The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-08-03

land, Wales, France, Germany, Spain and
the countries bordering on tho Mcditcrra-
mean sea. Hc has had adventures, too, and
when In the mood he can entertain his fell
low senators with romances Of tho sea that
equal tho tales of Marryat
One story of tho romantic side of IA sail
or's life Is told by the California senator,
story which shows that truth is indeed
stranger thnn fiction. He shipped with
brig loaded with lumber from ST. John,
n. b., bound for Dublin. Among the crew
wero three boys younger than himself
The brig Lizzie Thompson had never been
to sea, and she was found to be unsca-
worthy after few days out. The crew, in
Guiding tho boys, consisted of but 13
hands. The boys got sick and did not
want to go any farther after the brig be.
gan to leak. The men did not like the
looks of things and mutinicd. They refused
to work tho pumps and insisted TINT tho
vessel should be put back, and the captain
wns finally compelled to yield.
That he was wild about being forced to
do something against his will by the lnu-
tiny of tho crew those who know the ma
ture of the average sea captain of 40 years
ago will easily imagine.
They came back to st. John and nm
chored, awaiting the action Of the authori-
ties The three boys were Disguised with
the whole smiling business and had had
enough Of the sea- Perkins agreed to get
them off and away. He chose a time when
the tide was coming In and tho current
was very strong. Tho lido rises 20 feet at
st. John, higher than at any other port in
the world. He got the three boys in boat
and was about to let go when one of them
refused to go unless his chest was carried
along rs well. This was impossible, and
the boy clambcred out, leaving Perkins
and the other two in the boat. A long limo
was attached to tho painter of tho boat,
and they slipped away from the ship rs If
they were merely having little frolic on
the tide. But tho rope soon parted, as Per
kins knew 1t would, and the boat sped
away on the tide like an arrow. The bows
were taken to place Of safety, and Oh the
ebb tide Perkins returned. or course il was
an accident, and he was not large enough
to bring back two boys nearly as large as
himself. The fact that he returned was
evidence Of his good faith, and neither he
nor any member of the crow was punished
for mutiny. The ship was repaired and
made an unovcntful voyage. The boys he
helped to get away shipped on brig tc
Providence, and he lost sight of them.
Last year big fellow walked into Mr..
Perkins office in Oakland and asked him
If his name was George Clements. He said
Yes, for that was the name he went by
In his scafaring days. "Well," responded
the big fellow, 81 am one of those boys
you helped get away from the Lizzie
Thompson in St. John harbor." He soon
proved his truthfulness by mentioning in
cidents which none but he could know.
He had had quito varied experience, hay
Ing been through the entire war; and after
1t was over settled in San JOSE Cal He
did not know that the prominent shipown-
or and merchant, George c. Perkins, was
once his shipmatc, ana it was only after
Mr. Perkins was elected to the senate.
when some of his early history was pub
iished Us we'll as tho fact that he was in
his younger days known as George Glenn
ents that 1t occurred to him that his
boyhood friend and tho senator were tho
same person. Both had seen much of life
since they parted on the ct. Johns tide.
Once when Mr.. Perkins was making q
speech In tho senate in favor of the Mica
ragua canal bill another senator interrupt
ed him ns he was telling about the Diff
culties OF shipment by way of Cape Horn
and asked If he had ever sailed around the
cape. Il sailed around Cape Horn before
the mast when was 16 years old, +" replied
Ihe California senator, and he broke into n
carefully prepared speech to tell something
OF what navigation around the Horn was.
his description of the waves running
mountain high, the difficulty experienced
whether ships went by way of Magellan
strait or on the outer course and how they
often had to turn and run before the wind
and wait for weeks for better weather be-
fore they could make trip was very en-
Pertaining to his colleagues Mr. Perkins.
having first sailed As mariner in after life
made the trip in his own vessels. He had
also brought vessels around for other pco
pie
He admits now that he has no laundering
for trip by the way of Cape Horn and
says that shipping that way in the best
built vessels of today will be attended by
loss of property and life, to say nothing Of
the length of the trips. Senator Perkins
has several times crossed the isthmus of
Panama and has made extensive trips in
che orient All of his scafaring life was
aot prosperous, and when he won't 20 Cali