Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-09-03
MYSTERY 0FTHE SEA.
TERRIBLE EXPERIENCES or A BOY
ON HIS FIRST VOYAGE.
Nurderous Brutality OF Captain and Mate.
Romance of a Scottish Douglas,
Who Was Before the Mast.
Written for tho Dispatch ]

. Gbitlt A'NiH Atp 4 nt' hf%s
voyage as a boy on the good old ship Red
Jacket of Rockland. Maine. We were
bound from Boston to Singapore with a
general cargo.
My father was we'll acquainted with the
managing owner OF the ship, and the lat
ter had placed me under the captains
care; hence I was reasonably GER
tain Of fairly decent treatment.
AS the Incidents ! am about TO relate
are absolutely true In every particular l
shall refrain from giving reas names
but If any OF my old shipmates on that
awful voyage 70 Singapore should chance
10 read this sketch they vii need 10 names
70 recall 10 their memory two OF the worst
men that ever trod q quarter deck. More
than this could not be said, FOR the
quarter decks Of deep sea ships have
been the stamping ground OF the most
heartless and inhuman wretches the worlG
has ever seen. but, fortunately, for hu-
mainly. such men are the exceptions that
prove the rule. which IS that masters Of
! merchant vessels are far better, kinder.
more humane men than the world gives
them credit for"
The captain and mate OF the ship Of
which / made my first voyage 10 sea were
two OF the most startling exceptions
both had graduated-and with "hish hon
ors"-from the school Of the packet ship
ia the days when the fighting qualities uf
n ships officers were more highly prlzed
and both were of the highest quality in
in the care Of the Red Jacket affairs.
We cast off India wharf one bright
L. UAanAgA1LR nAn
scoTning the aid OF a tug boat sailed down
the harbor before a strong northwcster.
The wind being OF shore and the Red
T Jacket a large. able ship there was not
enough motion 10 make me IN the least
degree sea sick. so ] was a fully conscious
witness Of the heartless and brutal scenes
that were enacted under my eyes even be-
fore we lost sight Of Boston HIGHT, ana long
before Cape Cod light was abeam Captain
Rogers gave ample proof that his soubti-
quct OF 'Bully' Hogcrs WAS well dcserv-
ed. one Of he mon. perhaps feeling none
too blight and strong after the previous
] nights dcbauchcry. failed 10 spring rs
! lively u the top-gallant sheet 40 the skip
per thought ne ought. SO he was prompt
~ knocked sprawlinC with a Delaying pin
into the scuppers. and h. ever after
wards carried "a broken END horribly DIS
figured nose as a mute. though a powerful
v fAi lillb % tic ItstltiI4'l VI iilt tifN
that man was expected To bc lively on
that ship. The mate also showed his brn-
tel nature by knocking two OF the men
down with Delaying pins, ~injurlng one
80 severely that he was unabl To leave
his bunk for n week.
Long before we crossed the equator many
men and boys in the fOrecastle, with the
exception OF myself and one seaman,
had been struck time and time again by
the captain and mate. Many Of them had
scars they would carry 10 their graves.
and one made almost crazy by the treat
rnent he received, jumped overheard.
The Red Jacket had become n vcritable
he'll on earth. and il was indeed a wonder
that more Of the unhappy crew did not
Seek to end their torture by embracing
the quick and easy death by drowning.
| have stated that one seaman and my
self were the only persons IN the ~forecaB-
tie that had been repeatedly beaten. klcke
and abused IN the most heartless fashion.
The seaman who were spared went by
the name OF Douglas. lie was evidently.
~ his name would indicate. n Scotchman.
Douglas was a tail. brOad-shOulde-cd,
athletic fellOw-the handsOmest man /
ever saw. lie had evidently spent but lit
tie Of his life in the forecastle of a mer-
chairman, and although he made
a strong effort 10 appear as rough and
uncOuth as his messmates, l could plain
~ see that he was a gentleman and every
thing that much-abused title should
imply. Douglas was no exception to the
rule that a gentleman by birth and odu-
cation can never wholly disguise his char
acter. try ever so hard as he may.
lie was a thorough sailor, ana this fact
for a long time puzzled me. for l wonder
cd where he could have acquired that in
innate knowledge of a seaman's multi
farious duties that can be acquired only
by experience. At first l thought that
yachting had given his sea experience, but
| finally abandoned that theory. as Il
would not explain his intimate %acquaint-
ance with all branches Of sQuare-rigged
=, seamanship. l have since formed the
opinion, founded on hints Douglas drop
ped from time to time While in %conversa-
ton with me. that he had been educated
for the English navy, and had served in It
as an officer. Douglas was very much
liked by all OF the men forward. Although
even the toughest and most ignorant of
them could appreciate his vast superb
GRITTY to any of them. or TO any one
ON board, Intellectually. socially
and also physically. they seemed
TO feel no jealousy whatever. The man
seemed to carry about with him a strange
magnetism over all with wAom he came
in contact; either this power alone. or
this combined with his evident manliness,
unselnshness, good nature and obvious de-
sire TO ameliOrate, as far as lay in his
power. the hard lot Of the poor fellows
with whom he was 50 strangely ascot
atcd. was the secret OF his great popular
itv. Another cause Of Douglass popular
ity-and nothing Is more potent. open
seasame to the hearts OF sailors-was his
wonderful though far from egotistical
knowledge OF all branches of seamanshlp.
lie was referred TO even by the gray-hair-
ed old tars OF the forecastle as the author
ity on all subjects relating 10 that pro-
/ ~fcSsiOn, and every man OF board knew
that Douglas was the quickest and neat
est 'marling-spike seaman on board.
Douglas was more eXasperated by the
cruel treatment of his messmates han
many of the poor fellows themselves. l
often observed that IL was with great diff
ficuity he restrained himself from inter
fering in behalf OF some poor wretch who
was being i'll used. But he knew full well
that any attempt at Interference on his
part could have but one e~ffect-that 10
north, and from there to the equator,
make the lot OF every man in the fore
castle even harder 70 bear than now.
We took the northeast trade in is de-
grees north. and for many days travelled
along at a lively rate. Every stitch OF
I CANVAS even " " On aAAiD oANN
sails drawing. Nothing puts a merchant
captain in better humor than a fair wind
and even Bully Hogers. with all his Ill
nature and cruelty. could not resist its In
huence, and became almost KIND In his
treatment Of the men. AS the mates
always take their cue from the skipper,
everything aboard during that run down
the northeast trades was very comtorta'
Bile" as Mrs. Boffin would say.
But IL was only the lull before the
storm. We lost the trades in 3 degrees
north. n from there to the equator
which We crossed In 81 degrees, had
light, variable winds. Affairs on board
were beginning to resume their accustom-
ed shape. After crossing the equator we
drifted around for an entire week at the
Nuercy Of Gains and light. battling airs
not enough to give US Storage way we
all knew what this brings us, and 1t
brought II soon enough. Long before the
week was half out the Red Jacket be-
came a floating hell. Knock downs were
OF the most hourly occurrence.
800. - urorl tn thu lpp mlZen rig