Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-04-07
The Women who Followed the Sea.

LII 1S no LEV tuluS lOI WOluen " Do-
come sailors. We are informed in an
ancient history that Artemesio, Queen
of Halicarnassus, commanded five ships
at the defeat of the Persians at Salamis,
and made brave resistance, distin-
gushing herself by undaunted courage
and ability and a perfect knowledge of
strategy. Toward the end of the battle,
seeing herself in great danger of being
taken, she lowered her flag and attacked
Persian vessel with terrible fury
Her stratagem had the desired effect,
for the conquerors, believing the vessel
to be one of their own, failed to pursue
her. There are several instances on
record of American women, wives of
deceased captains, navigating their YES
sells into port after the death of their
husbands.
In the reign OF George III, of Great
Britain, an Irish woman named Hannah
Whitney served for five years in the
royal British navy, and kept her secret
SO well that she was not known to be a
woman till 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 en-
listed on his Majesty's man-ofw Ok
ford, and thereupon she donned sail
ora suit, assumed 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 a contribution for
her, and she was dismissed from
the service and sent home.
In 1882 Mrs. Cola became some
what famous by serving on board
afterward resumed her proper attire
In 1900 girl of fifteen tried to ship at
London, on board South Sea whaler,
and being refused, she put on boys
clothes and hired herself too waterman,
and became very skillful in rowing. She
did not learn to swim, however, and lone
day the boat capsizing, she was nearly
drowned. In this crisis her sex was dis
covered, and she ceased to be a ''jolly
young waterr: an" and became q domes-
tic servant III her own apparel.
Another girl, aged fourteen, named
Elizabeth Bowden, being left an or
phan, went up to London in 1907 from
village il Cornwell, in search Of en-
ployment. She did not succeed in find
ing such work as she desired, and, put
ting on male attire, walked to Falmouth,
and there enlisted as " boy on board
His Maiestys ship of-war Hazard, and
did good service aloft and below Her
sex was finally discovered, however, and,
-, lr;-, Of
poor girl was placed in a proper posi-
ton. Still another, Rebecca Ann John
son. had cruel father, who dressed her
as a boy when she was thirteen years
old, and apprenticed her to collier
ship, on which she served four years,
and then left the service because a
brutal mate gave her severe beating
for being slow when called on watch.
In 1915, when the British war vessel
Queen Charlotte was paid off, negro
woman was found among the crew who
had served ten years at sea under the
name of William Brown, and had be-
come so expert a sailor that she was
promoted to be captain of the fore
top. She had all the peculiarities of
good sailor, and had kept her secret so
well that no one suspected her real sex.
This woman had been married, and had
adopted sailors life to escape the
abuse of cruel husband.