The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1875-01-29
Paul BOyntOn's Swim, as Related by
Col. FOrney.

Col. Forney writes from London to
the Philadelphia Press "Capt. Panl
Boynton. of the New Jersey Life Guard
at Atlantic City, is now here after his
extraordinary feat of throwing himself
into the ocean, from the National steam-
ship Queen, on the stormy night of Oct.
21. seven miles off Fastnet rock, on the
Irish rock-bound coast He began his
experiment east of Baltimore. where the
cliffs are $50 feet high and more, and after
being seven hours In the water, swim
ming over forty miles, he finally guided
himself, in the midst of the tempest.
into one of the fssures on that terrible
shore. He was clad IN the 1ife-saving
apparatus recently invented by another
American, Mr.. Norman, and aided by
his great skill as swimmer and a
diver, his cool courage and strong con-
the news reached London, was regarded
as q hoax, and generally commented
upon as another evidence of American
exaggeration. You have heard the
story kow he attempted to get
passageon several of the outgoing Amer
lean steamers from New York in VAN,
because the captains knew that he
would attempt to Leap from the ship to
prove the American apparatus of Mr..
Merriman, and how, finally, he obtained
a berth on the National steamer the
Queen, and was prevented only by main
force from jumping overheard when
800 miles from New York, and how at
length, at 9 o'clock on Tuesday even
ing, Oct. 21, off the Irish coast, he per-
suaded the captain to put him down
the side, and all alone, in dark. tenn
pestuous night, clothed in his India
- snv1% DO SroAo 4cl
air-chambers, with food for three days,
a compass, bull's-eye lantern, some
books, several signal rockets, an Ameri-
can flag, with number of letters be-
longing to the passengers, in his inside
pocket, with. his bowie-knife and ak at
his side, he grasped his paddle and
amid the cheers of the crew and COM
pany entered upon his awful journey.
Every soul on board believed that was
the last of the brave fellow. I wish
you could hear him tell the story
of his condition after being tossed
on these mountainous seas for
seven long hours how he was cast into
the rocky fissure on the Irish coast /;
how in the dark night he scaled the
almost perpendicular cliffs, and, mount
ing the top, fred off his signal-rockets
for the relief that never came how he
uOSC0Au00 tu0 O6uS01OuS OOSANAbJS
stripped off his preserver, and walked,
bruised and battered, until he came to
q little Irish town, the barefooted
inhabitants of which, regarding
him pretty much as the Indians
beheld Columbus, or Robinson
Crusoe's man &c Friday" stared at
the sight of the shipwrecked sailor /;
how, at last, he got to Skibbareen,
where he posted the letters intrusted
to him by the passengers of the Queen,
who had all given him up for lost, and
were astonished when he telegraphed
them to Cork that he had arrived, and
would soon be among them. His pas
sage through Ireland was something
more than triumph; the Sc man-6sh, !"
as he is called, became an object of wild
curiosity and admiration. Crowds fol-
lowed after him, and when he got to
Cork he was welcomed at the theater
by the company singing the Star
Spangled Banner" and on the 9th of
October exhibited himself in the harbor
near Queenstown for more than an
hour. He proved at once the efficiency
of his llfe-saving suit and his own dar-
ing courage.