The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1880-09-29
The Strange Story Of a Sea Captain.

Captain John Niven, of Thorntown,
Indiana. is a grandson of Sir Hugh
Hiven, of England, but his older brother
got the patrimony. and John defiantly
shipped before the mast. After many
years he rose to be master of his vessel,
the Ramsey, and the famous missionary
Adoniram Judson wont to India with
him. Under his ministrations Niven
was converted and baptized in Rangoon,
Hindoostan. Soon afterward the ship
was struck by lightning and destroyed.
Niven made his escape to England,
where in lS46 he was intrusted with the
ship Earl of Eglanton, built on the earl's
estate, and sent by him on her first voy-
age to the United States. He was beset
by terrific storm of Nantucket island,
and after beating ABOUT all day and
night in r. dense fog, went ashore at
Tom Never's Head. Two boats con-
tanning four persons each were lowered.
The captain ordered that they be
not launched until they saw how
had the breakers were, but they
disobeyed him, and six of the
eight men were lost, The island
ers had now arrived. The breakers
drowned their voices, but they chalked
on the tail board of cart, " Stay
aboard" and then, Fling off an oar"
The captain followed directions the oar,
with line tied to it, was cast off and
caught with fish drail; and, by that
means, a cable was rugged from the
masthead to the rocks, with a horses
names an it, in which the men slid
safely ashore. Captain Niven was the
last man to leave the wreck, when the
names broke and he was flung into the
sea. The islanders at once formed a
line by holding hands and sprang into
the breakers after him, thus bringing
him to land. When he heard that his
six men were lost, he was temporarily
deranged and jumped again into the
boiling waters. Again they rescued
him, and put him into custody. He
was badly bruised, and was long time
recovering. The ship was a total loss.
He returned to Great Britain, where his
friends again fitted him out, and he
started on a whaling voyage in the
Pacific. There again his vessel went TO
pieces in a simoom and he returned, dis
consulate, to Nantucket. His seafaring
reputation was badly damaged. Indeed,
it is probable that the red letter of "bad
luck " was set opposite his name in the
records of the commercial marine of
England, and that he could not have OBJ
tanned another ship. At any rate he re-
solved to face the sea no more, but to
get as far from it as possible in some
quiet town in the middle of the con-
tinent. So he started West on foot, with
two dollars in his pocket. Walking the
tow path of the Erie canal, "a boatman
hailed him pleasantly with Hello! you
are too good-looking a man to be walk
ing the tow path. Jump aboard" The
captain jumped aboard, and made him.
self so useful in splicing ropes and put
ting things in shape that he was gladly
carried TO Buffalo. There he got ajob to
rig a sloop for the lake, and received
for it enough to take him to Cleveland.
There he shoveled sand on the new
railroad at one dollar day, was pro-
NOTED to tue charge of a gang at SI.25
day, was advanced in the winter to be
schoolmaster, became farmer by slow
degrees, and is now president of the
First National bank in Thornton, Ind.
He has handsome hoLe, known as
Chrome Hill" but he occasionally
visits Nantucket, and lives over again
his perils and his escapes.