The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1889-02-21
PERlLOUs VOYAGE.
Capt. Andrews Relates His Experience OF
Crossing the Ocean in a Dory.

Crossing the Ocean in a Dory.
Perhaps few among the audiences
that nightly attend tho performance
of A Dark Secret" know that the Capt
Andrews who appears during the
fourth act is the plucisy sailor who at
tempted 10 cross the Atlantic in his
dory the Dark Secret. A Mail re
porter had very interesting CONVEX
sation with the captain and asked him
for a brief account Of his attempt To
cross the ocean blue.
81 started" he said, lin the little
dory from Point Of Pines beach near
Boston, Monday, June IS. This is the
beat in which | made my Journey
1t measures, keel ~ feet, beam feet,
depth feet. It was built under my
direction and supervision. Yes, /
started all alone, not even dog or
cat on board. When crossed the
Atlantic in 1873 in the little dory
Nautilus my brother Walter accom-
panied me. That boat was four feet
longer than the Dark Secret We
made the voyage in the Nautilus ia
forty-fve days from land to land, but
we had better weather than | expert
enced Of the last trip.
THE rigging and sail arc very sim
pie / had only one sail, what is usu-
ally called lateen, or three cornered
sail, and the rigging consisted Of just
three pieces Of rope. Yes, the Dark
Secret is an excellent sea boat. She
behaved beautifully in the terribly
bad weather | encountered. / made
mistake in starting from Boston. The
weather at Georges bank was awful,
and ii was month before got out OF
the bay and into the northern cur
rent. After that did not have quite
80 hard q time Of it. The longest time
| went without rest was forty-eight
hours during gale, and didn't eat
mitch during that time, either In
fact, all did cat during the voyage
was crackers and canned provisions.
had an alcohol stove with me, but it
became useless after the first day out.
Living on crackers and drinking as
little water as possible evidently didn't
agree with me. for | weighed POS
pounds tho day started. When
picked up | tipped the beam at 125.
after eating hearty dinner at that.
The Norwegian bark Nor picked
me up about 1,555 miles from my
starting point Aug. 81, after | had
been just sixty-two days out. | was
indeed in a sorry plight. | had lost
my drag, with which held the boats
nose to the sea when | turned in, my
oiled clothing was completely worn
out, my provisions and water were
running short, and the boat was in
bad condition.
How did sleep7 put the craft
to- threw out my drag, and turned in
for brief periods only. My mattress
got wet during the first gale and was
not q very comfortable bed, but it did
not keep me from sleeping like top
when | got a chance. Some nights
the boat driftcd back so far that it took
me from ono to three days to make up
lost ground During heavy gales !
used oil on the water. You have read
in The good book about putting oil on
the troubled waters. Well, it works
iirst rate. let IL triclllc out at The rate
Of ton drops a minute. 1t has won
derful effect in reducing the waves.
"What started nae on such a tripl
Well, | have always been an enthusi-
| ast On boating, and believe that small
boats can be built, if correctly mod
eled, that will live through storms
that would sink an ocean steamer, and
my ambition has been to cross in the
smallest boat alone / think it is o
mistake togo alone, as one man can
steer or cook while the other is sleep
| ing. "--Chicago Mail.