The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1877-06-30
ABoY WHO WENT TO SEA.
From the Baltimore American.

From the Baltimore Americana
Among the crew of the Nova Scotia schooner
Bertha Ellen, that recently arrived in this port,
was q boy named Richard Fielding, whose cxpe-
rience rs q runaway is worth recording as les
son to adventurous young fellows whose great
est ambition is to plough the raging main in a
.slow, rakish, swift-sailing clipper" Young
Fielding is about fifteen years Of age, with q
bright. handsome face, pleasing manners. and
OF evident intelligence. His father was wealthy
landowner in Hampshire, an English gentleman
of family and position. Richard had been sent
TO school In Dorset, where Bracebridge Hem.
yng's wonderful lies about the happy issues Of
all Jack Harkawsy's adventures fell into his
hands, and were eagerly perused. The natural
result followed. He longed to emulate the ro-
mantle story Of Jacks impossible actions, and
yearned for q field to display, as Jack had done,
the herosm and pluck which he supposed that
he possessed. Unfortunately, his father had no
influence with the board OF Admiralty, or the
boy might have gone into the navy and found q
legitimate channel in which to develop his ad-
As 1t was, Richard determined to run away
and go to sea. Tying up the customary bundle,
the little fellow slipped away from school and
went to Liverpool He found 1t impossible to
ship In any capacity, but, determined to go to
sea at sll hazards. he slowed away in the hold
Of Mediterranean fruit brig bound to Messina.
He was soon discovered, and after undergoing
no end of abuse from the Captain, was set to
the dirtiest kind of work, swabbing down the
decks. scraping the masts. and tarring down the
rigging, and on every calm was put over the
side to scrub copper. Before arriving at Mes
sina he was one day tarring down the jib stay.
swung In boatswain's chair, when the man
who was attending to the hosting rope care
lessly lost his hold. and Dick was precipitated
to the deck, falling on the anchor stock and on
the rail His arm and leg were broken, and he
bounded into the water. He was rescued, how.
ever, and. after being freely cursed by the Cap.
tain for the detention of the vessel which the
accident had caused, he was passed below,
where, without any medical treatment, he was
permitted to stay till the vessel arrived at port,
fortunately only twenty-four hours afterward.
He then went to the hospital. where incom-
petent physicians dressed his limbs, and after
three months he was discharged, penniless and
without friends, and cripple. All the British
Consul could do was to get him berth, which,
owing to the fact of the boys crippled limb,
was difficult thing to do, but which was final
ly accomplished and Richard sailed as cabin
boy in an American bark for Rio.
His situation in this vessel was more toler-
able, but on arriving at Rio the bark was con-
demned as noteworthy, and Richard was o
second time cast adrift in foreign land. he
finally shipped as cook in West India trading
schooner, where he got more kicks than ha'-
pence and in this vessel came to Halifax, where
he shipped in schooner that afterwards came
to Baltimore with potatoes. Previous to sailing
he wrote to his mother, telling her the name of
his vessel. His father came to Halifax and as
certained his destination, and then cabled to q
friend in Baltimore to look out for Richard on
his arrival. Dick came here in the schooner
Bertha Allen, after thirty days tempestuous
voyage. His fathers agent met him, tele.
graphed his father, provided him new outfit
of clothes and q passage to Liverpool by the
White Star Line teamer sailing to-day. And
last evening Richard sailed for New York to
take the steamer, wiser boy, cripple for life,
and one not likely to again be filled with glow
ing enthusiasm at the stories Of writer's of mel.
dramatic fiction. The gentleman who acted
for young Fielding here can be found daily not
q thousand miles from the Merchants EI.
change. and will vouch for the truth of this
story.