Litchfield enquirer., 1871-07-27
THE GOLDEN ARROW.

was fu1neQ Dy woman no better than
 himself. If it seems sensational as well as
 vulgar-for I understand that any story
 dealing with low people is necessarily vnl.
 gar.-I can only say that it is strictly true.
 To-day there are scores of seamen to be
 met on South street or in the neighbor.
 hood of Long Wharf who have seen ''Bloody
 Dick, '" and know the story of the mutiny
 on board the Golden Arrow. have exag
 gerated nothing, but, on the contrary, have
 avoided dwelling at greater length than
 was absolutely necessary upon the horrors
 which lead to the mutiny. Let the reader
 remember that the Sea and the land are
 two distinct worlds, and that tue landsman
 knows less of the daily life of him who
 tolls and suffers on the sea than the average
 American knows of the life that is lead by
 the Kalmuck Tartar or the wandering
 Arab.
 In the days when America possessed 6
 mercantile marine, the American clipper
 ships were among the just objects of na
 tional pride. No patriotic American would
 willingly admit that our English cousins
 could build ship capable of out sailing
 such splendid vessels as the Sovereign o1
 the Seas. the Contest, or the Comet. We
 agreed to ignore the existence of the Alb
 erdeen clippers and the Clyde-built ships,
 and firmly believed that, in comparison
 with our McKays and Webbs, the British shipbuilders were but little in advance oi
 the Dutchman who, until few years since, still clung fondly to the quaint model ot the old Dutch galliot. And indeed we had good reason to be proud of tho beauty and speed of our own clippers. It is true that occasionally, as in the race between the Rrif oh GholI Ioro l hn lenge. the British ship proved faster than her rival; still. we could point to the fa- nous log of the Sovereign of the seas and challenge the world to produce its parallel, Such magnificent fleet as our California and China trade could boast had never be- fore been seen, and has never yet been sur passed. Where is 1t now? What has be. come of the Typhoons, the Tomatoes, the Whirlwinds, and the White Sqmalls, the Wings of the Morning, the Winged Racer. and the Neptune's Car? Were they wreck ed on coral reefs, or-still sadder fate-do they float alien flags and coin freight for foreign cofers?
 The average public, proud as it was of the American clipper ships, little knew how cordially they were hated by the men who manned them-the Common sailors, D as respectable landsmen usually call them. On board these ships verythlng was sacri- feed to the one object of making a rapid passage. They were commanded by the boldest and most reckless men in the ser vice. Sail was carried until the latest pos. sible moment, and, as the safety of the ship often hung on the rapidity with which the captains orders were executed, instant and intelligent obedience from the men was necessity. In many, if not in all generated into reckless brutality. The slightest hesitancy on the part of sailor, tance. met by blow from the fist or the with the cruel brutality which was the or per. The splendid ship. whose graceful lines made her vision of poetic beauty, was often floating hell to the miserable men whose prison-ho she was. The orutalities which had given sombre repu- tation to certain lines of Liverpool packets were completely eclipsed by the ingenious ,ruelties common on board the clipper ships They were hated and shun by sea- men, and their crews were usually made 1p in great part by kidnapping drunken sailors and "shanghaing" unsuspecting andsmen.
 I had been for two years in the Liverpool ;rade when decided to ship for San Fran cisco on board the clipper-ship Golden Arrow, Captain James Smith. To my in- luiries as to the captain I received a varie- y of information. I was told by one that old Jimmy Smith had been for years one of the easiest and the best men in the East India trade; by another, that he was one of the hardest of the Black Ball captains; by third, that he had been master of a Nantucket whaler, and was a sort of father to his crew. The truth seemed to be that no one really knew anything about him, so 1 accepted the assurance of the shipping. master that he was precisely the man to make ship comfortable, and signed the articles without hesitation.
 The ship was lying in the East River waiting for crew when I joined her, and l was detained at the ladder by the delay incident to slinging and boisting on board 3 young sailor who was literally dead drunk. reached the deck while one of the officers was searching the mans bag for concealed liquor, and had time to notice how superb was the figure and handsome face of the young fellow who lay helpless and uncon- scious on the deck. The search ended, he was dragged forward by couple of rig gers who were employed on the vessel, and deliberately thrown down the forecas- tie hatch, his canvas bag being thrown af- ter him; when in few moments afterward I went below, found him still lying at the foot of the ladder, with his head se- verely cut against link of the chain cable.
 dragged him out of the way, and put ting his bag under his head looked around me. In the dark, unventilated den there were 8 dozen men in various stages of Some were sleeping sound ly; one was talking rapidly and unintelli- ply to himself, in the madness of delirium tremens: and two were clinched in Q futile effort to fight, although they were far too drunk to stand. The latter as they rolled about the deck finally fell over tho young sailor, and, after few aimless blows, went sound asleep upon their accidental pillow. Accustomed as was to sights hardly less brutal, this scene was intolerably repulsive to me.and hastily sought the fresh air and the open deck. Before sunset we dropped down to the Quarantine ground and an- anchored for the night. I lay in the lee of the caboose till morning, and slept fit fully, while yells, oaths, and songs resound- ed from the pandemonium below.
 Early the next morning. while was drawing bucket of water for the pur- pose of primitive morning tiolet, the young sailor made his appearance, and lounging near me said: ssAfter you, mate .'' He was quite sober, and but for the blood