Omaha daily bee., 1888-03-25
A GIRh AT ThE'HELM.

at this port last week OF Captain George
N. Armstrong calls to mind one OF the
most marvellous sea voyages on record.
The way in which the Templar, after
the yellow fever had decimated her
crew, was commanded, sailed 5000
miles, and finally brought safely to San
Francisco by the captains ~fifteen-year-
old daughter, forms one of the most
thrilling stories in all the history of sea-
faring.
1t will have been eleven years next
fall since the brave and daring girl per-
formed this most distinguished act of
heroism in the drama of her young and
eventful life, and after a most perilous
voyage of 800 days from New York, en-
tered this port, off Fort Point, where
the vessel she commanded was, put in
quarantine.
On Wednesday afternoon an Exam
liner man found the captain at a resi-
dence on McAllister street, where he.
was stopping with his wife and their
little chubby 2-year-old heiress, whom.
they have christened ~"Seagull," be-
cause she was born at sea.
Eyes," said the captain, 81 believe
that most terrible voyage of the Temp
lar you have referred to was at the time
very briefly mentioned in one of the
San Francisco papers, but not at any
such length as as horribly disasters and
ocean experiences of the kind would be
related nowadays by papers like your
monarch of the dailies."
81 nave called to hear your relation
of the incidents of that voyage" said
the scribe "as l think it may be inter-
esting to the readers of the Examiner"
"When the ship Templar was out
eight days from New York." said the
captain, "she was caught in a heavy
gale, lasting forty-eight hours, which
stove in her bullwarks smashed her bow
stanchions and nearly filed the cabin
with brine. After this damage had
been repaired, she encountered a ter
rible hurricane that broke off her rud-
der head and made her leak badly.
Relieving tackles were used in steering,
and the pumps were kept constantly
going. The crew became thoroughly
exhausted by overwork and exposure,
and a run into Rio Janeiro was made.
In this port the cargo was discharged
and repairs attended to.
Notwithstanding the inviting tempta-
tions extended to me by land pirates at
Rio Janeiro to practice fraud at the
expense of the, vessels owners and UNI
derwriters, ordered the cargo reship-
ped. This work was scarcely completed
when / was taken sick with yellow fever,
and before the vessel weighed anchor
/ lluO SSttillCu ulCu lEOli UllS odllC uTtuu
disease. Butin spite of this terrible
calamity my anxiety to proceed on the
voyage to, San Francisco urged me to
issue the order, and the anchor and all
sails were hoisted.
ION the first day, however, the yell
low scourge broke out afresh, and not
only |, but my wife and daughter, and
the ships carpenter and four more sail
ors were Obliged to seek our berths.
OF these, on the third day out, n able
seaman died, and on the succeeding day
the same sad fate befell my good wife.
Her name was Andalusia Armstrong,
and she was a native OF Hampden, Me-,
and forty-five years of age. On the fol-
lowing day another good seaman died.
Those who had the disease in a less vio-
lent form sadly and silently threw the
dead overheard one by one. And just
at this juncture another serious trouble
came to light, revealing a mutiny
among the few remaining of the crew,
who on several occasions sought to have
the vessel beat for ports nearer than her
point of destination. This action, | have
been told, made me desperate, and,
with an expressed determination my
men understood and a pistol in my
hand, the mutinouS crew agreed to re-
lent and obey orders. This difficulty,
again, had no more than been cOmpro-
missed when / completely and entirely
broke down under my straining cOmbi-
notion of troubles and the ravages of
fever. | became so VIOLENT, they tell
me, as to necessitate my being chained
to the neck to keep me from jumping
overheard in search of the body of my
wife, as | am told was the I'M of my
delirious talk. L wear the scars from
the CHAINS and lashing to this day.
After the ship had drifted about for a
few months without pilot or navigator,
the second mate and three or four of
the sailors recovered, but being out
of sight of land and not UNDER
standing navigation they were power
less to do anything with the ship. FL
nally my daughter Emma, and my only
child at the time, a brave and spirited
girl of fifteen, regained her reason, but
not her strength, and when in this con-
dition she sent for the second mate and
asked him to carry her on deck, which
he did. She hen sent for the ships
instruments, and by the aid of these
and her knowledge of navigation she
figured out the location of the vessel.
She then took the charts from the cabin
and traced out q route to San Francisco,
and from this time on practically took
command of h vessel and ordered the
second mate and surviving members of
the crew to make sail, giving them the
direction in which to sail. Every day
for months she would be carried on deck
to take the bearings and give herorders.
"Being so light-handed the vessel
could not be properly handled, and
could carry but little sail, consequently
her progress was slow. After many
weary, dreary months l finally re-
gained my reason, and when | learned
of what my. daughter had done / was
greatly surprised, and SO declared.
Had / beep placed in the same position
1 could not have done better.
1.-The ship was loaded with general
merchandise the cargo being Insured
for over $s2Do;60O. Her long absence of
$50 days, and no tidings from her, led
the owners, and all interestes parties TO
believe that THE vessel, with all hands,
had been lost.
R"After thiss supposed fate of the ship
had almost passed from their minds, the
surprise can best be imagined when,
one bright day in summer, the ship
Templar, wfthfher cargo all intact, came
sailing int9 San Francisco bay; Here,
/ 1n.t l1.Al. III z..l .-,--