Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-04-10

HODOrs that have
been paid
hfnn.
Captain Paul Boyton, the famous life
saver and voYager, will arrive in Memphis
to- morrow afternoon about four clock An
excursion steamer will go up the river to
meet him, bearing the official colors and the
international ife-saviDg flag, which will be
presented to him in the water, according to Gus
tom, by some well-known lady representing
the society of Memphis. This Gag was pre-
sented by Modjeska, the countess of Bozenta,
at Cincinnati; Miss Ida Cragg, at Louisville;
Miss Minnie Fowler at Paducah, Kentucky,
and Miss Pitcher at Cairo. Ladies are anxious
to know the honored one in our city.
Those who have ever seen a portrait of
Captain Boyton, and noticed the forty-two
medals which adcrn the breast of this distin-
guished man, may wonder why these decora-
tons have been conferred upon single per-
son. A glance at his life may explain the
matter. Captain Paul Boyton was born IN
Pittsbure, Pennsylvania He is of French
and Irish descent, and was educated in the
| college of Loretto, Pennsylvania. When ten
years of age he rescued boy from drowning
at the st. Clair bridge, on the Allegheny
river. This affair seemed to give birth to a
passion for hfe-saviDg, as Immediately upon
| quitting college he went t. Atlantic City and
Cape May, and began a sort of GYPSY
| life, the object OF which was to roam
about the beach at all hours.
watching for chance to rescue
mperiled bathers Soon a railroad company
put him in charge of lifeguard station, and
before he had left the service the young man
had saved, personally, seventy-one lives.
By this time his reputation became national,
and BOyton saw chance for great future.
| He turned his mind to lnventing saving
cr1it ,a faS nj
world-renowned rubber dress being the re-
| suit. The captain tired to get a steamer to
| take him out to sea, and allow him to jump
overheard and swim back, but met with uni
| versal encouragement. Finally he grew
desperate and concealed himself on the
| steamer Queen, of the National line, going
from New York to Queenstown. When two
hundred and fifty miles from America the
captain donned his suit, and, paddle in hand
was ascending the hatch way, when the mate
| discovered him, raised the alarm, and the
captain found himself an unwilling passenger
to Europe, during the voyage Boyton
| convinced the commander of the Queen that
the dress was safe, and received his
promise that when the Fastened rock
| on the south of Ireland was sighted he would
| let the young man 90 overheard. This PROM
| Use was fulfilled and Boyton landed in Bal
| timore, the cliffs of which place form the
| breakwater of Europe, during the most ter
| During the hurricane hity-slx vessels were
| lost. His wonderful feat was telegraphed all
| over the world, and Queen Victoria hearing
of the matter invited the ,ung American to
give an exhibition before the English court
and royal family This was followed by his
trip across the English channel. H. padded
down the Rhine, Seine, Garrone, 20, Arno,
Tlber, Danube, Lore aud many others, be-
sides the Spanish river Lsgus, eight hundred
and City miles long, IN which he shot Que
hundred and two falls, the greatest one be-
ing seventy five feet high. Queen Mercedes
OF Spain then knighted him, the same honor
being conferred by Victor Emanuel
and Marshal MacMahon. The next
voyage was across the straits of Messina,
where he fought and killed shark
In the presence of the American consul and
number of journalists, who looked on, not
daring to FIRE shot at the monster, being
fearful of killing the captain, three OF whose
ribs were broken IN the contest. This ex-
perlence taught him a lesson, as wnen he
crossed he straits of Gibraltar from Europe
to Africa he armed each end of the paddle
with formidable sword blade. This time,
however, he was not attacked, and accom-
pllshed the journey after nineteen hours hard
work against head-winds and perverse cur
rents, landing at two o'clock in the morning
on the sandy beach IN front of Taugiers. By
the bright moonlight the torm-belated man
could discern the two guards of the city
gates, who, upon perceiving the extraordin-
airy apparitiou, prudently retreated, closing
the gates after them. The next minute the
alarm was sounded, the gongs were beaten
ran through the street crying cut
in the Moorish tongue, -+FAwake,
awake, 1t IS better to pray than sleep. for the
devil has just lande&I IN Tangiers." For
few moments the Eardy royageur was in
great peril and the|soldlers would certainly
nave brought bus Career to a close had it not
been fCS tie promptness of Colonel Mathews,
the American minister to Morocco, who,
hearing of the matter, and guessing at the
truth, hurried TO the spot and explained
matters to the atfrighted popdlace. Upon
Captain Boytons return to France the gov
ernment appointed him a captain in their
lIfe-savlng service, and gave him charge of
of all the drills in that department An eff
fort was made to charter into the regular
service the captain S vessel, paul Boyton,
but the captain refused to strike the Ameri-
can colors from has steamers stern, and by
special courtesy of the French government,
the stars and stripes were allowed
to remain in their position, and
to-day the paul Boyton'' is the
only vessel IN the world carrying the colors
of one nation in the service of another. Last
December Captain Boyton returned to
America on a vacation having just finished
drilling three hundred men for the coast
service. Alter few days IN New 1ork, he
received an invitation to give an exhibition
before President Hayes, cabinet, houses of
congress and foreign ministers, in the navy
yard Then he returned to Pittsburg, his
native place, after a lapse of twenty years.
While here it is said that several enterprising
journalists went to the site of the captains
old home and dug the ruins in hopes OF re-
covering the ancient ard original shingle
with which the gallant captain : trousers were
so often warmed IN sunny childhood While IN
Pittsburg, a desire seized the captain
to make a voyage ON the waters in
which he had frs learned to swim; for,
as the navigator himself said: at was
pity to see SO much good water running to
waste" Accordingly, early IN February, he
started from Oil City, Pennsylvania, and has
been on the voyage ever since, en- route for
the Gulf of Mexico. The captain has suffered
beyond the power of words to express, but
thinks the worst is past. He is hopeful Of
reaching New Orleans by the twenty fifth,
when the Crescent City will throw open her
doors and welcome to the south the man
who has conquered The terrors of the ocean
and won so many honOrs for our people 10
strange lands.