The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-06-20
FATBFUL VOYAGE.

the year 1868 I signed papers with
bin Delano, Of the brig Josephine,
} voyage from Sidney to Auckland
return. She was an English craft,
was loaded with n general cargo, and
made many voyages across the New
ind Sea. The crew consisted of
bin. mate, cook and four men before
hast. and every one but the cook was
J and spoke English. | was then
zen years old aud Just out of my
tn,icc,hip. | should have had II
III mates berth, but the Josephine
rd no such officer. The Captain
bis own watch. and there were oc-
b when the mate had to 90 aloft
the men. Captain Dolano was a
sailor and a good hearted man, and
was nothing in the grub or the dis
be TO find fault with. We left Sid
b. morning with fair wind for the
b.hundrod-mile voyage, and had any
)rodicted the queer adventures and
fagedies which were to befall us he
3 have been looked on rs Il l. ratic.
portion of the story | am going to
bu appeared in some of the Austria
papers twenty years ago, but only n
~, and that full of errors. II was
q month ago that l was asked to
my affidavit to certain facts to n
y at Melbourne, and so the whole
Of adventures is fresh in my mem
the first three days out we had fair
and a smooth sea, and the brig
fine progress. At midnight on the
night the wind shifted, blew up a
which lasted half an hour, and then
Rway as flat as you please. We were
plling on the waves for an hour or
Put when daylight came the surface
\ sea was without II ripple, while
|was not the slightest breath Of air
p above. The sun came up like a
fire, and the greenest hand aboard
that we were in for calm. 1t was
u hot 10y mid-forenoon, and our
p Captain ordered all hands to
oil and make themselves as COM
e as possible. BY noon the brig
r. an oven. The decks were so hot
vcn the cook with his tough feet
pot walk them unshod. Down in
castle in was sitting, but as it was
on deck we had to stand it.
pas about noon when the cook, who
Pne TO the side to throw over some
called out to us to come and see
gest shark which human eyes ever
crawled up from the fo'castle,
curious to see one of the monsters
hand, but expecting that the cook
eauy exaggerated, and when
over the rail l was astonished.
lay a shovel-nosed shark of such
ions that dared not credit my
eslght, He lay parallel and not
gu ieet away, and when, after n
'hu'es, Captain and all hands had
up to look at the fellow, we got
s. length by a tape line along the
lie was thirty-two and one-half
with jaws capable of cutting a
,n TWO NJ onc snap. The only
NE he gave was a slight move
~ 'he eye now and then. He Law
N great dorsal lin baking in the
ana so near that we could see
pIue detail. All agreed that he
largest shark any one had ever
'honSh all of MS had sailed in the
Pe's' and some Of the men had
away when the cook climbed upon
anu sad he would stop little
ohG with the big fellow. He
py 'hat that he would have n talk
h' ! nave met numbers of ships
Nho claimed TO have "made mn
parks and were not afraid of beipc
'uen; % The cook sat just oppo,
sharks middle, and he had be-
ort OF chant, when passed for
lending to find a missile, and
over and scare the monster away
~ found an old bit of iron and
10 the rail when there was a
md yell. The coolr .wos 4, a. "
trough some careless move of his.
eye on the shark, and his move.
%e.e IKE lightning. With one
n's tail he slowed himself around.
jaws opened, and / was looking