The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-07-11
rHoxAs CHESTER FORBES.
Interesting sketch of nis Lifs-how Ia his
 sinssy-hrst Year.


 of this sketch. was born November IF. 1903, in New Haven. Connecticut, in the home formerly owned by his grandfa- ther. Captain Benjamin Forbes. who was also born in New Haven. and. as indicated by their titles was. with his father. of the number of sea-faring men who made New Haven in that day known the world over, During one of the trips bfI Captain Benjamin Forbes. he was taken priSoner apdI confined In Bordeaux for several months. For many years . diary which he kept In prison, and which was written partly in his own blood. was one the treasures in the possession of his only child. Thomas Chester Forbes. Captain Ben jamin Forbes made probably several trips to China, returning from one about the year 1sos. which was the first time this young son had ever seen his fathers face. It was the custom In those day to shave smoothly. and the sight of his father who was full beard ed, made such an impression that MT. Forbes has never forgotten tho oir- cumstance.
 Some time about the year 1908 or 1909. Captain Forbes went on a sealing voy- age, during which he suffered ship wreck, and was lashed to the mast Of tho ship for three days before being rescued. The exposure suffered on this occasion undermined his constitution to such an extent that he gave up sea- fartng life and lived more or less an invalid, until his death In 1924 Cap tain Elijah Forbes, the father of Cap tain Benjamin Forbes. was born h Hartford, but was taken in an early day by his father. Joseph Forbes. to wethersfeld, and from that town to New Haven, where he grew to man. hood, adopted the sea-going profession and becoming the captain of vessel. undergoing many adventures. inoiud- ing capture and imprisonment by the French, upon which occasion he con- cealed certain of the ships papers in the ribbon which tied his queue, and by this means successfully /evaded conviction. Retiring from active life, he died at New Haven in 1874 at the age of seventy-nve Joseph Forbes was a brother of Captain Samuel Forbes, who also settled in New Haven and was the ancestor of the Forbes family now living there. He was also a brother of John Forbes, who settled in Canaan, the father of Squire Samuel Forbes, who was one of the originators of the iron industry in Connecticut. Joseph was the son of John Forbes. the eldest son Of James Forbes, the emi- grant, who was in East Hartford in l646, and of Catherine, his wife.
 It is thought James had been mar ried previously and that Catherine was his second wife, but nothing is known of the fifteen children of James Forbes" (according to "Hinman) ex- cept the six had by Catherine and mem toned in the Hartford probate records.
 For many years that part of the town was called Scotland" on account of the origin of the Forbes family. said to be of the, Culloden branch. James and Catherine had three daughters and two other sons, David and James jr., from whom is traced the descent of the Forbes families now residing in Hart ford and East Hartford. After the re- tirement of Captain Benjamin Forbes, the mother of Thomas Chester Forbes, who was Sarah Scott, daughter of John and Lucretia Warner Scott, re- moved to Middletown, Conn.,, with her son. The latter received his schooling in that town until he entered the em- ploy of Cooper & Darlington, dealers in shipping supplies, where he remained for about a year. The love of the sea, however, was too strongly imprinted in him to be long reprssssd; and in 1922 he went to sea aS @ common sailor in The schooner Missouri. which belonged 10 the firm with which he had been employed, and which was in charge of Captain Arnold. The destination was a trading voyage to the West Indies, and land was sighted first at St. Bar tholomew. This was Saturday night, September. 31, 1s23. The date is indeli- bly, fixed upon MT. Forbes mind from an interesting incident:
 The harbor is practically landlocked, there being only one narrow entrance to 1t from the ocean, but within it's spacious basin Is room for many ves- sells. On Sunday, the next day after arrival and before landing could be made, there were ffty-one vessels at anchor in the hArbor and the sailors had all been indulging in a gensral washing Of clothes and preparing for the visit adhere That night hurri- cane struck the island with disastrous results. One vessel lay close enough to, the shore to pass it's chain around . stone house upon the bank and re- mained in ths harbor; the other fifty were blown out to sea and every one lost, with all on board. except the Mis- souri, The Missos,H kad thrown out both anchors and kedge but that only tsmporarily checked her drifting. Boti, masts went by the board and, blown < against the~rocls the 7vsSssl lost rud- der, false kea and deck load.
 After the storm had passsd a jury mast was riggsd and temporary rud- der provided. but the vessel was .vir. <tually at the mercy of the waves for the entire week. AN the water casks had been emptied, and only by the for. tune, of steering into . raanstorm was death prevented. They were diseov. cred on the following Saturday and taken to santa Cruz, where they found the Reaper and Cleaner. both from Middletown and belonging to Alsop and Chauncey. The Missouri was so badl, damaged by the storm. WhaSA had dee. troyed fortyAzine of her companions that she was condemned and sold and the young maa shipped on board the