The Shasta courier., 1869-04-17
SHASTA COU Ri Err.
A Female Sea Captain.

That deeply thrilling narrative of the
sea that seemed in the exciting interest of
its details, more like wild legion of fiction
than the plain recital of simple facts-how
Mrs Patten, the wife of sea captain, up
on the death of her husband assumed COM
mand Of the ship, and how she safely took
the vessel through series of severe storms
from San Francisco to Valparaiso-is still,
though it happened years ago, fresh in the
public recollection. A case presenting
some parallel features to this, though hap
PLY devoid of that painful link, the death
of her husband, and that element of in
tensifying interest, specially tempestuous
voyage, has just occurred The heroine in
this latter case-for heroine she is, and
thus richly deserves to be designated-is
Mrs. Mcguire, wife of Captain Mcguire, of
the ship Chieftain, 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 Chieftain is ship Of about 1900
tons burden, full rugged and stanch She
sailed from Philadelphia, where she is
owned, year ago last September, to Liver
pool and thence to Calcutta At Calcutta
she loaded with linseed, jute and gunny
cloth. She left Calcutta on the 2Sth of
last October, but did not get outside of
Sand Heads-the Sandy Hook of Calcutta
till November 4th. The crew numbered
twenty-three, including second and third
mate, the first being off duty, and Captain
Mcguire in command Everything went
on well there were favorable breezes and
the ship made good headway at the COM
mencement of the return voyage. At she
end of five weeks, however, Captain Ma
guire was prostrated with Calcutta fever.
Both mates were comparatively inexpe-
rienced, and neither had ever commanded
Il vessel.
:" You have been with me twenty years
on my voyages" he said to his wifo, calling
to his berth, "I want you should take
command of the ship. viii you do it Z"
will, she answered.
" | am commander OF this ship by my
husbands ORDERS" she said to the crew !;
you will obey me as such"
Promptly she took command, and faith
fully and well the crew obeyed her Allied
to this promptness was bravery, and un-
derlying this bravcly was confidence in
her own abilities to discharge the duties
she had assumed She knew every spar
,,,,1 nd e,.t1 IL, tba 1
every word of command. She made all
the observations 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 de facto the
captain. But in the midst of her manifold
duties she never failed in attentions to her
sick husband. Here the womanlv tender
ness of devoted wife showed itself in soft
and soothing words of comfort and in g1v.
ing him his medicines, under whose bene-
fcient working she was pleased to note a
gradual mastering of the disease that kept
him through thirteen long weeks complete
ly PROSTATE and helpless. On deck she
was stern, unyielding, peremptory. Hap
PLY the crew had been we'll disciplined and
there was very little trouble with them
Most loved their captain as much as thew
respected and obeyed her. And it is a
beautiful incident in connection with this,
the tribute of devotion these stern servitors
of Old Neptune, these rude. coarse man.
nered men of the sea-with hands hard as
iron, but hearts as soft as children's-paid
to their sick and loved Captain. "They
walked down on tiptoe," said Mrs. Mcguire,
" and spoke only in soft whispers" What
better encomium could be pronounced than
this! On the 10th OF January the vessel
stopped at St. Helena and remained there
five days. Mrs. Mcguire speaks in the
highest praise of the kind attentions shown
her and particularly her sick husband, by
Messrs. Solomon, Moss, Gideon & Co
They had her husband taken from the shin.
and with herself and son, a bright-eyed
boy OF eight years, accompanying them on
the voyage, taken to private house. and
the best OF care given them and best of
medical attendance given her husband
From ST Helena here there was nothing
special to mark the voyage The weather,
as from Calcutta to ST. Helena. was most
of the time exceedingly favorable. At St
Helena, however, the United States Consul
1t being the opinion of the physicians
there that Captain Mcguire would not live
to put another captain on board
but she resolutely joined her husband in
opposition to any such disposal of the com.
mand of the vessel. As has already been
stated, she brought the vessel here safely.
and the New York consignees, Messrs.
Charles L. Wright & Co., of No. Sc South
Street, expressedthemselves highly pleased
at her having retained the command.
The above is not the first time Mrs.
Mcguire has commanded vessel. Several
years ago her husband commanded brig.
and he and the crew were sick with yellow
fever. She took command of the vessel
in fact, to indulge in a Hibernicism, was
the cnly man on board, and was Captain,