The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-05
ENGLISH WEATHER MAN.
He Sailed the Raging Main and
Noted the Antics Of the
Wind.
Tho First Man to Pour Oil on tho
Troubled Waters to Make
Shore.
Repeatedly Scoops tho Meteorological
Omcs-shabby Treatment by Pure
Theorists Sturdy Capt. Newton.

England has q notable weather prophet
in tho person OF Captain William Newton.
d sturdy ssadog, who was born in london
about sixty-ons years ago. The old gentle
man has rather an interesting history ana
is one Of the noted characters of the city IN
which he lives, while his fame ~ = weather
prophet has gone abroad until he IL we'll
known all over England. He has been a
sailor since 1850, at which time he was nine
teen yeais of age. He served his time be-
fore the mast on the east coast and IN the
Baltic trade, and subsequently made y vow
ace around the world to Australia and from
there to the west coast Of South America.
In 1866 he returned to his native land and
was given a mates certificate. II IL SAID OF
him. in this connection, that although he
neither attended u naval school nor studied
works on navigation be passed every OK
animation on his first attempt. Some OF
these examinations were very difficult. N
for instance. those to secure certificates AZ
a Tyne pilot OF Swim pilot. On the coca
sion of his getting his papers as n Swim
pilot he was highly complimsnted by the
examining board, as ii is very rare that a
candidate gets through here at his first sit
ting. In 1860 no Was made \ master md
shortly atterward was appointed to tho
command of = vessel.
1t was not long after this that he was
made master OF a ship called the Beatrice.
On which he and his crew we're shipwreckcd
off the Danish coast. His vessel had struck
a broken rock. and to prevent her founder
ing it was necessary to put her ashore.
This was done, but even then the crew
could not havs reached terra trnla in safety
had it not occurred to their skipper that
somewhere or other he had read OF oil
being employed to still troubled matters.
There was no considerable stock of oil on
board. only just sufficient for the YES
sel's lights being carried, bat all that
could be scraped together was got
ready for use. Preparations We're also
made tor launching tie boats. AS
soon rs their snip touched the ground
the long bon. #.ls ti9ntea and the
G ew puiled ler Wis st.ote, OIL Icing USED all
the time. vita the result that, notwith-
standing the .ctitic breakers, every soul
was ultiluatsl. lamced in safety. no one be-
escapt and that of his crew .iom Davy
Jonea' locker solely 10 the employment: Of
thu oil: AND. 30 1ar rs he knows, that WAS
tie Il st occasion upon which. oil he'd been
used for such a purpose. lh1s hdventurs
took rlacs about the middle of November.
1861. the scene being sons thirty miles
ftom ElsinoIe.
In 1864 the captain joined the Tyne Steam
Shipping company. II was while in the
employ Of this company tnao hs played =
prominent part IN an ocean disaster which,
but for his sag&clty. good s~aananshlp and
presence Of mind, would have been attended
with the most lamentable results. The &c
cidsnt occurred in this way: There was n
heavy fog, and as the Earl Percy, Of which
he was in command, was slowly pursuiEg
her southern course, she came into collision
with the David Burn, a newly launched
vessel, which happened to be out for her
trial trip and was crowded With invited
guests. The David Burn was terribly shat
tered, but Capt. Newton. instead ot
backing out of her, rs probably many
masters would have dons IL similar cir
cumstences, kept his ship kteaming slowly
ahead, and was thus enabled to keep tina
disabled David Burn at1oat until everybody
on board had been rescued. CHS having
been happily and rapidly accomplished, the
Earl Percy went aste-n and tns David Burn
to the bottom. There WAS, of course, the
usual official inquiry, and Captain Newton
was very highly complinented on the praa-
ence OF mind he had displayed. As far as
Captain Newton knows, this wan the first
time that one ship was kept in another to
rescue the lives of those on board a sinking
vessel. The Chicago Evening Post says
that some time after tho event just mon
toned the captain retired from the yea and
became an innkeeper, in which businoss he
is still engaged in Newcastle. 1t was after
he became Il landsman that ho began to
acquire fame rs a foretellsr of the weather.
During his lifs an a sailor he had made a
close study of meteorological phenomena
and had already devised his system TO,
making HIS plosnostications.
Hhnpo f~, n q u n 6JnT1Eht RI fha y,r
tice of Robert Scott. who persuaded the
captain to prepa.s for the Royal Meteoro-
logic society y paper explaining his systenu.
This paper MIR. Scott promised to read, bat
in the interval, on the suggestion Of Mr
Scott. the captain became a follow of the
society, Mr.. Scott being his propcser. Ih.
paper was written and forwarded to tbs
society, but was returned with q statement
to the effect that it had been LAID before
the referee, who advised that it not b.
read. Naturally. this captain was soma,
what il. itated kt the tFe&tment meted GU
to him. He told the society. "Yos viii
yet ind that my system ia a law, and that
whereas yours fails, mine will succeed
He is still willing to make his method
known to them, but thinks that they shoule
first come to him and ask for it, and. fur
ther, be demands that he shall ba per
mitted to be present during any discussion
which mag take place on it.
In this paper, which tho society refused
to have read before it, the captain pro
dieted tho six heaviest gales of that year
while tho meteorological Office, to use
newspaper phrase ''got scooped" on ever,
one of them.
In addition to his success as a weathe
prophet hs is tho inventor of the system o
fog signaling by the interchange and rope.
tition Of high and low notes and which il
now IN uas In many parts of the world.
Opportunity.
Master OF human destiny am l,
Fame, love and fortune Oh my footsteps