The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-09-14
A MODERN DANISH M HIGATOR.
Remarkable Voyage Of the Dory Centennia
AcrOSS the atlantic.
(From the London Daily News.)

NrrOm lhe LONDON DAILY NeWs)
The boat Centennial arrived at Liver
pool, August 2lst, after a voyage across
the Atlantic. She was sailed by a man
named Alfred johnson, Dane, and left
Gloucester, Mass, on June 18th. John
sen is in good health, but suffers from
want of sleep, and his legs are stiff and
weak, owing to the confinement of the
voyage. He is a smart intelligent man
of about thirty-fve, On arriving at New
Brighton he was cheered by the passen-
gers on ferry boat. He did not land at
the landing stage, where a number of
people had assembled to meet him, but
sailed up the river and was ultimately
met by the proprietor Of the Rock Ferry
Hotel, with whom he arranged to ex-
hibit his boat in the grounds The Cen
tennial was accordingly taken up, and
will be shown to the public to-day. The
Centennial is boat of the kind known
i'll America as dory. She is twenty
feet long partially flat. bottomed, and has
a center board, She is decked over, is
built in three water tight compartments,
and was supplied with provisions for
ninety days. She was built expressly for
the trip, and is of pie, extra timbered
with oak. She carried one mast, and can
set mainsail, two iibs and square sail.
johnson left Gloucester on the 18th of
June, the people cheering him heartily
as he sailed away. The weather was fine
fine at first but it afterward changed to
togs and head winds, which lasted until
the 22d, when he put into Shake Har-
Dor, his compass being affected by his
iron ballast. He started again on the
25th, and had fine passage and fair
winds until the 9th of July, when in lat
itude ALSO north, longitude 81 west,
heavy gale from the southwest sprang
up, during which the boat shipped
heavy sea, which started the combng or
hatchway, and the water got in and
spoiled some of the provisions. At this
time he spoke bark bound from Mex
leo to Liverpool, and the captain invited
johnson to get on board, saying he would
drop him off Cape Clear and not men
tion anything about it; but johnson de-
Cined.
The gale passed away, and he had fine
weather until 10Th of July, when astrong
breeze came from the southwest, and he
made good run until the I'd of August,
on which day, being then about three
hundred miles from Cape Clear, he spoke
the brig Maggie Gander, from New York
to Swansea. After running for couple
of hours with the brig, which shortened
sail to keep company, johnson hove his
boat to in order to ride out the gale.
which had greatly increased. He un-
shipped the mast for this lrpose. About
half an hour after being hove to the boat
got broadside on to heavy sea and cap
sized, but johnson got on the bottom
and remained there about twenty min
utes, when another sea struck her and |
he succeeded in righting her. This was
about three o'clock in the afternoon.
Just after getting into the boat again he
saw a shark alongside. and its fins struck
against the bottom of the boat. He fas-
tened knife to an oar and cut at the
shark, which then went away. The boat
was half full Of water, but he pumped it
out and weathered the gale, which lasted
till next day. Everything was wetted,
and he lost his kerosene stove and his
square sale by the upset. The weather
continued rainy and foggy for four days.
during which time he could not dry
anything.
On Monday, August 7th, about 100
miles off Cape Clear, he spoke the brig
AIfredon from Liverpool to Baltimore,
and got some bread and water, his own
bread having been damaged by salt wa
ter. Next day he got soundings to the
south of Cape Clear, but it was f0ggy and
he could not see land. On the 9th he
spoke the ship Prince Lombardo which
gave him the bearings of Wexford Head
as titty-three miles east by north. On
the 10th he slighted Milford, but the
wind became contrary, and he put into
He sailed ag lin on the l2th,
and reached Holyhead last Friday, and
Liverpool yesterday morning. johnson
estimates that his average run during the
voyage was seventy miles day. He was
provided with medicines before starting.
When asked yesterday if he would care
to repeat the voyage, johnson replied
hat he thought he had about enough
If it,"