Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-11-19
Struggling with the Ocean.

'"S -'' AciatuJ
When it was announced in the city thi.
| morning that an American seaman had II
the gale OF Tuesday night jumped over
board from u transatlantic liner and, after
swimming for seven hours, had landed Oh
The SkiDbereen coast, people, while quite
prepared to give American credit for do
ihS oig things, were yet unprepared for
such demand on their credulity as this
lhe thing, however, was done, and the he
ro oi 1t was Captain Paul Boynton OF the
New Jersey Liieguards, Atlantic City.
ms gentleman professional diver of well
known daring, left New York about a fort
night ago in the National Company S
steamer Queen. taking with hun patent
swimming costume. 1t was Captain Boyn-
tons intention when from two to three
hundred miles distant from New York to
jump overheard and swim back, but the
Commander OF the steamer was man OF
little faith and vetoed the experiment.
Captain Boynton mad therefor to remain an
Involuntary passenger until the vessel ap-
preached the Irish coast on Tuesday even.
my, when the commander having been re-
peatedly importuned, gave his permission.
Captain Boynton drew on his India rubber
alr-tight suit and inflated the air chambers.
IN his air-tisht sack he placed food for three
days, u compass, bull 's-eye lantern. some
books Gust TO beguile the time on the wat
err, some signal rockets and United
States llaS. Ia his inside pocket he placed
mail which the passengers had given
HIN to post, he strapped his bowie knife
ana axe to his side and graspiug his pad
dle was lowered into the water, amid the
cheers OF the passengers, at half-past nine
O'Clock L. NJ
IL was wild, dark night, he was close to
Tie tastnet rocks, with Cape Clear three
miles from him, aud Baltimore. to,v,rd
"hIch he Intended to make was IN a direct
line seven miles away. He lay on his back
padding vigorously, aud now the lights of
the vessel were lost in the night. In
quarter OF an hour more his spirit almost
4uaiied, when tossed high Oh the crest OF a
wave he could no longer see the coast lin.
or any nights. The wind blew. tho rain
poured down and The tide set against him
lie wa- drifting out 20 sea, and TO ada To
the awful lOnllness of his situation and To
Increase The dreadful peril, a violent pale
commenced. That night tor many hours
no mail boat crossed the Irish Channel
ana destruction was done on the coast
Ana though these awful hours OF ,Iarku..s
TINS man was tossing about at the mercy of
thc waves some fifteen mile, frnm I,nI
ihc wind was so violent that he had to
give oyer padding, and with one hand 10
shade his face (the only part OF hIs bodv
exposed )irom the eating blast. onrr. .bis
paddle was wrenched away by h..avr
se"' out u fortunately came into his hand
aSaih' For several second, a wave wouli
completely sumbcrgc him. then he wonId
shoot on the crest aud take breath berore
ne was again hurled down a sloning moss
Vi wafer ."hich seemed 100 feet to the bot
tom. As result ofthe tossino he hacsm.
seaeicA, thing, he says, which never ian
pched 70 him before Iii, iudomital,Ie
9p'''' however conquered everything, .and
"oouI one clock the wind begun to blow
uiFect!y on shore. His paddle was plied
vigorously, aud at three O'Clock on We'd
hesday morning he perceived he WAS ncar
breakers ana the rock bound coast west of
SAlobereen loomed up before him His
uahger now was not less than it was dur-
ing the height of the gale, for as A wave
would raise him almost on a level with the
cilh tops he could discern nothing but a
threatening wall of rock. He made his
way along parallel to the coast. and for.
tunately lighted upon almost the only 81 f.
'"iu'h3 pIace Tor miles round. lie saw an
opening III the cliff and propelled himself
cautiously toward it. While hesitafinulv
examining the entrance a sea strucL him
carrying him on; another and another N.
io"eu Ia quick succession, and III an almost
senseIess state, he was hurled high and dry
upon the beach. 1t was then four O'Clock
III the morning, and he had been ne. r..
Il
lance OF thirty miles. The apparatu, had
oehaVed admirably, and having divested
himself OF 1t he stood quite dry in his navy
UNIFORM, which he wore beneath.
That having been done he let Oft one of
his signal rockets without effect. 1t show
ed him, however, narrow path in the
rocks. Up this he clambered and got on to
mountain road, which brought him to
the coast-guard station. He was hospita-
oiy received there and discovered that tho
place he had landed at was Trefaska Biobt
some miles east and south of Baltimore
during the morning he reached Skibbereen
ahu posted the letters intrusted to him.
ana arrived in Cork on Wednesday nipht
where he Is now the hero of the hour. ON
Monday he intends to swim out of Queens
town haroor some distance; tina; Will be
ioiio"eo the week after by little swim
across the Straits of Dover to Calais towed
by kite; and 10 cap all or his retnrn m
the States he intends to carry out his orig
inal idea ofjumping overheard at $50 miles
from land and swimming to New York or
Long lslanl. After his achievements in
the great gale on Tuesday night these
iast-named experiments. startling as they
seem at hrst, cannot be regarded as i'm
possible.
An OLD bachelor on seeing an engray-
ing representing man kneelinS at the feet
OF woman said: Before | would kneel
TO woman, | would encircle my nack