Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-12-15
Adventures Of a Young Man
Who Went to
Sea.
He was Thrown Overheard by a
Great Lurch of the
Vessel.
4 Desperate Fight With Alba
troS While in the
Water.

tween San francisco and Australia,
was formerly a wealthy young man.
who went TO sea because he loved life
on the water. He was asked by pas
senger on one Of the MarpoSa's trips
how he came to adopt Il seafaring life.
and to relate his most thrilling adven-
ture. Here is his story:
~ was Fl years old when [ left Har-
Tard, having graduated well up in my
class. | had come into possession Of
, the properly left to lie by my father,
in that year, and as my mother had
also died and my sisters had married,
[ determined to spend Il few years in
havel. l went to Europe and to South
Africa, returning to London the same
year Clark RusSe1's sea stories had
always interested me greatly, and I
made up my mind to rough it on a trip
to Australia in clipper ship. | tried
to engage q cabin passage in the
Josephine, then one of the largest sail
ing ships afoat, but old Capt. Hardy,
whom everybody called the bear be-
cause he was so. rough and brusquc,
refused with many an oath, saying
he didn't keep any blanllety blank
hotel, and no man could sail on his
ship without signing articles and doing
his proper amount of work. Of course,
| knew Il ship as well as | knew a
house, and decided TO 20 on the Joseph
inc before the mast. Just for the fun
of it. l saw Il twinkle in the old cap
tain's eye as / signed the usual articles
for the voyage to Sydney, New South
Wales. He simply remarked, however,
You're big enough by - To do your
share of the work
81 procured 4 regular outfit, sent my
kit on board and took my place among
the crew | found friends in the fore
castle at once, for | assumed no airs
acted Just rs everybody else did and
studiously minded my own business.
In spite Of my discretion. though. /
made some enemies. One of them was
in the same watch with me. His name
was Norris. and he claimed to he an
Fnglishman. hut he spoke with I slight
" foreign accent and was dark enouGh
to be taken for Portuguese or Il Span
iarl I diSliked him from the first. and
he evidently had as little regard for
me as I had for him. He inSuItcd ne
one day in the fOrecastle during our
watch below, and | struck him a blow
under the ear that put him to sleep
very effectually. He was unconscious
for two hours. and 7 was really afraid
that he was done for. He regained
consciousness finally, and after that
time did not in any way interfere with
me- When we We're aloft sometimes.
however. I could see him eyeinC mo
sharply. and YVES satisfied that he was
contemplate ting some sort of treachnry.
said nothing but tried always TO keep
my eyes in his direction.
1--WE had d fairy good voyage until
We struck some extremely rough wealth
er off Cape Horn. For two days We
ran under close reefs with the wind
abeam, and then the gale became 50
violent that we had to heaye to wealth
err it. On the foufth day of the storm
the wind moderated and Capt. Hardy
ordered us alOft to shake out the lower
reefs We had resumed OuI course and
although the wild had moderated
considerably the sky was a dark gray
all around, with clouds of a deeper
hue, almost blush, in the southeast.
1t looked to me like more heavy wealth
rr. and [ doubted the wisdom of Shak
ing out any of the reefs. Norris and ]
were on the main royal yard when Il
heavy puff of wind struck the ship and
threw her almost upon her beam ends.
AS / stood Oh the foot rope with my
arms over the yard, the heavy piece of
timber was almost pcrdendicular, and
I had to cling hard with hands and
feet to keep from going over. Another
Iurch came when | was resting my
whole weight on the foot rope. The
rope suddenly parted, and L felt myself
falling Instinctively l flung out my
arms to grasp something, but my head
struck the gallant yard, and over l
went into the sea. ] remember hear
ing a cry of imam overheard from the
deck and must then have become I'M
conscious for a time. / next found my
self struggling among the tremendous
waves. As I rose upon the crest of
each big sea I caught a glimpse Of the
ship, and as she was still standing on
her course I knew | was left to my
fate. I was not excited in the least by
my position. l fully expected to drown,
but l made up my mind to fight as
long as | could. I was and am a strong
swimmer, and / hoped to be able to
keep afioat until could find some spar
or bits Of wreckage to sustain me.
Meanwhile, | made as little eXertiOn as
was necessary, so as to preserve my
strength. The water was very cold,
and l knew that no mans powers Of
endurance, however great they might
be, could be but equal to any prOlOng-
ed struggle with such elements.
81 expected no relief from the Joseph !
inc. A small boat could not have been
launched in such a sea, and I calculat- |
ed correctly that Capt. Hardy did not |
put the ship about because he did not |
believe that any man could live for !
five minutes among such waves as had |
been breaking over the hip.
II must have been in the water an /
hour, and it was then about noon.
when I espied a piece of a vessels
hatch about twenty yards away in the
same trough Of the waves in which L
was then swimming. I was quickly be-
coming exhausted, but I made for that
little raft with all my remaining
] was engulfed by the waves
a hundred times Scores Of times great
seas broke over me and sent me down
far below the surface I managed to