Omaha daily bee., 1885-02-27
FIFTY YEARS A SEAMAN.
A Connecticut sea Captain Who Has
Sailed 100000 Miles, Visiting
All Quarters of the Globe,

In this nursery Of seamen extending
along the coast CT New England, writes a
New London, Conn, correspondent to
The Boston Globe, q sailor must Justly
any claims for distinction by a display of
exceptional qualities, or they will not be
allowed by the profession, which Is
notably Just as we'll as generous. Still
there arelndividual instances where life
time spent at sea Is 80 free from accident
that something more than luck must be
looked fer TO account for the exceptional
immunity from the oceans perils. This
applies in the case of Capr. j. Warren
Holmes, Of Mystic, who has summered
and winterod in every nAvlgable part Of
the world for half a century, barring two
or three years, and yet has so little to tell
In the way of accidents, hair-breadths'
escapes, or uncommon peril that his
life would seem to justify the sailors
solicitude for landsmen who are ex-
posed to death or iujury from flying signs
and ~tumbling chimney during the prevail
snce of high winds on shore. In 1887,
when 13 years OF age, Capt. Holmes ship
ped before the mast on the bark Leader
for a whaling voyage In the North Allan
tic, and aome years subsequently COM
msnded the same vessel after sailing two
voyages as mate In the ship Coriolanus,
Capt. John Mckinley, also IN the whaling
business. AS q whaler he was eminently
successful for himself aud owner, thelate
Charles Mallory, of Mystic, in whose
s~ervice he remained as captain of whaling
and merchant vessels for twenty. seven
years. Late In the sos Capt. Holmes
sailed between New York and southern
ports, subsequently transferring to the
clipper ships running between New
York, San Francisco and Liverpool, CON.
manoing in succession the bark Fanny,
ships Francis Z. f. Willis, Haze, Twi-
light, and hi, present ship, the Seminole.
Daring this period of forty. eight years he
has doubled Cspe Horn forty-nine times
and the Cape of Good Hops four
teen times, sailing in his whaling
and merchant voyages at a moderate
computation between 10000 and
/ Co., COO miles. The distance sailed
while engaged cruising for whales,
something over fourteen years, IL rather
underesttmated, taking 100 miles a dayss
the ships log. Ia all probability this
could be stretched ont very much longer
without encrosohing on the marvellous,
as many of the old whalers were very
fast sailors, and as they sailed contin-
uatly, with the exception of two or three
weeks between seasons, when they made
Sandwich islands, or New Zealand or
other convenient ports, to recruit their
ship. The distance sailed in the mer-
chant service is capable of more accurate
computation.
Ia all these forty-eight years Capt.
Holmes has met with but one serious
mishap, that being in the year 1868, In
southern %latitudes, when in command of
the Seminole. The day was clear, with
a steady breeze and the SEA scarcely
ruff1ed, when the captain saw a white
squall coming for him, and also saw that
he could not escape it nor shorten sail
sufficient to temper its fury. So nothing
remained but to let her come, which she
did like a flash of lightning, knocking the
snip on her beam ends and carry ing the
mainmast, foremost and browsprit clean
out of her. The foremost was broken In
three places between the deck and the
mainmast head. The wind was In the
nature of a whirlwlnd, so the same squat
that knocked her down considerably
righted her as it gave the parting kick
and went it's way careening over the
ocean. Strange to relate, Capt. Holmes,
standing on the poop.deck within forty
feet of the furious squall, scarcely felt
a puff of wind, nor was the mizzenmast
injured beyond having some Of the stays
loosened by the other masts going by The
board. Jurymasts were rugged and the
ship made port for repairs. The fastest
trip made between New York and San
Francisco by Capt. Holmes was ninety.
six days and between San Francisco and
New York ninety three days. This same
passage he has made to Liverpool, but it
does not speak so well for the ship, be-
cause after crossing the equator the pas
sage to Liverpool is made with the trade
winds abeam or on the quarter and every
sail drawn, while on the New York pas
ssge the wind Is free and only the sails on
one mast are doing duty.
Capt. Holmes exhibits with pardopable
pride a solid gold beaker with the follow.
ing inscription: Presented by the
British government to Capt. Holmes,
master of ship Seminole, of New York,
In acknowledgment of his humanity and
kindness to the master and crew of the
British chip Kurrachee. which was wreck
ed at sea Nov. %, 1879" The beaker
was forwarded through the state depart.
ment and presented to Capt. Holmes by
Collector Merritt, of New York. In
personal appearance Capt. Holmes is not
unlike the duke of Wellington, having
the same beak, which Ia the mark of a
man born to command. His head is
frosted with silver and his closely cut
whiskers are equally white, but his black
eyes are as bright and piercing as when a
young nan bound On a three years whal.
ing voyage. The captain still follows
the sea and bids fair to enjoy many years
to come of active business. His ship is
now loading In New York for San Frau
cisco. For many years his wife had made
voyages in company with him, and would
think nothing even now of packing her
trunk and starting for Liverpool or
Yokohama to join her husband.
Whaling was the school that made sail
ors, and one where any but a man of
dauntless courage would always remain at
the foot, for it takes more cool courage
and daring to fasten to a sperm whale
than is required to face the hot shower of
a battery. In referring to his whaling
experience, the captains eye brightens
and his teeth unconsclously close with a
snap as he says: ~ always loved to put a
lance into a whales life and churn up
blood" Sperm oil was 81 20 a gallon
forty years ago, and 81 extra bonus to the
lnoztar hanca tho anthuEioam Ctoan,