The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-11
A YOUNG TRAVELLER.
An Eleven Year-Old Boy Who Made Twelve
Ocean Trips as Potato -Peeler.'

An Eleven Year-Old Boy Who Made Twelve
Ocean Trips as a Potato -Peeler."
Louisville Commercial.
DO you call this a life-savin' station?'
asked a little eleven-yearod boy of Captain
/ Devan, yesterday, after sizing up the boat
house from one end to the other.
That's just exactly what it is, and there
amt better one in the SERVICE" replied the
Captain.
"Pshaw!' muttered the urchin, you don't
know what a life-savin' station is. You
ougnter see them on the ocean"
"On the ocean! What's little shaver like
! you know about the ocean?'
We'll Just made twelve trips over an
back, and you bet yer lie know all about
1t. I'd be on the ocean now if it wasn't fur
my mother; but you see after my father was
lost at sea she wouldn't let me ship any
more"
Where is your mother now?'
She's here in Louisville Been here over
year"
Where d you live before you came here?''
'In Germany"
You say you were a sailor and made
twelve trips on the ocean,
mo, didn't say was sailor, but I was
potater-peeler."
ION what ship?'
"On the steamship Sueva, running be-
tween New York and Hamburg"
You must have been pretty young when
you started out?''
About eight years old"
How'd you came to go on the ocean,
well, FL tell you. NY father was mate
on the steamship Cmbria His name was
Lewis Fuar. My name 5 Alex. Fuar. There
was three of us boys and we wanted 10 go to
| sea. My father took one of my brothers with
| him. and shipped us other ones on the Suevia
as pOtater- peelers After we had shipped and
made few trips he brought my mother to
this country. and brought her here to Louis
VILE. Then he went back to the Cimbria and
crossed the ocean in her. On her way back
to America she was run into by another ship,
| and my father and three or four hundred
passengers were lost There wouldn't have
| been any need of any of 'em being lost but
they got scared and jumped overheard My
| father and brother were both on one mast
| together, but my father got washed off, and
he was drowned l guess he was drowned
for we have never seen him since. / was on
| the Suevia then and we got to the Cimbria a
| few days after she had gone down. She hadn't
| gone all the way down, but was still floatin'
around with little of her hull out of the
/ water. We hel ped to raise her."
| Your brother wasn't lost then?'
No, he got out all right and he's here in
Louisville now. We made two or three more
trips, and then our mother made us quit the
ocean. She was afraid that we would get lost
like father did,
| Weren't you afraid yourself?''
| Afraid of what?'
Afraid that you'd be shipwrecked some
day."
Nav. After you get used to it you don't
mind it at all''
Were you ever mistIeated on board the
ship by the mate or captainT'
| They didn't have anything to do with me.
| was potato-peeler as l told you before,
and was kept in the cook-house most all
the time. The second cook was my boss"
| Are you ever going to sea agan?"
| IF my mother lets me will. I'd go right
now if sne'd say So"
Can you swim?'
| well, l should say so. learned to swim
| when l was six years old"
| Jump overheard here" said Captain De-
van, "and let's see if you can get out without
US helping you.'
mo. My mother might find it out She's
scared to let any of us boys go near the water
since father got drowned"
Where do you live2'
| up here on Jefferson street, near Han
cock" The youthful mariner espiej the
cook-house of a steamboat lying above the
station. I'm going up there on that steam
| boat" said he, as he started off, ito see what
kind of cook-houses they've got on these lit
| tie fresh-water crafts" In the course of a
| few minutes he could be seen aboard the boat
| in earnest conversation with the potato-peel-
er. No doubt he was relating to the latter
his experience on the ocean in the same ca
pacity.
Alex. is bright little German lad, with
large blue eyes and an honest expression OF
| countenance He will be eleven years old
on the Goth of next month. He loves to be
about the water, and can handle a pair oil
oars like an old tar He is very small for his
age, and nobody would ever suspect that he
| has had the experience on the Atlantic
which he says he has