Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-10-26
How a Woman Brought a Ship to
Port.

voyage of the ship Tcmplar which reached
San Francisco after voyage of 1875 days
from this port, during which the persons
on board had desperate contest with the
yellow fever. The following particulars
of the voyage are given by the San Fran
cisco CHRONICLE: "When the Templer
sailed Capatin Armstrong was aceompa-
MED by his wife and daug hter, the latter
beautiful and accomplished young lady,
we'll known in New York. Captain Arm
strong is known to ''dcep-sea'' sailors as
one OF the most skiltul masters that ever
skipped ship out of New York harbor.
The attachment between father and
daughter was, in this instance, all the
stronger because of the infreQuency of
the meeting between the bronzed sea-dog
and his beautiful child. Perhaps it was
the result Of the affection that Miss Arm
strong, who was admired in society for
her bearing and accomplishments, was
skilled mathematician. and theoretically
as good navigator as her father away on
the high seas. After the sailing Of the
already sorely sticken Templar from Rio
for San Francisco, the yellow fever at
tackled one-half the crew, together with
Captain Armstrong, his wife and daugh-
ter. Most of those of the crew attacked,
and the captains wife, died, and were
hastily slipped by the frightened remand
er OF the ships compliment into the sea.
Captain Armstrong, after the crisis Of the
fever had passed and he renamed alive,
lay during all the weary weeks of the
funeral cruise, between life and death,
and utterly unable TO grasp the terrible
situation or command what should be
done. The first mate had escaped the
terrible malady. He was an experienced
and brave officer, but his heat failed him
at last, as, with his captain helpless be-
low, seaman after seaman was loaded and
plunged forever into the dreary waste of
waters. At last he gave orders that tho
ship should be headed for the mouth of
the Rio de lie Plata.
miss Armstrong had been attacked
by the dread disease, hut she had lived
through it, and, though still as weak and
helpless in body as her father In the ad-
jacent berth, her heart was stout, and she
resolved that the ship commanded by
her father should sail its cruise into the
halbor of San Francisco. Convalescent
according to medical theory, but still in
fact helplessly weak in body, she gather
ed from the conversation of those who
attended upon her the design of the mate
to reach the nearest port. She obtained
her fathers consent to command the ship,
and by her orders the first mate was re-
lieved of his command and the second
mate put in his place. The second mate
was also an experienced seaman, with the
whole sum of education, that of being
TRUE in the time of danger, but slightly
at fault in this, that after the bearings
were taken he could not tell by the Sec
ondary and necessary calculation wheth-
er he was off the coast of Africa, South
America, Australia, or the Farrallones.
But Miss Armstrong could. She put the
second mate in command, and in pur-
suance of her orders he again headed the
Templar on her California course, and at
high noon he took the mechanical bear
ings of the vessel, and submitted them
to the girl for her calculation and com
mands. t5E.a =
ut would be an endless story how each
day she figured out where the hopeless
hulk lay on the merciless waste or was
driven into still more merciless Gains
Through the winter months, through the
spring months, through the fullness Of
summertime she stcered the ship Tenn.
plar into the waters of San Francisco
bay. Miss Armstrong is now aboard the
Templar, anchored in quarantine waters
off Point Fort, and will be kept there fol
some time, lest she should faint the air OF
San Francisco with the feared scourge."