The Portland daily press., 1881-02-17
"HoLY JOE"
Captain Dutton Of the Sandman as
an Evangelist.

Very many of our readers will remember
Capt. Dutton of the Sandman, now generally
known as Holy Joe. The Boston Globe tells
the following story:
During the past week the worshipers at the
Seamen's Baptist Bethel on Hanover street
have had an opportunity of hearing series of
lectures given by captain of steamship ply
ing between this port and Liverpool who
could point to the fact that twenty-five years
service in one of the lines of Atlantic ste amships
had shown him to be consistent adherent to
the truth which he felt called upon to preach.
The earnestness with which Captain j. E
Dutton of the Allan royal mail steamship Sar-
dinian has carried on the work of evangelical
IL IN has made his name a famous one. He
has crossed the Atlantic nearly 400 times, and
has never lost ship or stranded one. The
captain is a man of about fifty years of age,
tall, portly and well-proportioned, with rath.
er closely-cropped full gray-bearded face, keen
deep-set eyes. a voice full and sonorous, with
Just enough OF a Lancanshire accent to give it
quaint turn now and then. Captain Dutton
ls we'll known in Portland, Halifax, Montreal
and other ports where for the last twenty years
he has been sailing. In each port he has de-
voted his spare time to preaching, interspersed
with visiting the sick and helping the unfortu
nate seamen in more material ways. Says one
who has sailed with him for number of years.
HE never goes ashore without being fully
equipped for the service of pregching the gos-
pei, and, if opportunity does not offer for this,
is seen distributing tracts or lee turing on tenn
perance." But it is not only among sailors
that this shipmaster works. How he conducts
affairs on shlpboard with large number of
passengers can best be told by the expert
ence OF one who crossed with him, when Cap
tain Dutton commanded the Pruss ian, in 1873,
and who says: son the first Sunday out we
heard the ships bell calling to prayers, and
naturally supposed that as usual the Sunday
morning service would be of the stereotyped
character-the reading of the morning prayer
OF the Episcopal church. We found, however,
the saloon crowded with an eager congrega-
ton, and the captain officiating at the organ,
led the way in the singing, for he possesses a
fine voice and knows how to use it. This done
the usual prayers and passages of Scripture
OF an interesting nature. This was not the
only surprise, however. Captain Dutton an
nounced that in the afternoon Bible class
would be held in the steerage. and that in the
evening prayer meeting in the forecastle
would take place. Mindful of the fact, how
ever, that persons Of diverse faiths were on
board, the announcement was also made that
priest on board would conduct service for
those of the Catholic faith. In the afternoon
the organ found its way into the steerage,
where 500 people were crowded, and the deck
above was equally thronged by those who
could find neither sitting nor standing room.
On the second Sunday we were at anchor
near Quebec, and Captain Dutton preached a
sermon from the words: $50 He bringeth them
into the desired haven The voyage was
over, but there were many on board the Prus-
sian then who testify that it was too short, an
unusual experience, indeed, even in the best
of ships"
'"rhe sailors call him Holy Joe,' said Rev..
ID. A.. Cooke, the pastor of the Seamen's
Bethel, "and l think he rather likes the title.
In Montreal Captain Dutton baptized several
of the crews of ships lying there. 1 don't
know whether he has license as a preacher,
but suppose he feels he has commission
from his Master, more imperative, TO do this"
At the Bethel. his subject was 'The Ancient
Tabernacle" illustrated by model made by
himself OF the structure, the utensils, altar,
ark, etc. Minutely describing the building,
ETC., he enforced the lessons which were sug-
gested by the figures and types of the Taberna-
Gle, referring with astonishing readiness to
numberless passages of Scripture by chapter
and verse, and exhibiting really remarkable
knowledge OF the sacred volume. His teach
ings were of the richly orthodox type. The
captain is devout believer in the "W Word,"
OF which his interpretations of the prophecies
were a singular illustration. After the lecture
the audience was invited to ask any questions
which might occur to them, and several
avaled themselves of the opportunity. In gem
eral, the elucidation of knotty point was
made by instant reference to concurrent text
OF Scripture, sometimes accompanied with the
significant query, why don't you read the
Bible?" or "Read the book Perhaps the
most remarkable feature of the lecture, which
was an interesting one, was the almost total
absence of figures, metaphors or illustrations
drawn from his own experience as sailor.
This was the more remarkable, as in his aud
ence were many to whom such figures seemed
best adapted.
Captain Dutton sailed for England on
Thursday morning in command of the steamer
Sandman of 1900 tons He leaves behind him
at the North End, and among the marketmen
whom he addressed on Wednesday. large
number who will be only too glad to hear him
again when he returns in about five weeks
time.