Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-11-03
Boats on the Ocean,

Boats Oh the Ocean,
The BDStol J01r7sal of July 81, 1879, re-
corded what was considered the remarka-
blc case of a miniature vessel having
been navi gated across the Atlantic Ocean.
from east to west. being. it is believed, the
first case of the kind on record This
vessel was the Effort, Il watch of fifteen
tons burthen, belonging to Greenock i'll
Scotland. She sailed from Fleetwood in
Enc land on the 29th of May last, met with
westerly winds and tempc>tuOus weather.
but proved Il good sea boat, and arrived
ut st. John, y. r.. about the 18th of July.
making the passage in forty-nine days.
HE Effort was tifty-three feet in length.
and ten feet beam WAS rugged rs a schoon-
er and fitted with a steam engine and 4
screw. which, however were not used dur
M the passage, and commanded by Hugh
E~kcth. The ships company consisted
of captain, mate and two boys. twelve and
fourteen years of age. and Il cat.
1t i true that the experiment of bring
inr i very small vessel across the Atlantic
from Europe has seldom, if ever. been at
tempted; but this is undoubtedly owing
less to the difficulty Of the undertaking
than to an unwillinGneSs on the part of
adventures to embark in an expedition
which involves not only some risk but 4
-rc;tt deal of discomfort, without any com
pcn>at;ng benefit, excepting the honor OF
having accomplished Il feat requiring
courage, nautical skill, and, perhaps great
power of endurance, all of which are, or
nUgllt to be, characteristics of 4 sailor.
Ihc object of Captain E>keth in urdertak-
ing this voyage was probably to convey 4
very fine and costly steam yacht from
England to the British Provinces, and he
accomplished his object; but it is very
rarely that any sufficient object can be
gained by experiments of this kind, and
| especially since obstacles in the guiSe of
space and time seem to be annihilated by
steam and electricity.
| Crossing the ocean i'll 4 small dccked
/ vessel. or even in an open boat when not
overloaded and we'll supplied with provis-
ions and water, is a feat not SO hazardous
as is generally supposed. Indeed, several
cases have occurred within a few years IL
| lustrating the wonderful capacity of such
i fragile craft when skillfully managed.
10 sail OF drift safely on the ocean. even
1t iuclrmcnt seasons and in bOiStrouS
weather. Men who have passed portions
! of their lives on the ocean. exposed to Its
many pcril>, are more or less familiar
with cases where open boats. even ship
/ vIWl, of small size, crowded with human
! beings. have been exposed to the waves and
storms of the ocean, and by adroit manage
mcnt have iloatcd in safety for weeks OF
|rvrn months, and sometimes until all on
/ board have persisted from starvation.
\ few years ago the North Atlantic was
crossed in q raft Of peculiar construction
during the summer months, when the sea
/ is generally smooth and gales of wind un-
! known; sud,len squalls of short duration
/ being the worst dangers to be apprchcnd-
led. Such an attempt to gam no.orlety
/ docs not seem altogether pcrilouS and
! foolhlrdv by those who arc familiar with
/ the c;ltamarans often seen oft the coast oi
/ Brazil, being merely a few light logs firmly
/ rivrtcd together, narrower at the bow than
ut the stern. and covered with a platfrom
\ mast supports Il single triangular sail,
and they are often managed by one indi-
vfdual These singular craft are some
time, met with out of sight of land, breast
ing in gallant style the waves created by
parcntlv submerged, they are perfectly
~atc, and if Il place could be contrivcd as Il
depot for provisions and water. one man
might safely navigate one of these catam-
aran, across the Atlantic if he was of 4
daring temperament and unsoclally in
! cliMcd.
/ When alone on the ocean. with 40 COM
panion to look 1T, to speak to or advls.
with in IN emergency, solitude assumes 4
uo,t forbidding form. In such 4 time 4
man feels that he must rely on himself
Perhaps i; is better 50, for all his energies
i,
Irmerrcncv thrt strengthens the character
of 4 mln, and proves him endowed with
qualities OF Il higher order than he ever
-lsrcctcH Yet in maritime life many
ease, are met with where men of courage
and energy have voluntarily undertaken
! such solitary cruises, and have succeeded
i'll their objects when the chances seem I'd
terribly against them.
I About sixty wears ago Captain Shackford
of Portsmouth, y. H., bold, rcsolute but
eccentric individual, on finding himself de
serted by his mate and crew on the eve OF
leaving the harbor of CadiZ, sailed alone in
Il small sloop all the way from that port
/ 10 pclnrrar:t, a distance of three Thousand
miles, He reached his port in good healtl
ana spirits after II passage of seventy-nnt
,!.vs. On his arrival it was found that one
day was missing in his reckoning, whlcl
fconlI not be accounted for. He allowe,
hi, haIr and beard to grow during the
na>st~c-and Il beard was IN unIlSui
Thing in those days, when men were moi
Too law to shaYe and neither hair MOI
beard having been approached by comb
when he reached Demcrara he had say
agc, wan and unearthly aspect. The au
thoritics at first gave no credencc to III:
story, suspected him of being mutineel
OF murderer, and put him in prison. For
.tunatelv, some of his townsmen being il
port vouchcd for his responsibility, and h'
wa, liberated.
In 1913 Il long, perilous and lionel,
cruli- e was voluntarily undertaken by Viii
liam kim, an American sailor. lie es
capped from Il British ship of war in Ber
muda, on which he had been impressed
by taking without leave, in open daylight
a small sail boat belonging to the shil
with no provisions, excepting a couple Q
loves of bread, which he took from the gal
lev as he passed into the boat. He ::ha(
plenty of fresh water in kegs for ballast
lie started off with a swift breeze for tn
American coast, steering due west, alde(
bv Il pocket compass that a few days befor
ne lad bought of Il messmate. He hat
favorable winds nearly the whole way
and not very severe weather. Crossin!
ItlIe Gulf Stream, he succeeded in landin-
in .rood condition on the Virginia shore il
nine davs after he left the British man-of
war, having run II distance Of b-tweel
seven and EIGHT hundred miles.