New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-09-14
CROSSING THE OCEAN IN A BOAT.
Interesting Incidents Of the Voyage.

AS 1e Is not often that men are SO loolsu
as to cross the Atlantic in a boat only
twenty feet long, the following details from
the Boston Herald will be read with pecu-
liar interest:
Ninety days ago tiny boat, less than
twenty feet in length, and carrying two
men and dog, left Liverpool, England,
with the avowed purpose of crossing the
Atlantic to New York The bold and haz-
ardous project was the subject Of much
amazement at the time, but since then the
startling events which have been transpiring
on the scene Of the eventful war in Europe
have absorbed the interest of the public to
such degree that the bold Adventures
have been to great extent forgotten.
Information has been received of their
whereabouts, however, at several points on
the voyage, from other crafts by which
they have been seen, and about five o'clock
yesterday afternoon the tiny craft WAS
signalled approaching our harbor. At six
o'clock the Collectors tug started down the
harbor and met the venturesome mariners
at about eight o'clock, opposite the lower
light, and towed them to this city. The
boat which has thus accomplished voyage
so hazardous and SO altogether novel, is
named the Getty of Ragusa," is twenty
feet in length over all, six feet beam, and
two feet eight inches in depth, drawing two
feet of water; she is yawl-rigged, and
spreads seventy yards OF canvas; is fitted
with a twO-bladed steam propeller, worked
by hand and her hull is of wood. the
boards being only onc-half inch in thick
ness.
In this miniature ship. are all the arrange
ments for cooking. etc. and the capacity for
carrying provisions and water sufficient for
the voyage which has just been SO success
fully terminated. The "crew" consists Of
two men, John Charles Berkeley, the com
mander, and Nicholas Primoraz. These are
the two men who, actuated, as the former
says. by a "mere whm," were induced to
make this attempt, which few could regard
as anything but foolhardiness after seeing
the craft in which they launched their des-
TIMES and hung their lives by mere thread.
The former has followed the sea from boy
hood. and has passed an eventtul life. He
saved two lives off the coast of Kent, on the
twenty y-eighth of September, 1858, for which
he was awarded a medal by the British
Humane Society. He is an Irishman. and
has home in Dublin. His companion is
an Austrian.
On Thursday. june 2. these daring spirits
launched their frail bark, and, accompanied
only by dog, left Liverpool In ten days
they pu' into Queenstown, where they were
obliged to remain four days in order to have
some caulking done to their boat, which was
leaking, and left there on the sixteenth,
having on board one ton of ballast and five
hundred weight of Goals They took the
northerly route, the same as taken by the
Cambria. the prevailing winds being west
erly, and for the first thirty-tive days they
suffered great deal, being kept wet
through continually. They were also I'M
able to cook on the first part of the voyage,
and were compelled to eat their meat raw.
xrI,; a1I IaHt 70 fIa;r II rt hal
to discourage them.
After being eighteen days out they be-
came short of trewood with no means of
getting supply. AT this time they
very luckily picked up barrel containing
about four gallons of tar, which was a per
feet godsend, they using the tar upon the
decks and the barrel for fuel. On the
fourth of July they celebrated 1.-The day OF
the Great Republic" drinking the health of
President Grant in some prime Irish whis
key, with which they We're supplied. On
the evening of that day there was heavy
gale, through which, however, they rode
safely. On the twenty-eighth of August
they lest one of their crew, the dog, who
died from scurvy They had great deal
of heavy weather but the little bark bore
herself nobly. and the men themselves eX-
pressed surprise that she rode the heavy
gales So staunchly. She was leaking all
IUc way anu tIc pumps. VI ud't
two, were kept at work constantly.
In the severe gale of last Saturday they
experienced the hardest time of the voyage,
but suffered no disaster save the carrying
away of the jigger boom. The largest
number of miles made in one day was l53
which was made in the first part of the
voyage, and the smallest eleven miles. The
average speed was four knots an hour. A
number of vessels were spoken on the yoy
age, among which were the barque Rad
clitfe.'' on the twenty-eighth Of June, bound
to Quebec the ship Maxwell, August 9, and
the homeward- d-bound steamer Russia. Au-
gust "A. From the first two of these they
took in supplies of provisions and water.
Two whales were very neighborly off Cape
Clear. coming near enough to be touched
with the hand and giving the voyagers some
alarm lest they should upset their frall ship.
One of Mother Carey's Chickens" at
tended them from the time they left Queen
stown till they passed Georges Bank.
The men say that they had the most per-
feet confidence in the success Of their en-
terprise. and in the roughest gale could 90
TO sleep with the greatest coInposllre. Only
the lateness OF the season prevents them
from returning home as they came. Their
original intention was to 20 direct to New
York. but they concluded to put into this
port. and will 90 from here to the former
place, and viii remain this side of the At
lantic till another summer.
They We're tcwed to Long Wharf by the
tug and there can be seen this smallest OF
all crafts tlat ever travcrsed the broad
Atlantic.