The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-09-23
Selma, Alabama, August 80, 1876.
THE GREAT DORY VOYAGE.

| me OF the w no
over the Wide Ocean Alone.
The boat Centennial arrived at Liverpool
Aug. 81, after a voyage across the Atlantic.
She was sailed by n man named Alfred John.
son, Dane, and left Gloucester, Mass, on
June Is. johnson is in good health, but sui.
lers from want Of sleep, and his legs are stiff
and weak, owing to the confinement Of the
voyage. He is u smart intelligent man of
about 35 On arriving at New Briton he was
cheered by the passengers on ferry boat.
| He did not land at the landing stage, where
IA number of persons had assembled TO meet
him, but sailed up the river, and was ulti-
mately met by the proprietor OF the Rock
Ferry Hotel, with whom he arranged TO ex-
hibt his boat in the grounds. The Centen-
NAL was accordingly taken up and will be
shown to the public today. The Centennial
Is a boat of the kind known in America as a
dory. She Is twenty feet long, partially HAT
bottomed, and has Is centre board. She Is
decked over is built IN three water-tight COM
partments, and was supplied with provisions
for ninety days. She was built expressly for
the trip, and is OF pine, extra tlmbered with
oak. She carried one mast, and can set a
main sail, two jibs, and a sQuaresail
johnson left Gloucester on the 18th Of
June, the people cheering him heartily as he
sailed away. The weather was fine at hrsr,
but 1t afterwards changed 10 fogs and head
winds, which lasted until the cpd, when he
put into Snake Harbor, his compass being at
fected by his iron ballast He started again
on the 25th, and had fine passage and fair
winds until the 7th of July, when in latitude
Al 60 north, Longitude "a west, heavy gale
from the southwest sprang up, during which
the boat shipped heavy sea, which started
the combing Of the hatchway, and spoiled
some of the provisions. At this time he spoke
bark bound from Mexico to Liverpool, and
the captain invited johnson to go on DO I'D
saying he would drop HIM off Cape Clear,
and not mention anything about it; but j Ohm
sen decliHed.
The gale passed away, and he had fine
weather until the 10th Of July, when strong
breeze came from the southwest, and he made
good run, until the Sd OF August, on which
dav being about 300 miles from Cape Clear
he spoke the brig Maggie Gander, from New
York to Swansea. After running couple of
hours with the brig, which shortened sail to
keep company johnson hove the boat to in
order to ride out the gale, which had greatly
increased He unshlpped the mast for this
purpose. About half an hour after being
hove to, the boat got broadside on to heavy
sea and capslzed, but johnson got on the bot
tom and renamed there about twenty min
uttS, WHcu dUUluCl SEA uSh ICl, anu hC
succeeded in righting her This was about
o'clock In the afternoon. Just after getting
into the boat again he saw shark alongside,
and its fins struck against the bottom of the
boat He fastened knife to an oar and cut
at the shark which then went away. The
boat was half full of water, but he pumped 1t
out and weathered the gale, which lasted un-
ill next day. Everything was wetted, and he
lost mis- kerosene stove and square sail by the
upset, The weather continued rainy and fog.
gy for four days, during which time he could
not dry anything
On Monday, August !, about 1O0 miles of
Cape Clear, he spoke the brig AltredUl, from
Liverpool to Baltimore, and got some bread
and water, his own bread having been dam
aged by the salt water. Next day he got
s0undinys to the south Of Cape Clear, but it
was foggy and he could not see land. On
the 9th he spoke the ship Prince Lombardo,
which gave HIM the bearings of Wexford
Head as So miles east by north. On the 10Th
sighted Milford, but the wind became con.
trary, and lie pat into Abercastle. He sailed
again on the 18th, and reached liolyhead last
Friday, and Liverpool yesterday morning.
johnson estimates that his average run dur
ing the voyage was 60 miles 4 day. He was
provided with medicines before starting.
When asked yesterday ii he would care to re-
peat the voyage, johnson replied that he
thought he had about enough OF it."-L0n-
don Ddily Ners.