The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-08-10
A PerilOus Voyage.

Perhaps few among the audiences
that nightly attend the performance
of "a Dark Secret" know that the
Capt. Andrews who appears during
the fourth act is tho plucky sailor
who attempted to cross the Atlantic
In his dory the Dark Secret. A Mail
reporter had very interesting con-
versation with the captain and ask
ed him for brief account of his at.
tempt to cross the ocean blue.
"Istarted," he said, Gin the little
dory from Point of Pines beach near
Boston, Monday, June 10. This is
the boat in which | made my jour-
ney. 1t measures, keel II feet, beam
) feet, depth 2 feet. 1t was built un-
der my direction and supervision.
Yes, | started all alone, not even a
dog or cat on board. When l cross
ed the Atlantic in 1878 in the little
dory Nautilus my brother Walter ac-
companied me. That boat was four
feet longer than the Dark Secret. We
made the voyage in the Nautilus in
forty-fve days from land to land,
but We mad better weather than ex-
perienced on the last trip.
The rigging and sail are very sim
pie. had only one sail, what is
usually called lateen, or three cor
nered 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 | encoun-
tered. made a mistake in starting
from Boston. The weather at
Georges bank was awful, and it was
month before got out of the bay
and into the northern current. After
that / did not have quite so hard a
time oft. The longest time went
without rest was forty-eight hours
during a gale, and | didn't eat
much during that time, either.
In fact all | did eat during
the voyage was crackers and
canned provisions. / had an aIcO-
hol stove with me, but it became
useless after the first day out. Liv-
Ing on crackers and drinking as lit
tie water as possible evidently didn't
agree with me, for l weighed 2OS
pounds the day | started. When
picked up tipped the beam at 125,
after eating a hearty dinner at that.
"The Norwegian bark Nor picked
me up about ,555 miles from my
starting point Aug 81, after | had
been just sixty-two days out. | was
indeed in 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 l sleep? Iput the craft
to, threw out my drag, and turned
in for brief periods only. My mat
tress got wet during the first gale
and was not very comfortable bed,
but it did not keep me from sleeping
like a top when / got a chance. Some
nights the boat drifted back SO far
that it took me from one to two
days to make up lost ground. Dur
ing heavy gales I used oil on the wa.
ter. You have read in the good
hook about putting oil on the trou-
bled waters Well, it works first
rate. | let it trickle out at the rate
of ten drops minute. 1t has a
wonderful effect in reducing the
waves.
"What started me on such a trip?
Well, / have always been an enthusi-
asst on boating, and believe that
small boats can be built, if correct
ly modelled, that will live through
storms that would sink an ocean
steamer, and my ambition has been
to cross in the smallest boat alone.
| l think it is a mistake to go alone,
as one man can steer or cook while
the other is sleeping"