The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-08-29
SEVEN WEEKS IN A SMALL BOAT.

The Voyage of Capt. Crnpo and His Wife
Across the Atlantic.
"A correspondent of the London Daily
Mews at (Penzance, speaking of the
arrival at that-place Of Capt. Grape and
his wife, who left New Bedford onsMay
% ina small boat, says: The voyage
was commenced on May 2S, when the
vessel left New Bedford, butsby stress
of weather she had to put up into. Chat
ham, Mass, where she stayed until the
second of June, when the sails were
again hoisted, and the little pigmy left
on her perilous voyage with a fair wind.
All went we'll for three days, the wind
being southwest and the sea calm. The
sea then changed to southeast, and it
came on foggy for four, days, and con-
tinued foggy up to the time when they
reached the Grand Banks, seventeen
days out. Here a most fortunate thing
happened for the .na1igator4 The
drogue which they had brought with
them was found to be of little use, be-
cause it was too light. While off the
banks they saw q key floating, which
luckily they were able to secure. Capt.
Grape knocked off the iron hoops, and
with the same canvas made a new drogue
which answered admirably. When it is
considered that at one part Ct the voyage
they were obliged to lie to for nearly
three days in a great gale Of wind, it will
need'no effort to imagine what a fortu-
nate acquisition the g drogue was.
After leaving the banks, where they lay
to in q gale for fifteen hours. the weather
improved, and they sailed on till the
twenty-frst Of June, when another gale
was encountered. While lying to, the
New Bedford spoke the steamer Batavia,
from which assistance was offered, and
the offer was made to take them on
board, which was pluckily declined.
After this incident they encountered a
succession Of gales, the only wonder be-
ing that they survived to tell the story.
During the voyage, which occupied
forty-nine days, the rudder broke, but
happily there was a spare oar on board,
which was used until the first could
be repaired. The seas were running
mountains high, and during all that
time, even when lyingdown to rest, they
had to lie on wet clothes. On n oc-
casion the captain was for seventy hours
steering without relief, the weather be-
ing so frightful, and on another he was
eighteen hours consecutively attending
to the drogue. Capt. Grape says he
could not have stood another fifteen
days indeed, he had not slept for
seventy hours when he landed. His
average sleep while coming across was
under four hours q day. Among the
many extraordinary things connected
with the voyage is that it had to be run
by dead reckoning, as the New Bedford
was not equal.to a chronometer. Only
on two occasions could they get their
longitude. When speaking the two YES
sells Capt. Grape had intended to make
for Falmouth, but the wind was against
it. Capt. and Mrs. Grape seemed Won
derfully well after the hardships they
had undergone, though the captain has
a bad hand, and when he came on shore
his other hand was firmly: clenched after
seventy hours steering. The house they
stopped at was invaded bypersons eager
to shake hands with so brave q couple.
The boat was also visited by numbers.
Capt. Grape thinks of going on to Fail
mouth, and afterward to London and the
Paris exhibition.