The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-14
PICKED UP IN MID-oCEAN.
The Dark Secret and Her Captain
Home Again.
From the Near York Times.

From the Near York Times.
Early Tuesday morning the Norwegian
bark Nor dropped anchor off Stapleton,
Staten Island, after two months voyage
from Aarhus, Denmark, and Capt. William
A. Andrews, the foolhardy skipper who set
out to cross the Atlantic on June
Is last in a little dory called the
Dark Secret, came ashore and up TO the city
He was picked up in about mid-ocean on
Sunday, Aug. 49, by Capt. Blonness in
latitude 46' and west longitude 49, so In
rather an exhausted condition; but the last
months good living On board the bark had
recuperated him, and he looked as healthy
as could be yesterday. His boat he left on
board the bark until he returns TO claim it.
He started for Boston last night, en- route
to Cambridgeport, TO see his people, and ex-
poets after a time to have his dory one Of
the leading features in the play Of that
name.
He met with very little really bad weather
on his two months trip, but was delayed
greatly by contrary winds, and hampered
by any number of minor accidents His al
cohol stove was fled with water and ruined
when he was but a short way out, and he
was unable to heat anything the remainder
of the voyage The drag that he threw
overheard while be slept, to keep his boat
head on to the seas, broke loose IN a gale,
and small anchor that he used for a sub
stitute followed its example, so that for
over a month he got little or no rest, being
afraid TO go to sleep with nothing TO
steady his craft. A little machine
that he took along to throw oil over
the bow and take the edge off the oncoming
waves broke on its first trial, and it was
only the greatest of good fortune that pre-
vented his boat being swamped by the
massive rollers that broke over him on
several occasions. Capt. Bjonness said that
when he first sighted the dingy little sail of
the dory he thought it boat from some
wreck, and hove to to wait for il to come
up When he found out who its navigator
was he invited him to dinner, which was
Just ready. Andrews went on board with,
as Capt. Bjonnesss graphically expressed
it, the waistband of his trousers seven
inches too wide for him, and would have
fallen TO the SEX had not one of the sailors
supported him.
His cheeks were sunken, his hair and
beard long and matted, his hands roughened
like graterS with the salt water, his oilskns
ragged and torn, and two big holes in the
sides of his sea boots, made by continually
rubbing against the thwarts. He first spoke
as if he intended to go on with his trip, but
the bounteous warm dinner changed his
mind and so nicely filed up the finch hia-
without much ado. The Dark Secret was
hoisted on board, and its bottom was found
to be completely covered with barnacles
and sea grass. 1t lay yesterday athwart-
ships on the poop deck, with its
spars in the long boat. 1t is
more of a whaleboat than a dory, with
six-inch keel projecting from the cardboard
strske and an iron shoe attached to that. Ii
is about Is feet long, feet wide and az
20 Aoay, ord almost a1at Sv-alxy IarbaA
1t seemed little damaged by the knocking
about 1t had received. Capt. Andrews
gave as his reasons for stopping when but
half way through his voyage that he was
short Of water and pork and worn out from
want of sleep, but one of the crew of the
Nor, stalwart blonde-bearded, blue-eyed
Norwegian, named JAMS Carlson, told
rather different story.
Chaplain Andrews" said he, "cjame
willingly onj BOARD, because hej wasj
frightened byj the seal serpjent" The rest
of his tale, with the redundancy Of Norwe-
gian photography eliminated. is to this
effect: Capt. Andrews told me that at 10
o'clock in the morning of Wednesday, Aug
Is, four days before we sighted him, as he
was in latitude as TO-, and west longitude
Al 90, merely drifting along he saw less
than hundred yards TO leeward the head
and neck of an enormous brown sea SER
pent, projected at an anglo Of 10 above the
water and going al the rate Of three knots an
hour The sea was perfectly smooth, and
through 1t the monster swished, leaving a
long wake Of tumbling foam behind. The
portion of him visible was about feet, but
IL was impossible TO estimate his entire
length. The snake kept his eyes straight
ahead of him and the little boat and its
trembling occupant escaped his notice, but
the fifteen minutes during which his snake
ship kept in sight were by long odds the
worst in Capt Andrews experience, and he
made up his mind that come what would
he would board the next vessel he met, aud
he accordingly came back with US"