New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-26
CAPTAIN BOYTON.
HIS ATTEMPT TO CROSS THE ENGLISH
CHANNEL,

THE sTARr-BoYToN's APPEARANCE AFTER HE
WAS TAKEN ON THE TUG.
trRox THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRiBuNKJ
LONDON, April 1--we were all not little DIS
appointed when we woke up Sunday morning
70 hear that Capt. Boyton had failed IN ms
attempt TO cross the channel We had set our hearts
On his succeeding, and we are inclined now 10 DE-
Ieve that the failure Is not his fault' OaPe'
Boyton started on his trip the Channel at Is
pinftes past o'clock on the morning or April ~
make no doubt he would have started had the
weather been ever so bad. 1t happened TO be
very good There was little wind and next
70 no sea, Early as it was, considerable
numbers of people were on the pier 10 see
him Off some of whom were near having their
heads blown off by the gun fred from the
steamer as a parting salute, which, in the excite
ment was aimed point blank at the crowd. When
the smoke cleared away, it was found that one man
had been blown into the water-wlthOut any life
dress on. He was soon fshed ont again. The
Captain padded rapidly out of port feet foremost.
met him not far off in the Channel, for happened
u be crossing from the other side by the night
express. All we knew about il on board our steamer
was a rocket signal, responded to by flight and
burning of hlue-lghts. But as we supposed 1t was
near the hour of starting, We readily conJectured
who was saluting us. He carried nothing with
hun but his sail, and drew supplies as he wanted
them from the steamer. At first he went ahead
Of the steamer then it was thought safer he should
follow. Communications are kept up with the
speaking trumpet. At half-past BOyton set his
sail and was making good progress; the morning
lovely ships passing, the English coast seven miles
astern after two hours Journey. At no Capt.
Boyton telegraphed by carrier pigeon: " Going
along splendidly Fourteen miles out and nine dis
tant. In good spirits, and smoking Cape Grisnez in
sight"
The reporters who were on board his escOrting
steamer the Rambler, give Us very elaborate &C
counts of what happened after that. But they are,
perhaps more elaborate than clear The Captain
was padding two miles an hour and drifting four,
and his speed seems to have been about the same
after he had spread his sail That once up, he hence
forward used his paddle mainly TO steer by and TO
keep his sail full. He made, says writer aston
ishng progress. The French pilot was so much i'm
pressed by the speed attained that in too sangune
moment, he declared that Capt BOyton would COM
plete the whole Journey in twelve hours. Before
accompany him let what were the difficulties
which made the undertaking so uncertain.
If you look at the map journey from Dover to
Calais seems a simple thing enough. Between those
two ports the silver streak of is only 22lo miles
broad and there is not the sghtestd that Capt
BoytOn can get into his life dress and propel himself
with his paddle through 2212 miles of still water. 1t
is in that little word st that all the peril les The
Strait of Dover is the tube of huge double-mOuhsd
tunnel. The tides Of the Atlantic pour through it
into the North Sea and back again from the North
Sea into the Atlantic with extreme velocity. There
l. never a moment when there is not a current of
some kind running. The direction and force Of
them cannot be fOreOld with perfect accuracy any
gwen day. They are stronger during spring tides
than during neap tides of course, but they are af
fected by the winds and by the confgumation Of
H.. J. 49, 1,-+, IN
one part of the channel, the Ridge, both ways
at the same Gme-that is a current sets from
slope of the Ridge where the water is not more than
four fFhOms deep to the English shore. and from
the other 10 the French shore The speed Of the
rents much greater than the speed Capt BOytOn can
ger up He could not make Roadway for moment
against them. He could not pass through them
transversely at a rate which would enable him 10
take direct course from shore 70 the other-not
even a steamer going 16 knots an hour an do that
He could not make the transit in tide, in two.
II was necessary therefore enter into very nice
calculation of the day and hOur at which he should
start TO enable him 10 avail himself to the utmost Of
the favorable currents, and subject himself TO the
least influence Of those which were hostile to him
The crucial point was the Ridge. The Captain must
reach the Ridge at point and at state of the tide
which would insure his meeting the current 10 the
French shore. and not the current which would set
him back to the English shore.
The problem was one over which many cTizzled
heads were laid together. The weatherwise mari
neTs of Dover. the steamship captains, the pilots
and the harbor-master, were mostly agreed that
II o'clock on Friday night the best hour for
a start The French pilot who came over from Bou-
logue. NJ. Mequn. had made up his mind that three
o'clock on Saturday morning was the right time
He came with such profusiOn of charts, such fulness
Of knowledge such variety Of arguments and, above
all perhaps, with such perfect confidence IN his
own opiniOn-after the manner of his natOn-and
with such an inpetuOus demOnstrativeness-alsO
after the manner of his nation-that he OverbOre
the more sluggish Englishmen, and convinced Capt.
Bovton and his advisers. HIS theory was that the
food would carry the Captain easteTly well nigh
70 mid-channel, by SIX o'clock in the morning, TO a
point whence the ebb running south-westerlv. could
be depended on to bear him 10 the French slope of
the Ridge, where he would again catch the new
food. and by it be borne south-eastery, either 10
Cape Grisnez, or by possibility 10 Boulogne
itself, without touching land previously The very
statement of this theory viii be enough 10 show
how delicate a matter il must be to act on il. even
without accidents and with the most favorable con-
dition Of wind and water
The conditions, unhappily, not favorable
and there was an accident AT the very start. Not
minute later than B. said the Frenchman. to get
away from Dover Pier. But most prOsaic circum-
stance retarded the departure. The Captain had
been advised for greater warmth during such long
exposure to wear thicker stockings than usual and
he found difficulty in persuading Them 70 go inside
Of his Uniform. He so long IN dressing
that il was nigh twenty minutes past when he
entered the water l dare say we should have heard