Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-08-17
Over Sea in Il Tub.

PENzANcE, July 22.-I was startled
this morning, just at the commence
ment of church, to hear that the boat
which had left America for England
with only a man and a woman on board,
had arrived at Pcnzance On glancing
along the promenade | saw right away
under Newlyn, a little boat with two
masts lying at anchor, while surround
ing her we're cluster of Newlyn boats,
filed with spectators who had come to
see the wonderful little craft 1t is call
ed the New Bedford, after the town of
New Bedford Mass, from which she
| halls. The New Bedford is boat about
ten feet long and Of the registered ton
mage of 1.62, little over ton and a
half. She carries two masts, one anchor
and drogue She is built of cedar, and
is rugged as what is known as ''a-leg-of
mutton rugged schooner The name of
the owner is Capt Thos. Grape, aged 30,
who, with his wife, has so bravely cross
ed the Atlantic in such tiny craft
The voyage was commenced on May %,
when the vessel left New Bedford, but
by stress of weather she had to put in
to Chatham, Mass, where she stayed
until the I'd of June, when the sails
were again hoisted, and the little pigmy
left on her perilous voyage with fair
wind All went well for three days, the
wind being southwest and the sea calm
The wind then changed to the southeast
and it came on foggy for four days, and
continued foggy up to the time when
they reached Grand Banks seventeen
days out. Here a most fortunate thing
happened to the navigators. The drogue
found to be of little use, because it was
too light. Whilst off the Banks they
saw keg floating, which luckily they
were able to secure. Capt. Grape took
off the iron hoops, and with some can
vas made new drogue, which answered
admirably When it is considered that
at one part of the voyage they were
obliged to lie to for nearly three days in
a great gale of wind it will need no ef
fort to imagine what a fortunate ac
QUESTION the new drogue was. After
leaving the Banks, where they lay to in
a gale for fifteen hours, the weather i'm
proved, and they sailed on till the 2lst
of June, when another gale was en-
countercd. Whilst 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 Il
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 spare oar on board
which was used until the first could be
repaired. The seas were running noun
tains high, and during all that time,
even when lying down to rest, they had
to lie on wet clothes everything being
wet on board. On one occasion the
captain was for seventy hours steering
without relief, the weather being so
frightful; and on another he was eigh-
teen hours consecutively attending to
the drogue. Capt. Grape says he could
not have stood another fifteen days; in
deed, he had not slept for seventy hours
when he landed His average of sleep
whilst coming across was under four
hours day. Among the many extra
ordinary things connected with the voy
age, is that it had to be run by dead
reckoning, as the New Bedford was not
equal to chronometer Only on two
occasions could they get their longitude.
When speaking the two vessels, Capt
Grape had intended to make for Fal-
mouth; but the wind was against it
Capt and Mrs. Grape seemed wonderful
ly well after the hardships they have
undergone, though the Captain has a
bad hand, and when he came on shore
his other hand was firmly clenched after
several hours steering The house they
stopped at was invaded by persons eager
to shake hands with so brave a couple
The boat was also visited by numbers
Capt Grape thinks of going on to Fal-
mouth, and afterward to London and
the Paris exhibition.