The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1888-11-15
A THRILLING VOYAGE.
ALL THE WAY YFROM SOUTH AME-
RIGA TO WILMINGTON, NC.

ALL THE WAY FROM SOUTH AME-
RIGA TO WILMINGTON, NC.
Capt. Joshua Slocum, his Wife and
Two Sons, Come in 35-Fout Craft,
of but Two Feet Draught.i
From the HTlminqtoi Messenger, Nou. 11th.l
The adventures Of Capt Kidd and
the fiction works of Captain Marryatt
are still fresh in the minds of all our
reading people. Robinson Crusoe is
also a char ming memory to US all,
though Crusoe was not specially noted
for his marine exploits. But that fact
is stranger than fiction, is exemplifed
| by the appended narrative of a voyage
made by Capt. Joshua Slocum and his
family from Rio de Janerio the Capt.
tai of the Argentine Republic, to this
port, in little 35-foot craft, drawing
but two feet of water. Capt. Slocum
| is a modest gentleman of about 40
years of age, with sandy beard and
piercing blqesah gray eye, and would
the daring, intrepid mariner that he
has proven himself to be. He is, how
ever, an cold salt" of the higher type,
and accompanied only by his devoted
wife and two sons (aged Is and s years
respectively, has accomplished one of
the most remarkable voyages on record
Having lost the vessel in which he sail
ed to South America, Capt. Slocum,
assisted only by his wife end two sons,
set about the construction of craft in
which to return home This craft is
of the cutter style Of marine architect
ure, is 35 feet in length, 7 feet broad
and but three feet deep. She is China
junk rugged and bears the suggestive
name of "Liberdade," (Liberty.) The
boat was built at Paranagua, S. A.,
and On the oath of last July Captain
Slocum and his little family set sail
in her for New York, arriving at
Southport several days ago. The New
York Herald at the time of the Cap
tain's departure gave a cablegrAm
outlining the daring attempt Of this
bold voyager, and from Capt. Slocum
himself the Messenger CLEANS the fol
lowing outline of his thrilling 7oyage:
Leaving Rio de Janerio on July
Oath last, sail of two days brought
us to Cape Frio, where in 1880 the
British ship, Thetis, was wrecked, hav-
ing on board several million dollars
worth of gold silver bars from the Chill
ian mines for England. We anchored
off the Cape in the lee ola large rock,
and while myself and family were at
dinner, we were startled by our little
craft being lifted clear out of the wa
tea. A huge whale had raised uEder
US. Oh, yes, 1 was bit frightened,
indeed l may as we'll admit we were
all scared. And then when the mon
ster began toying around US, | felt my
voyage was ended. The fate of the
staunch whale ship, Essex, came Wv
idly before ms, and we began looking
about for pieces of bamboo upon which
to scull ashore. The whale, however,
did no further damage, and, after cir
cling about our little boat three times,
took himself off and the hair on our
heads settled back to its normal level.
But we lost our anchor and keel in
this adventure, but after short sail
put into little fishing port near by,
where we secured another anchor and
keel, and also few coins from the
diving crew that were engaged in the
search tor the treasure of the lest
Theti-.
The head diver in this venture /
found a queer fish. He had been a
schoolmaster in Canada, then a cap
tain on lake schooner, and thence
drifted to South America twenty years
ago. He passed through the Para
quay war, and tried various thiags for
a living, and finally as he said, to keep
my head above water, | went under
the sea- And in going under the sea
, he had struck it rich His name is
, Newkirk.
From Frio we sailed to Bahia, and
were extended there the most liberia
, hospitality and every possible assist
ance. Here we added new keel ane
an iron shoe, for the benefit of whales
or other sea monsters that might fee
disposed to scratch their backs on th
bottom of our little boat. From Ba
hia to Pernambuco was a run of iv
5 days, thence direct for Barbados,
| distance of 2,150 miles, which wa
made in exactly nineteen days, thu
beating the best time of big ships b,
four days One day out of the nine
teen was calm, and another day, il
the latitude of the Avis Island, tn
wind blew terrific gale, and the "Lii
; erdade' had to lie to. Following th
: storm came fine weather and fres
!. gales of fair wind. The little crai
: had now to make good her time. Sh
!. : was turning the half way point, an
had come more than three thousan
. miles. The crew were anxious I
carry all sail. The mainmast on
2 day went by the board, and the for,
mast went over the bows. This a
! came of my wife wanting to carry mol
: sail, more sail! The broken mast ws
! ! soon fshed and the foremast replace,
: A sea dove lit on the boat and r,
: manned by her off and on two day
= while she was bowling along towal
!, ). Avis; was this Kingsley's last bucc,
. neer returning to Avis to look at
once again p
At Barbados the Liberdade was
Ig sensation. This and Mr.. Froude
r. book was ali the matter talked of
b, the time. The "niggers" will sea
st Froude if they ever catch him in &
ir West Indies. This much the Libe
is dade must say as warning to O
be whose books have been cherished.
ct The next port of call was May