The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-04-10
BRAVE LITTLE CRAFT
Perilous Voyage Of J. F. Nc
Naught's Yacht Aquilla.
AGAINST a GALE AND TIDE.
She Makes . Remarkably Quick Trip
and Brings Her Passengers Safe
, Ont Of Danger.

- =. McNaugnt started from mere In MS
new yacht, Aquilla, for a trip down the
Sound on Tuesday morning. He is still
lying at Fairhaven or Anacortes: but P. +.
Smith, one Of the members of the party,
returned to the city last night with lively
account of the adventures of the trip.
The Aquilia, = said he, sis an open boat
about fifty feet long, and only drawing
eighteen inches of water. You can I'M
agine how light she is. from the fact that
she weighs but FIVE tons. There is no
doubt, however, that she is the fsstest boat
on the Sound; for her engines are very
powerful, 300 pounds of steam being their
regular working pressure.
Well, there were five of us in the party,
Mr.. Mcknight, John Davis, of Anacorres,
Captain J. b. Libby, of Tacoma, the engi-
neer and myself. We started from here
Tuesday morning one hour and five
minutes after the Eastern Oregon, and We
reached Port Townsend in two hours and
twenty-five notwithstanding in with the
Eastern Oregon-and that in spite of the
fact that during the last ten or fifteen
mics our pressure ran down to 100 pounds.
We made the run from Port Townsend
to Protection island in forty minutes. and
to Port Discovery in twenty-five more
"There we lay all night, and on Wednes-
day morning the boat went through ter
rific experience, which fully proved her
seaworthiness.
"We started out into the Straits for
Anacortes, and we didn't really compre-
bend until we were well under way that
there was heavy storm beating out there.
All the smaller boats had tied up, and
only the big side-wheelers were out.
The wind was blowing great guns
against us, and a strong tide was pulling
out to the ocean. AS soon as We got into
the heavy seas the little boat began to
pitch like cookie shell. Her nose would
dip and Captain Libby, who was in the
bow steering, was soon wet to the skin.
"Then the storm grew worse. The bow
plunged under water again and again, TAX
ing in house full at time. When wave
broke in all you could see of Captain
Libby was his head and shoulders. But
the boat would lurch and throw the water
out quite as fast. so that we kept afoat.
sW course the screw was often lifted out
of the water, and that was the most dan
gerous time, for then she went beyond
control.
"For full twenty minutes-and it seemed
much longer-wc all thought there was no
earthly hope of our getting alive to shore.
Mr.. Mcknight said to me between his
teeth, If she brings US safe to Anacortes
I would not take 100000 for her. but
there seemed fully as much prospect of
her taking US to Asia.
Yet she kept throwing the water out
nearly as fast as she took it in, and
the engines, in spite of the strain,
worked perfectly. The engineer,
who had been with her since
she was built at Rhode Island, shut
off her steam every time her nose began to
/ dip dangerously, and that saved US from
driving into the water and swapping CON-
pletely.
1--WE were past the worst of it and get
ting into better water, the City of Seattle
came into sight, and blew the signal.
asking if we wanted help.
Captain Libby braced himself, and,
after telling up that ten minutes more
would bring US to safety, answered that we
were all right"
Then We went through into Ship har-
Dor, and so into Anacortes, and as We
turned into the wharves, all of us drenched,
our boat partly filled, and the smokestaek
rs white as snow from the dried salt, every
whistle there shrieked welcome.
I'VE had made the run in three hours
and twenty minutes, part of the time under
half steam, and part of the time with the
steam all cut off -