The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-10-14
Strange Story Of a Sea Captain.

Capt. John Niven, Of Thorntown, In
diana, is grandson OF Sir Hugh Niven
of England, but lis elder brother got
the patrimony, and John defantly
shipped before the mast. After many
years he rose to be master of his vessel,
the Ramsay, and the famous mission
airy, Adoniram Judson, went to India
with him. Under his ministrations
Niven was converted and baptized in
Rangoon, Hiudostan. Soon afterwards
the ship was struck by lightning and
destroyed, Niven made his escape to
England, where, in 1916, he was in
trusted with the ship Earl of Eglanton,
built on the Earls estate and sent by
him on her first voyage to the United
States. He was beset by a terrible
storm off Nantucket Island, and after
beating about, all day and night, went
ashore at Tom Movers Head. Two
boats containing four men each were
lowered. The captain ordered that they
be not launched until they saw how bad
the breakers were, and six Of the eight
men were lost. The islanders 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 fol-
lowed direction; the oar, with line tied
to it, was cast of, and caught with
fish drail; and by that means a cable
was rugged from the mast head to the
rocks, with a horses names on it, in
which the men slid safely ashore.
Capt. Niven was the last man to leave
the wreck, when the names broke and
he was flung into the sea. The island
ers at once formed line for 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 GUS
tody. Helwas badly bruised, and was
long time in recovering. The ship was
a total loss. He returned to Great
Britain, where his friends fitted him out
and he started on q whaling voyage in
the Pacific. There again his vessel went
to pieces in simeon, and he returned
disconsolate to Nantucket His seafar.
ing reputation was badly damaged.
Indeed, it is probable that the red let
ter Of "bad luck" was set opposite his
name INF the records Of the marine
of England, and that be could not have
obtained another ship. At any rate, he
resolved to face the sea no more, but to
get as far from it as possible in some
town in the middle of the continent
So he started West on foot, with 50 in
his pocket. Walking along the tow
path OF the Erie Canal, boatman
hailed him pleasantly with, "Hello you
are TOO good look looking man to be
walking ia the towpath. Jump aboard"
The captain jumped aboard and made
himself SO useful in splicing ropes and
putting things in shape thai he was
gladly carried to Buffalo. There he got
a Job to rig sloop for the lake, and re-
ceived for it enough to take him to
Cleveland. There he shoveled sand on
the new railroad for 81 day, was pro-
noted to the charge OF a gang at 81 %
a day, was advanced In the Winter to
be schoolmaster, became farmer by
slow degrees, and is now President of
the First National Bank of Thorntown,
Ind. He has handsome home known
as "Chrome Hill" but he occasionally
visits Nantucket and lives over again
his periis and his escapes.