Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-02-20
Naval Anecdotes.
Exo.s, thu Roakon Io,,rnal


There is q story told among sailors of
an old Nantucket skipper who said if he
could only taste tie soundings anywhere
on our coast he could tell where he was
the darkest night that ever was known. 4
The boys that sailed with him deter
mined to test this, and the next time thew
we're in port procured some earth from a
neighbours garden and secreted : it on
board the. vessel they sailed in and of
which the old skipper was master: One
night, when he was in his bunk the
young rascals woke him up and said that
they had got sounding and wanted him
to taste and tell them where they were.
Accordingly he deliberately, applied his
tongue to some Of the mud, and then
sprang from his berth, exclaiming, "Nan-
tucket's sunk and here we; are right over
Hackett's garden
! I knew firm once in Boston who were
fitting bark for the East Indies, and the
captain in looking over her effects found
the lead line broken and used. He tod
the owners that all there was left of it
was ten fathoms and he wanted a new
one. Keep her 0he boat) in ten faith
oms, said the owner. ''and she will go
ashore" ,.... ..-.."n., ~, ..,
/ once knew a German Captain who,
when he had brought the reflected sun,
down to- the waters edge, thought he
discovered dirt inthe; horizong glass;; He
rubbed it and looked again; yet there it
was, and the harder he rubbed the more
obstinate it became. There was an OBJ
ject there more. real than the image of
the sun. He jumped up on the: round
house, and looked; called for! his spy
glass, and looked again, and 10! a boat!
"Keepj her effp' he cried, land as they
drew nearer what a sight they saw! Four
CHASTITY beings in an open boat alive, and
one dead: They were the sole survivors
of ship that had foundered in the Gulf.
'of Martabau Ave days before; No COM
ments are necessary upon, this. 1t; is the
simple truth, for: ! saw. one Of the, men.
Our captain is very fond Of seeing the
sun rise and set, and on board the "Sand-
wich'' it is IF the rules OF the ship! that al
man shallybe sent: at those times TO- the
royal mast head tolook around, for there
the objects are. more clearly SEEM.
We. used to have. a story III the fore
castle about a fissy captain who. was
eternallF jawing the man lat the wheel
At last be got so far, as, to say. aHere, letI
me take that wheel and show you how
she had ought to be- steered.' = You take
this spYglass and be captain while I steer"
This sailor was CHEEKY fellow and SUBJ
mltted to- this with read AYE, aye, cir :" ,
Marching up and down the weather, side
Of the quarter with the spyglass, he, with
ridiculous gravity, looked at some distant
ship, and then with mock authority said,
stuff little, there,|no steady: 49,, you are
/ high enough---don't give her too much
wheel, mind" and continued his prom
| enade.i He knewo his lease OF authority
would be, short, and became to the point
at once, by calling IN a commanding
voice, 1'Steward r: That functionary came
running upht onces while our captain Of
period ordered him ''to fetch him glass
Of grog, ard," added he, ''another for 1.-The
man at the Wheel: ,o
gone move yaatn>and Il will have do&ne
with the steering. The old ship Diana
was running, down befo.e'the northeast
trades for New Orleans, and II one day, at
dinner the captain called,to q young fel-
low who was at the wheel, through the
open skylight; S Show doss she head9"
The youth replied: IrSouthwest by west
half west, little. westerly, sirWi The
I captain said to his passengers, "Thst,s
/ a precious youngster.c I wonder If can
get another .'west''' out of him. slack, =
said he, "put another west on that course
and 1 will give Vyou duck; enough
for hammock, = Southwest, by. west half
west 2 little, westerly, Captain West
came down through the sky-ight. and
the boy got;h1s duck, b for the captains
name was West lo- ..l1r 8 cagEt 49,,