The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-04
BIG SHIP WAITING.
Captain Gardner Sailing for "Fame or
Nlanslaughter."
IN. Y. Tribune.l

IN Y. Tribune.l
1t was financial depression which
drove Captain Gardner to sea.
"You see," he explained to the master
of the good ship Verejean, by whom he
was entertained a few days ago, the
banks are failing, money is hard to get
and there hain't no chance for a man to
make an honest livin' nohow. So | am
goin' to get fame and then make money
on it."
Captain Gardner is from Shelburne
Nova Scotia, and when sighted by the
ship Verejean he was trying to make his
way across to Holland in the 15-foot
dory Flying Dutchman. At6 a. IN. on
July 10, about 500 miles from the Ameri-
can coast, the lookout on the British
ship Verejean from London, bound for
New York, saw a little boat bobbing
up and down. She was flying an ensign
union down, and was making for the
ship. Captain Crowley thought that a
shipwrecked crew was OH board the
frail little craft and he ordered the ship
to be hove to and waited until the dory
came alongside
The man in the boat was Captain
Gardner. He climbed aboard the ship
by means of the rope ladder. He was so
lame and cramped that he could hardly
walk He told Captain Crowley that the
would like to have some ballast, water,
oil, tobacco and a bar of soap. He ex-
planned that he was crossing the Allan
tic in dory, and that incidentally he
had lost the rudder of his dory, his oil
Now said Captain Crowley yester-
day, II always like to help man in dis
tress but I don't think that it is the
proper thing for big ship to heave to
and lose valuable time to take care of
cranks. Well, sir, he was a queer 'un.
Great yarns he spun to the fcrecastle.
He said that he had been capsized in q
storm, and that he was pitched out OF
the dory. He mad a lifeline about his
waist, and he hadn't gone far before he
brought up with jerk Then he SAID
he SWAN back toward the boat, caught
hold of the rudder and tried to crawl on
board. The rudder came Oft in his
hands and foated away. He got back III
the dory somehow and steereo with an
his arms were lame and sore from trying
to keep that dory in the wind with a
single oar. The ships carpenter made
new rudder for him, sternpost, tiller
and ALL He said that his coal-oil stove
had upset, and that the burning oil had
run all over his bag of clothing. He was
obliged to throw lot of the burning
him new suit of clothes and an oilskin.
He had not had a real wash for a long
time, although he had been soaked by
the waves for month. After he had d
bath and put on some dry clothes he felt
pretty comfortable. He sat in my cabin
and wrote letter to a Mr.. Bowers in
Shelburne, and another to his wife in
Amsterdam I guess he lost his stamp
box, and he didn't say anything about
having the hostage
q See here said I, you'd better let
that boat of yours drift and go to New
York with me-
/" Not much, said he. Pm trolling
for fame just now. Stay me with fagons
and feed me with chuck, if you will, but
tempt me not to leave the path which
leads.to fortune Just bit dafty, wasn't
he? Looked like a sensible man, too.
Big, protruding forehead, and most OF
the time he talked as though he had
good sense. / thought that might just
as we'll hasten the pleasure of bidding
him farewell after that, and left him
to the crew. He came to my cabin
shortly afterward, shook hands with me,
and then got back into his dory.
(" Fame or manslaughter, were the
last words we heard him say. He was
on board for two hours. Ship hove to
for two hours for his benefit"
The man who wants either fame or
manslaughter' started across the ocean a
month ago He was sighted a short time
ago by the Norwegian bark Noach vi,
which assisted him.