The morning call., 1893-05-30

Havana in 1869 / was young man then,
but it was not the first time / had felt thai
Involuntary instinct to help drowning per-
sons"
CALL reporter was drawing out of
Captain Jack Williams, by series of Judi
ciously planned interrogatories, the story
Of his remarkable career as a lile-saver
Yes; the watch was ruined by the
water, but | would not have cared for that
if the fellow had not tried to drown me.
OF course, he didn't know what he was
doing. but for moment or two the thing
was just as serious as though he did it
with malice aforethought."
Not large man Is the captain, nor one
| you would set down unawares as being an
expert swimmer. He is, however, the
| champion of the world in that line and
| only a South Sea islander can equal him in
| aquatic feats.
you saved other lives, Captain ?" asked
The CALL man.
Yes; the next year in Boston harbor
Two ladies, gentleman friend and my
self were out sailing. An unexpected
sQuall capsized the boat. NV friend could
Il OF swim, so | had to keep him afloat, a $
we'll as save the two ladies. l got them all
to cling to the gunwale of the boat and
| then towed the boat to shore. One of
those ladies is now my wife, but she can
swim now, you may be sure of that"
The captains flow of English Is not as
| from print, for the captain was born in
| Portugal, and though that event occurred
as long ago as the spring of the year when
gold was first found in California. he has
forgotten neither his native land nor
| tongue.
When a boy not yet in his teens the
captain began saving lives. His father and
| his grandfather were fishermen of the
| town of Oporto. Their boat capsized aud
the grandfather would have drowned but
for the assistance OF young Jack.
The boy was on the shore at the time of
the accident He did not see the boat
capsize. he says. for he was looking an
other way. But something stronger than
! himself made him leap into the water and
swim out in time to catch his grandfather
and hold him up till the father came with
| an oar.
Then, only few months later, Jack res
! cued companion who fell from rock
that ran out into deep water.
| His fame spread over Portugal for these
| brave deeds and soon the boy was a hero.
! In 1865 he shipped before the mast and
before the year was out had rescued a
| young man who fell over board in the har-
Dor of Rio de Janeiro-
1T was that same queer feeling came
over me again" be told The CALI. man.
81 had never seen this young man before:
| did not know but what he could swim as
well as could. He fell from the deck of
water before l had leaped from the ship
near BY.
ut was so in nearly every case. l have
been fortunate enough to have saved the
lives OF good many people, butthe opera
ton has been rather automatic than voun-
tary. do not claim any special merit for
| these rescues. L cannot, truthfully.
could no more help saving a drowning man
than L could keep from eating when hum
cry and the victuals were before me.
In Calcutta saved the life of the cap
tain of the ship King Arthur. year
| later In Liverpool l was on hand when a
| longshoreman fell into the water from the
| Princes dock.
Up in Montreal. where held the posi-
ZION OF swimming Instructor, / saved
| twelve lives in five years.
About the most exciting time l ever
had was down in New Orleans in the
spring of 1885. Out on the Government
wharf crowd of darkies and white folks
bad gathered to witness the baptizing
ceremonies.
THE wharf broke and half hundred
people were thrown into deep water.
hshed up seventeen of them and some
fishermen who were rear there got the
| rest: mat was hot work, can tell you.
The next year | was up on the Mis-
slppi River and saved man, his wife, and
daughter. We were all on steamer, the
John white. She caught afire and good
|
stricken. Those that | pulled out of the
water had jumped in through sheer fright
Not one Of them conld swim and they
would have been much worse off in the
water-so IT proved-than ON the boat, if
some one lad not been there to null them
out. The flames were finally extingulsbed
Before we had made port the passengers
had done the usual thing In such cases.
you know, made up purse for me.
Now, while don't claim to be actuated
by any extraordinary desire to save human
life l don't want il to be thought that am
am after the purse when jump overheard
after poor fellow. The man who banks
on that's quite likely to get left, can tell
you. for as like as not there is no purse
coming.
"In New York harbor once l saved a
landed him safely, he SAID Thanks and
walked off.
No; ! don't believe any man ever does