The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-01-28
Female Sailors.

~ 10 ~ 0oM sAAAAS !Ol WVAASA " W.
come sailors. We are informed in an
Gent history that Artemesia, Queen OF
Halicarnassus, commanded five ships at
and made brave resistance, distinguish
ability and perfect knowledge of STRAIT
egg. Toward the end of the battle, Sec
ing herself in great danger of being
taken she lowered her flag and attacked
a Persian war-vessel with terrible fury.
Her stratagem had the desired effect, for
the conuuerors, believing the vessel to
be one of their own, failed to pursue
her. There are several instances on rec
ord of American women, wives of de.
ceased Captains, navigating their vessels
into port after the death of their hus-
bands.
In the reign of George III. of Great
Britain an 1rishwoman named Hannah
Whitney served for five years in the
Royal British navy and kept her secret
so we'll that she was not known to be q
woman until she retired from the service.
A few years later young Yorkshire girl
walked from Hull to London in search
of her lover. She found him enlisted ON
His Majesty's man-of-war Oxford, and
thereupon she donned sailors suit, as
sumed the name of Charlie Waddell and
enlisted on the same ship. Her lover,
not being as faithful to her as she to
him, deserted the ship, and in attempting
to follow his example she was arrested
and her sex detected. The officers
raised q contribution for her and she
was dismissed from the service and sent
home.
In 1852 Mrs. Cola became somewhat
famous by serving ON board man-of-
war as q common sailor. She afterward
resumed her proper attire and opened q
coffee house for sailors. In 1900 q girl
of fifteen tried to ship at London on
board a South Sea whaler, and being re-
fused she put on boys clothes and hired
herself to q waterman and became very
skillful in rowing. She did not learn to
swim, however, and one day, the boat
capsizing, she was nearly drowned: In
the crisis her sex was discovered and
she ceased to be "a jolly young water
man" and became q domestic servant in
her own apparel.
Another girl, aged fourteen, named
Elizabeth Bowden, being left an orphan,
went up to London in 1907, from vii
lage in Cornwall, In search of employ
ment. She did not succeed in finding
such work as she desired an6, putting on
male attire, she walked to Falmouth and
there enlisted as "boy" ON board His
Majesty's ship-of-war Hazard, and did
good service aloft and below. Her sex
was finally discovered, however, and by
the kindness of the officers the poor girl
was placed in q proper position. Still
another, named Rebecca Ann johnson,
had cruel father, who dressed her as
boy wien she was thirteen years old and
her to . collier ship, on
which she served four years and then
left the service because brutal mate
gave her q severe beating for being slow
when called on watch.
In 1916. when the British war vessel
Queen Charlotte was paid off, a negro
woman was found among the crew, who
had served eleven years at sea under the
name of William Brown, and had BE-
come so expert sailor that she was
promoted to be captain of the foretop.
She had all the peculiarities of good
sailor and had kept her secret so we'll
that no one suspected her real sex. This
woman had been married and had
adopted sailors life to escape the
abuse Of q cruel husband.-Chicogo
Tribune.