Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-03-17
AFemale Sea Captain.

a LelH1Ac SEA OdptalHs
I THE CAPTAIN OF A SHIP TAKEN SICK
AND HIS VESSEL BROUGHT FROM
CALCUTTA TO THIS PORT BY HIS
WIFE.
That deeply thrilling narrative of
the sea, says the New York Herald,
/ that seemed, in the exciting interest.
of its details, more like wild legion
of fiction than plain recital of SIM
! pie faets-how Mrs. Patten, the wife
of sea captain, upon the death of her
I husband assumed command OF the
i ship, and how she safely took the yes-
I sci through q series of severe storms.
{ from San Francisco to Valparaso-is.
still, though it happened years ago,
fresh in the public recollection. A
case presenting some parallel features
to this, though happily devoid of that
painful link, the death of her hus-
hand, and that element of intensity
ing interest, a specially tempestuoas.
voyage, has Just occurred. The hero
inc in this latter case-for heroine she
( is, and thus richly deserves 10 be des-
ignated-is Mrs Mcguire, wife Of
Captain Mcguire, of the ship Chief
tain, which arrived at this port on
Tuesday evening from Calcutta. The
following are the facts regarding this
latter case as yesterday obtained on
board the Chieftain at Harbeck stores,
Brooklyn, where she is now lying:
The Chief is ship of about 1890
tons burden, full rugged and staunch-
She sailed from Philadelphia, where
she islowned, year ago last Septem-
Der to Liverpool and thence to Cal
cutta.- at Calcutta she loaded with
linseed, jute and gunny CLOTH She
left Calcutta on the 9th of last OctO-
Der, but did not get outside of Sand
Heads-the Sandy Hook of Calcutta
till November. The crew number
ed twenty-three, including a second
and thiId mate, the nrst being off
duty and Captain Mcguire in COM
mand. Everything went OH well
there were favoring bTeezes and the
ship made good headway at the COM
mencement of the voyage. At the
end of five weeks, however, Captain
Mcguire was Frustrated with
Calcutta fever. Both mates were
comparatively inexperienced and
neither had ever commanded vessel.
You have been with me twenty
years on my voyage :" he said to his
wife, calling her to his BERTH I want
you should take command of the ship.
Will you do il? ?'' ne
81 will, [" she answered.
II am commander of this ship by
my husbands orders,2 she said to the
crew; you will hey me as SUCH"
Promptly she took command, and
faithfully and wei the crew Obeyed
her. Allied to tn is promptness was
bravery, and underlying this bravery
was confidence in her own abilities to
discharge the duties she had assumed.
She knew every spar, rope and
sail, on the vessel. She knew every
word of command She made all of
the observatio ms herself. She kept
the log book. She was on deck at all
hours of the day and night. She
watched the barometer. She noted
the shifting clouds and varying
breezes. She was dc .fdcto the cap
tain. But in the midst of her mani
fold duties she never failed in atten-
tiOns to her 8 ick husband. Here the
womanly tenderness of q devoted
wife showed itself in sootlI ing words
of comfort, and in giving him his
under whose beneficent
working she was pleased 70 note a
gradual mastering of the disc use that
kept him through thirteen Ion g weeks
completely prOstrate and helpless.
On deck She was stearn, unyie'lding,
premptory. Happily the crew had
been we'll disciplined, and there was
very little trouble with them. Most
loved their captain as much as they
respected and obey'ed her. And i is
beautiful incident in connection with
this, the tribute of devotion tn ese
stearn servitors of Old Neptune, til ese
rude, course-mannered men of he
hands hard as iron, ut
hearts soft as children's-paid to the ir
sick and loved captain. 1.-THE Y
walked down on tip.toe,n said Mrs
Mcguire, and spoke in soft whispers
What better enconiums could be pro-
than this 2 On the 10th of
January the vessel stopped at st. He /
lena, and remained there five days.
Mrs. Mcguire speaks in the highest
praise of the kind attention shown
her and particularly her sick husband
by Messrs. Solomon, Moss, Gideon &
Co. They had her husband taken
from the ship, and with her self and
son, q bright eyed boy of eight years
them on the voyage, I
taken to private house and the best
of care given them and best medical
afforded her husband.
From st. Helena here there was moth
ing special to mark the voyage. The
weather, as from Calcutta TO st. He I
lena, was most of the time exceed +,
ingly favorable. At St. Helena how :
ever, the United States Consul--it be- I
ing the opinion of the physicians 1
there that Captain Mcguire world not (,
live-desired to put another captain I
on board, but she resolutely joined 1
her husband in opposition to any /
such disposal of the command of the !,
vessel. As has already been stated, I
she brought the vessel here safely, 1
and the New York consignees, MeSsrs. |
Charles i. Wright & Co., of No. SO i
South street, expressed themselves |
highly pleased at her having retained |
the command.
The above is not the first time Mrs. !
Mcguire has commanded a vessel
Several years ago her husband COM !
manded brig, and he and the crew (
were sick with yellow fever. She
took command of the vessel; in fact,
to indulge in Hibernicism, was the
only well man on board, and was
Captain, crew, cook, nurse and every
thing. In our conversation with her,
we asked if she knew Mrs. Patten, the
lady alluded to at the commencement.
of our present narrative. "I knew
her well, y sheAnsweTed; I; ''she was as
good seawOman as ever went to sea.
l knew her husband, too. Both are
dead now.n
Mrs. Mcguire is q thoroughly sensi.-
BILE woman, with undoubtedly goo q
deal of the masculine in her compos 81
tiOr, but yet entirely and pleasing ly
womanly. She is tall, almost An IA
zonian, in fact, but though strong nd
able bodied shows none of those ph, ISL
cal peculiarities and angular point ed
ness characteristic of our mod ern
school of strong minded women. Cap
tain Mcguire is convalescent and able
to be about, though still weak AM, 1 un-
able to attend to his duties as com
manding officer of the ship. His
health promises to be fully restored in
short time.