The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-12-07
SPUN BY THE PACKETS BOY.
a CAPTAINS coon luck THAT CAME
WITH BEING ILOORED.
Several Noteworthy Incidents In the Race
Between the PncketsAiice aud Hue Coat
TIC Way DANDY DoNxned nnldy Jim.

:" l reckon my first voyage was n memoir
Nble one" said an old South stroot merchant
speaking OF his sailor days. Tho Blue Coat
was a neat Boston ship. She was loading for
1ernambuco when went on board. Her Cap
tains name was ohm Salisbury. and the mates
name was Bevins. Salisbury was q great big
Yankee and Downs was n Matte little fellow
from Baltimore. They were great chums. too.
and whom was at work polishing up the bright
work about the quarterback every morning
used to hear thcm talking about their
families and other private matters. just
across tho pier Was another Boston
ship called tho Alice. loading for Pernnmbuco.
and the consequence was that an intense RI
valry sprung up between the two Captains.
We we're getting our cargo slowed first but the
other Captain swore no would bent US sailing.
and SO catch the market first. Another reason
why Capt Salisbury was anxious to make
short Passage was that his wife and two
year-old baby wero in England visiting. and
we're going to sail in the old racke. ship Ranger
for New York in time to eat the Christmas
turkey at home. and rs we were to put to sea
before the end Of September We had a chance
OF getting back for the same OCCASION
The crew. and there were twenty OF them.
tumbled their chests over the rail before the
last barrel was slowed. / reckon I'll never for
get two OF them. Ono was n great broad
shouldered fellow. too big to be quick. His
name was Jim McAdam. and n better man on
n topsail ballard or weather earring never
smoked q pipe. However. he seldom got the
weather earring. because the other chap.
whose real name was Henry Pnrmly. but who
was known only as Dandy. seldom gave him
chance Dandy was as handsome Ii man as
ors' boarding houses. He had curly brown
hair. blue eyes With sort Of scared look n
upla nd ia hpnrtnU
gave him his, nickname. McAdam was
, knSwn w.rs as obran.' WHEN hi. hat %n
Of OF course these two men did not agree well.
and as Badly was aggressive. Dandy wa, i'm
starboard watch. When we got to sea l very
soon learned that a certain personal regard
w1a Cane a Fl aay b boay s ad
want and that was about the most unfortunate
position a boy could hold. The second day out.
watch. -Baidy ordered me to grease his boots.
which did after he. was snoring. was in
when DANDY came down tho ladder. looked at
me a minute. and then turned in, for we we're
three hours later was routed out by the watch
on deck: There was brisk wind blowing and
hs aa ana oshsd down around
him. thoroughly wetting one foot. because his
boot had hole in It. ! vas known as Useless.
why tho : didn. YOU grease the cracks ?,
was mad. and Was about to say something
full kick. l crawled to the edge of the fore
so much as what followed. The men of both
SsGRs d snshef bs q,
shS says PARDON lie did good JOB
on the boots, for saw him at IT.
mild hammered Dandy TO toll the boss OF the
foreeastIe TO ask . boys pardon !, was "a too
better hold on something, and then started for
Dandy. The result nearly turned tho forecastle
met him, and thor, something seemed 70 IL
him into the air His left shoulder struck the
s % sed ha hin as s e2 dsSn
0na %hs aud fsP saS n.y. T"
So am mi t. said Badly. as he roso and made
lore. His hoad struck the deck first again.
Ayas. or III PVT 20, in irons for m1nth
Badly crawled on to the hatch much as
had. and then. there being nothing small about
tha so mac2 in ore
tried afterward to chatr Badly about the licking
teeth rattle and badly said: Well. yeou can't
dew # , 81 DANDY ANDY kin ,.on o.,rv,,o Hand
the blue coat was lust humping herself. Capt;
Salisbury knew thing or two about ships. and
ahead 81 the sn rs
weeks he used to ask the lookout. about every
or ra Sas tho
the three little three-cornered skysails which
the Alice carried above her ROYALS o. He was
schooner topsail on the weather beam one day.
However the wind held us we'll and Just
Sandy Hook ri lot was coming on board off
pernamoucq and was telling the Captain that
anchor inside the bar before night and the old
man looked up the consisnees and the Custom
dnys and them the e ranses Showed in the the
o.ling. The Aiice should have loft four days
after We did and her Captain swore he didn't
You know how long it takes TO discharge a
cargo in a south American port even now and
L was worse in those days. It was the 81 of
December when we got away. remember that
Capt Salisbury was wa king UP and down the
quarterback as the land grew FAINT IN the dis.
'Bevins. she's three days out OF Liverpool
anser is w n lsH shp but WIFE e and so1 bevins
are seasck. Presently the Captain went be-
lew eayIs Mr. isy n t" carry Gn stitch
What made this passage more exciting to
US; and perhaps more depressing to the Cap;
hoped on the rail as we sailed ont by him. and
had said he would be right aftor US next day;
very soon follow Capt. Salisbury headed We'll
quite eastward hoping to catch the northeast
stitch set. ittakes man Of nerve to carry on
all sail at night, but that is the way the famous
passages were MADE with the Ou-tlme packets
and clippers. We had pretty good luck until
we, were somewhere in the latitude OF the
longitude $50. Then it fell a dead calm.
gale at sea is sometimes bad. fog is
worse. but the worst of all is n calm
under q burning sun. 1t makes me tired
oven to this day to think Of what We suffered
for five days. Tho sails hung limp and ratified
idly as the ship rolled in the gentle swclls or
rushed against the maSts with boom when it
caught us right. And the tar was melting of
was oozing up out OF the deck seams and run
ming across the deck and the men, withoutces-
sation sawed on tho braces day and night or
painted the huh on the sunny side. The Cap
tain got wild. and never seemed to leave the
deck. He would climb the rigging to look for n
cat's-paw Of wind. and then come down and
curse himself for getting OIL SO far to eastward
and northard.
TO add 10 his grief. as the light began to
show in the east on the morning Of the sixth
day. we discovered n sail Just appearing as a
speck above the horizon to the southland The
Captains glass was on it IN u minute. and the
next moment he was jumping up and down on
the quarterback livid with rage. but speech
less. The sail was triangle. Tho Alice was
overhauling us. Half an hour later our royals
began to lift with tn" breeze that had by that