News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-04-06
AN AMERICAN SHIPMASTER.
One of the Old Style and His Pecu-
liar Ways.

r. B. Forbes writes TO the Bostor
Journal as follows In one of your re-
cent marine yarns, 1 observed that the
writer says that he never knew Of 6
colored mate on board OF a respectable
ship. When in China, many years ago,
met Capt. Salisbury, of Providence.
think his ship was called the Wash.
ington. His chief mate was a full.
blooded African. It seems that his late
mate had been caught asleep in his
watch, and had otherwise given offense
to Salisbury, who told him that if he
was ever again found asleep in his watch
he should be put into the galley and
that the cook sho,ld be promoted to
his place. It wsss-SlsIs that there hap.
pened to be blasI man as mate on
board the Washington. On his way
home on that or some other voyage, he
encountered cyclone near Madagas-
car, and lost pretty much all bis spars
that is to say, he was dismasted fore and
aft, leaving only ten or twenty feet of
his lower masts standing but Sauls-
bury was not given to panic, and he
carefully saved most of his sails, blocks,
rigging and portions of her spars.
The gale soon moderated, and the
ship did not leak. Before anything
could be done to make sail fine French
ship came along and sent boat to the
Washington offering to take off the
crew, but Salisbury laughed at the
idea, and said, "give ME u few bolts of
canvas, spar or two, and l shall be all
right" The Frenchman complied, and
inquired where he intended to put in to
reit. The emphatic answer was, Gam.
sterdam, for which port I have signed
bills of lading.' The Frenchman left
him, and in very few days the Wash
ington was so rugged as to be able to
carry sail about equal to double reefed
topsails and courses, iib and spanker.
When approaching the coast of England
one morning the same French ship was
seen close by all taunt-ho, excepting
the loss of his nizzen topgallant mast.
He had as usual with French ships of
that day visited the Cape of Good Hope,
st. Helena, and perhaps Ascencion.
Salisbury hailed, saying, ''I see you
are in distress where do you mean to
put in for repairs?"
In those days ships were not abandon
ed when they met with grave accidents
Another anecdote of Salisbury 1 can
vouch for. He was driven on shore in
a "Tay-foong" in the vicinity of Cum
not very far west of Lintin,
China. The tide was very high, and
when the gale subsided the Washington
was found high and dry en- hundred
feet or more from salt watee. Sauls-
bury removed all his ballast, the ship
having no cargo on board, stripped the
hip of everything saw. I>,---e-- =, aats and
ground tackle, hired an army of LABOR
srs, male and female, and began to dig
\ dock, leaving an embankment on the
outer side. About this time Mr.. The.
Dent, the chief of one of the prominent
English houses at Canton and the agent
If local insurance company, anchored
lis little boat near by and came to pay
salisbury visit. He expressed the
opinion that all this was labor lost, and |
hat the ship could never be foated.
salisbury replied:
"She must come off; she is not in
Iured !"
Suffice it to say, the big mud hole was
made, anchors were got out and planted,
veil backed, and when high tide came |
he embankTent was removed, and the |
hip was foated. A similar case oc-
'urred later near the same locality when
Japt. VIM. Cole saved the bark Kent,
II Boston. The record of such cases
hould be kept before our young sea
men as examples worthy of following.