Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1880-06-16
Garfield ms q Sailor.

I US = sSs~AAOA'
From the Cleveland Leader.
At this early period the books which
: the young General mostly read were
q tales Of the sea. These we're the only
\ lstories that could be easily obtained.
The General says that he most wildly
remembers the "Pirats's Own Book, "
e aud the impression which it made liv.
2 led WITH him for years, He dreamed of
az impossible career on the ocean. AT
the age Of sixteen he took the job OF
chopping twenty.fv cords Of wood for
, a man ia the township Of Newburg,
, within the present limits Of the city.
Here, facing the north, he could see
the slsty blue of the Erie, and he i'm.
agiped 1t was the ocean, and his craze
| for the sea increased. Finishing his
wood ohOppirg, he engaged to assist
Mr.. Treat through haying and harvest.
ing, and with his earnings in his pock-
ct announced to bis mother that he
could no longer restrain his desire for
the life on the wave, and that he had
decided to immediately depart. Amid
prayers and forebojings she babe him
goodbye, and he found his way on foot
to Cleveland.
Seeking the harbor. he boarded the
only ship that lay in port and nq uired |
for the captain. His ideas of a captain |
we're formed from the stories he had
read, and he imagined dashing, brave
and gallant gentlemar-cspable, when
the occasion required, Of performing
desperate deeds, but disposed to be, as
general thing, generous to failing.
To the youths question hand replied
that the captain would soon come up
from the hold. The prophecy proved
true. Then he was heard clearing
his way with volley after vo,ley oil
oGths. The bashful youth gently APP
preached and difidently asked if he
wanted q hand. An increased flood of
oaths, turned wholly in his direction,
was the only answer received. A sup
pressed litter cam" from the men, and
the coming General retired in con.
fusion.
Walking about the docks and locking .
at the scanty indications of commerce
at that early day, he began to collect
his thoughts and finally reasoned that
as the lake was to the ocean, 30 was \
the canal to the lake, and his failure
in securing a situation arose from the
fact that he was not sufficiently posted
in the ways Of sailors.
To the canal he would 20 and learn.
He went and obtained the position of
driver on the first canal boat to which
he applied.
His disposition and capacity to learn n
were such that at the end of the first u
round trip he was promoted from driver =
10 bowsman. n
The General says that, by actual
count, during his first trip as bowsman, p
he fell into the canal fourteen times, NJ
This was serious. The malaria OF the n
,aral region would in all probability II
nave taken hold of his system in due
line anyhow, but this helped it. He
ould not swim stroke, and came
cry near drowning several times. At II
ength he toundered in for the four
eenth time, and in his efforts to save tn
himself, luckily caught hold of the wi
rag rops of the boat. Hand over hand Y
gave ont, and his hope became suall. L
finally the rope held, and he pulled r!
himself on board. Ever philosophical, 70
Ie examined the rope and found that 1t th
sd curiously enough drawn itself in to at
crack and knotted. BE concluded he
hat there was not more than. one On
hance in thousand of a rope thus ns
noting itself, and he thought it was "
significant fact. v
AS he sat there wet in the cold OF the G
light, his mind wandered to his moth , tsT
r, and he remembered that he had 10
OF told her of his whereabouts, and wi
he imagined that he was upon the Its
IKE. He decided to return to her at Tor
le end of that tri, and rest and recruit =
" time. The resolution was kept.
irving in the vicinity of their hum =
10 home at night he quickly ap- A
the door and heard his moth
in prayer. She prayed for the safe
turn of the wandering son. At the Ex
ose he softly opened the door, and
~ prayer was answered. Then foi
10 first time did he fully comprehend
st his departure had crushed her. Dul
Following this he was for six months Pei
o'trsted with the agus cake in his Tx
de. The mother watched over him ''''
lth constant care during all the terri
Q days Of suffering, which only his
IN constitution permitted him to -
'sther. He was still determined to NJ,
turn to the canal, and thence to the ~
ke and ocean. His mother we'll knew For
at any opposition would he useless, 80 can
@ argued that he had halter at,and plyi
lool for a time. when he was able, Cha
d TINS fit himself to teach school dur troll
the Winter months when he could LIN
sail. He began the life OF a scholar
the old Geauga Seminary In Chester, -, -,
from there went 10 E.ram and Will VI
ms. Op