Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-01-22
Paul BoJntOn's Swim, rs Related by
Col. FOrncJ.

Col. Foncy writes from London to the
Philadelphia Press: Capt. Paul 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 steamship Queen, on the
stormy night OF Oct. 81, seven miles off
Fastnet rock, on the Irish rock bound coast.
He began his experiment east of baltimore
where the cliff are $50 feet high and more,
and after being seven hours in the water.
swimming over forty miles, he guided him
self, in the midst of the tempest, into one of
the assures on that terrible shore. He was
clad in the life-saving apparatus recently
invented by another American, Mr.. Merri-
man, and aided by his great skill as a
swimmer and diver, his cool courage aud
strong constitution, performed feat which,
when the news reached London, was re-
garded as hoax, and generally comment
ed upon as another evidence OF American
exaggeration. You have heard the story
how he attempted to get passage on several
outgoing American steamers from New
York in vain, 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 500 miles from
New York, and how, Mt length, nt Q O'Clock
an Al
OF Ireland, he persuaded the captain 10 nut
him down the side, and all alone, in darA.
tempcsuous night, clothed in his India-rub
Der air-tight suit, with its inflated air cham
bers, with food for three days, a compass,
a bulls-eye lantern, some books, several
signal rockets, an American flag, with a
number Of letters belonging TO the passen-
gers, in his inside pockt, with his bowie
kdife and az at his side, hesgrasped his
paddle and amid the cheers of the crew ard
company entered upon his awful journey.
Every soul on board believed that was the
last OF the brave fellow. ] wish you coul 1
hear him tell the story Of Lis condition af-
ter being tossed on these mountainous seas
for seven long hours; how he was cast into
the rocky fissnre on the Irish coast how In
the dark night he scaled the almost perpen-
dIcular cliffs, and, mounting the top, fired
of his signal rockets for the relief that new
er came; how he descended the dangerous
declivity, stripped off his preserver, and
walked, bruised and battered, until he came
TO little Irish town, the barefooted inhab- |
itants OF which, regarding pretty much a.
the Indians beheld Columbus, or Robinson
CruSoe's man Friday" stared at the ship.
wrecked sailor; how, at last he got 10 |
where he posted the letters in |
trusted TO him by the passengers of the |
Queen, who had all given him up for lost,
. nd were astonished when the telegraphed
them TO Cork that he had arrived, and |
would soon he among them. His passage
through ireland was something more than a !
triumph the "man-iHh." as he is called. !
became an object of wild curiosity and ad- |
miration. Crowds followed 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 life !
saving suit and his own daring coursge.