fever.
He attended to his ship as long as he was
able, and when it was impossible to give
any personal orders, he found to his dis
may that his first mate was wholly ineom-
petent to take charge Of the ship, and that
there was no officer on board qualified to
take the vessel into port. He found that
the first mate was anxious to run the yes
sci into Valparaiso, but this he earnestly
forbade, as the crew might all leave and
the cargo be destroyed before the cousisn-
ses could send for the vessel In this
emergency Mrs. Patterns rare qualities de-
veloped themselves. She assumed CON.
mand of the vessel herself, and the nauti-
cal observations she once made in sport
for pastime she now undertook as duty.
Her time was spent between the bedside of
her delirious husband and the writing desk,
working up the intricate calculations incl
dent to nautical observations, making en-
tries in the log book IN her own delicate
penmauship,an tracing out with accuracy
the position of the ship from the charts in
the cabin. The rough sailors all obeyed
the "little woman," as they called her,
with will, and eyed her curiously and az
fectionately through the cabin windows
while deep in the calculations in which her
life and theirs depended. There was one
person on board, however, who viewed her
course with jealousy and mistrust. He
wrote her letter warning her of the re-
sponsibility che was assuming and proffer-
ing advice, but she spiritedly replied that
"her husband would not trust him while
he was we'll, and she could not do SO now
that he was sick" For fifty days Mrs
Patten did not uudress herself, 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 10 give
birth to her first child
The Neptune's Car arrived safely at San
Francisco on the 18th Of November last,
It having been for fifty six days under the
command Of delicate female not twenty
,ears of age. What splendid text for
he woman's rights people.
Mrs Patten is now at the Battery Hotel l
With her husband, who, it is Supposed is
q dying condition. The fever has never
eft him, and for some time past he has