The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-05
THE HERO OF THE REAPER.
HOW HARRY, THE CABIN BOY OF
THE STRIP, ATONED FOR HIS
SIN.

H.
Then He Gave Up His own Life TO
save That Of Another.
From the New York Mail and Express.
Everybody who knows anything about
Bath Ne, and her ships must. Of neces-
sity, know the Reaper She is one of those
trim-looking craft that Fenimore Cooper
might naturally have pictured for his
SKINNER OF the Seas. Bulky Of hull.
shaped like a sword FISH, with wings of
enormous spread. there was a time when
the Reaper had more quick work. about
her frame than the twenty periaguas
built into single craft" of which the
great American author used to tell
Few who were anywhere near Bath on
a certain day during the centennial year
can ever forget with what enthusiasm
the Reaper was consigned TO her native
element. She won distinction on the high
seas from the very start. and when it was
not in winning races or carrying notable
cargOes, it was rescuing some poor wretch
clinging TO a piece Of timber. 1t is only
a few years since the Reaper arrived here
the winner of a 1900 miles race around
Cape Horn from Astoria, ore. Her com
petitor on this occasion was the sturdy
and speedy bark Western Belle The sum
of $1,000 was staked on this event, and the
Reaper took the prize. And last February
she brought to George A. Laehkre, of the
produce exchange, the first cargo of wheat
that had come around the Horn in thirty
years, a fit cargo to the first consignment
OF barley that ever came to this city by
water from the Pacific. which she deiiv-
cred here seven years ago.
But the Reaper is now in trouble, and
her many friends will be glad to learn that
the marine doctor entertains hopes OF her
recovery. She is at Portland, where she
arrived the other day, badly broken down
in health and spirits, after the longest ana
toughest passage in her experience from
ocean to ocean, and that is saying a great
deal for a craft that has doubled the Cape
as many times as has the Reaper
Not only were her hull and wings badly
crippled, but she lost a little hero, and
those who remained on the battling craft
were a struggling, emaciated, exhausted
and starved lot when the vessel finally
reached the head of the Columbia river.
None of the marine reports that have
come from the Pacific tell anything about
the Reaper and her eventful trip, and the
story might never have been known on /
this side had not the 9-year-old daughrcr
of Capt. Young, the master OF the vessel,
written briefly of the same TO Mrs. T.
w. Morris of Brooklyn The little girls
name is Henrietta. and she accompanied
her mother to the Pacific coast in the
Reaper. Henrietta is sea nymph If
there ever was one. She loves the sea
as she loves her doll, and not only can
she spin yarn as well as many OF the
foksle hands, but she can write an |
interesting one, too. The friends Of the |
Reaper have her to thank for furnish |
ing the material which is contained IN
There never was a tougher lot of |
"hands" collected at the instance Of any |
shipping master than that which tumOied |
aboard the Reaper as she lay IN the |
stream off Liberty Island last May. Her |
matches were sealed on about as valuable |
a general cargo as has ever gone around |
Cape Horn and the only thing necessary |
10 begin the trip was the bending OF call |
vas Capt Young has had in his time |
great deal of experience with men who |
go to sea, but he never screwed his optics |
on a more maudlin collection OF MANHOOD |
than he saw that day. He shook his |
head in silence, but hopefully looked for |
ward to the time when, as he supposed, |
the men would become sober and perhaps |
turn out to be not sucn BAD lot after |
all. If shippers had the making of sailor |
men the sailing master would nave |
pretty tough wind to tack x agai 1lI but |
obliged to take anything ard everything |
that may be sent aboard.
Hardly had the ship got off shore from
Sandy Hook when the mates discovered |
that half dozen of the sailors who had |
been signed as A. BIS were as green as |
the sheathing on the ships bottom. some |
masters believe in introducing a capstan |
bar on occasions of this kind, but Capt. |
Young is a humane man. and, with a |
sigh he simply logged the men and de- |
termined to put up with bad bargain. |
AS subsequent developments proved, these |
men were the worst GROWERS ana ldlers |
in the whole crew and they. committed |
so many depredations aloft and below that |
through their offerings the provisions |
short and all hands had to confine |
themselves to short allowances for more |
than six weeks before the passage was |
completed. 1t was no use trying to teach |
them anything. They were not the |
learning class. Persuasions were una
vailing and finally the attempt was given
The mess or cabin boy who went in the |
ship was known to the officers as Harry. |
He had never been to sea before, although |
he told Capt Young when he came aboard |
that he had made a deep water voyage |
in an English bark. He was a good lad |
Tor time and ii was not necessary to |
one time or another he had felt the in
nuences of a good mothers hand. He was
only 10 years old, rather tall for his age, |
with full, open face, light curly hair
ana blue eyes that riValed the clearness
Of the sea itself Somehow or other, he
evinced a fondness for that little water
sprlte Henrietta Immediately after she |
came aboard. 1t was one of those at
tachments that an older brother forms
tor his little sister, and at the beginning
Of the passage he made frequent trips
between the cabin and the headquarters |
OF Charley Noble to get some dainty for
ms little queen. But after the ship. had
peen at sea seven weeks it was noticed
mat Harry was irregular in his habits
and that his devotion ITO the little woman
AIT was not as marked as it should be.
Inc lad had had much occasion to assO-
crate with the men in the usual course
OF events, and presently his conference
win the green hands became so frequent
aha pronounced that Capt. Young was
Obliged to reprove him.
4, ~, was Ike casting water on ducks
BACK, though These men seemed to have
SoHle unknown power over the boy but |
Lne extent of this power was not learned !
.hlu the steWardess one day discovered |
mat somebody was stealing the condens-
eu milk. A watch was maintained, but |
SIill the milk continued to.disappear and |
lnaIly the butter began to take French |
IeaVe. Then the flour followed to keep it |
COlupany and was soon Joined by the su-
kar. Inose whose duties called them aft
logan TO suspect one another but never |
loI moment was a thought given to the |
Agnesty OF Harry. Little Henrietta vouch- |
eu Tor him and that was enough. He had |
toid her repeatedly that his ambition was |
w. w. sroW up good, brave man, that he
Hlsht command majestic ship like the
Neaper, and on Sunday Afternoons when |
iig poured over the little finger-stained BIZ
pte that some Christian mother had given |
I'm as an heirloom and read aloud there /
--.nl The Il.