The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-08
HARDY TAR TO THE END.
CAPT. WELTON's HOUSE WAS HIS
SHIP, BIS DAUGHTERS HIS CREW.

Himself SLlll at sea, Battling With
storms and Commanding His Crew.
From the NetO York san.
A better captain never set foot on the
quarter deck of a merchant vessel than old
Rama Oscar Welton, who died at Will
.amsburg. n. Y, few days ago. He had
been a captain for fifty years, and made his
asst voyage in 1886. when he was II years
yld. He was a sailor for sixty years of the
g3 life gave him, and he did not give up the
Isa because of i'll health OF because he was
90 old, but because he thought that man
should spend a little time in port to get
good and ready for the long voyage from
which the ships never come back Be was
horn on farm near Sydney, Cape Breton,
Nova Scotia. with the sea all around and
toe rear of the breakers in his ears. Early
IN life be went down to New York, and,
shipping as sailor soon rose to be q master,
From New FORK he sailed into all the seas
and ports of the world, and the harbOr
lights of Naples and Alexandria and Yoko-
hama were as familiar to him as the lights
at his home dock. His voice was deep and
hosrse and. when he wished, could hurl it,
self far into the heart of gale. He was
kind-hearted man, but he believed that the
never had disobedience twice on the
same voyage After all those years of toss
ing on so many seas he settled to @ quiet
life with his two married daughters 10 the
little red brick house in Williamsburg. The
day after Thanksgiving, 1891, he was run
over by street car in Front street and was
taken home unconscious. For about two
months he lay in a sort of a stupor. Then
his body recovered completely but his mind
was injured beyond cure.
TWO LOVING DAUGHTERS HIS "CREW"
For year he had one idea-that his house
was a ship, of which he was master, and
that it was making q voyage full of diff
culties and dangers with small crew that
was incompetent and disobedient. These
last twelve months have been trying times
for the old sailor, and still more trying for
his daughters, who have been his crew. 1t
was the good ship Gene that he was sailing
through the SHOWS and winds of last winter,
through the fair and smiling weather of
last summer and fall. Day and night he
sailed her, doing the best he could with her
small crew, keeping almost ceaseless watch.
They have been busy days and nights, full
OF trial and anxiety, and at last the
fatigues and worries OF the strangest voY-
age ever skipper made broke him down and
killed him.
In the summer he sat in the upper front
WluUOW6s Ills ollAb5b uhukuloT blOpu DeSlub
him with an old sewing machine rugged as g
wheel. In fair weather it was plain, smooth
sailing. with only the cars that passed now
and then TO be avoided. For they seemed
to him 70 Re ships. Sometimes he would
get exc I'd an, imagining that a col
lision Vas imminent, he would rise to his
feet and roar out Of the windows in a voice
that was heard blocks away.
When everything looked cl ar ahead he
vvp,,II 10 xub he IaI
"helnsman," at the wheel and would 20
aft, ;" which meant the back yard. For
hours she would stand on the back stoop,
mutteriug about the weather and the look
of the sky and sea, sighting ships and sig
mailing them. at such times he stationed
his second daughter Rmidship, and would
below his orders to her to be repeated to
sleep well at night, but gradually
he got confidence in his "helmsman'"
and only occasionally they heard
him stirring in his room or climbing the
rigging to the top, as he called going up to
the garrett, for a look aloft When they
heard him there they always stayed awake
until he came down. For as he went he
would roar out; "How many bells, mateN
and his daughter from her bed would sing
out, "Seven bells, cap'n, and alrs we'll"
Then I'll turn in" the old skipper
would roar, but keep sharp lookout,
and he would roll on down the rigging to
his locker"
STORMY WEATHER OUTSIDE AND IN.
When there was stormy weather outside
there would be still stormier weather in
side. For the booming and signing of the
wind and the swish of the rain against the
glass would give vein to his Imagination.
1t would rouse the old man from his sleep,
and at once be would get up and below
"All hands upln
Pretty soon his daughter would appear at
the companion hatch" and would sing OUT:
AYE, aye, sir" IAN hands, | saidI" he
would call in a furious voice. ~ never
called all hands in my life before and got
one, one hand, and that a woman. DammeI
call the men!'
His daughter would go away and leave
him to fume and swear for few minutes
Maybe she would blow a whistle several
times and be answered by AYE, aye, sir, y
from the other persons in the house. The
captain would be satisfied with this. "Seud
'em aloft," he would say. ITS nasty
weather, and everything must be snug
HoW's the windP
Mormon west," the first mate would call,
'aud fresheniug.n
Then she would take her place at the
wheel, and for an hour or so, with the
wind blowing outside and rafting the
bedroom a scene such as occurs on a sailing
vessels deck on a stormy night They
would give him trumpet, and he, standing
by the helmsmal or pacing the quarter
deck, would sail his ship through the storm.
roaring his orders through the trumpet
and talking with the helmsmen of the
weather.
at was wonderful" his daughter said
to a Sun reporter "He did it 80 we'll that
sometimes would forget the truth myself,
and it would seem to me that we were really
on a ship in a stormy sea-"
On such nights the old captain rarely
went to bed until the wind abated and the
rain ceased to sound against the windows.
Month after month these sea scenes we're
OF daily occurrence in the little brick house.
de drilled his crew of two women so that
they got to calling the parts Of the house by
sea names and got perfectly used to the
vocabulary of the sea. Each morning he
wnuld greet them with: "How's the
weatherln or "How's the windp During
the day they would call out the bells
LIVELY TIMES ON ENTERING PORT.
Many of those days brought happiness to
the old captain-happiness enough to repay
bis daughters for their wearisome humor-
lngsot bis mania. When all was well, when
Che wind was blowing free and every sail
was set to watt the good ship through foam
Ing seas, then the old man rejolced. He
would lie back in his chair by the window
ana the wheel would be beside him, with