The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-08-30

senator, and he broke into carefully
prepared speech to tell something OF
what navigation around The Horn was
His description of the waves running
mountain high, the difficulty expert
enced 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 before they could make a
trip was very entertaining to his col
leagues Mr.. Perkins, having first sal led
as mariner, in after life made the trip
in his own vessels He had also brought
vessels around for other people.
He admits now that he has no han
kering 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 the orient All
of his seafaring life was not prosperous,
main and seek his fortune he worked his
passage to the port Of San Francisco and
also his passage to the mines. He began
his California career as porter in
store in Orcville Il store that was then
doing business Of $1,000 per month.
He soon got control Of the business, and
it grew rapidly until it reached the
,,fG 4~nn
While he is prosperous business man
and engaged in immense affairs, he likes
to revert to the days of his early strug-
giles and is not ashamed to have it
known that he was a sailor boy. One of
his interesting stories is of an adventure
he had in Christiania, the capital of
Norway He was the youngest of u party
ON shore leave, and having vontured far
away from the beaten paths of sailors in
their efforts to see the city the men en-
tered the kings palace in the midst of
some grand fete then in progress They
were not discovered for some time, but
finally the Older men Of the party, hay
ing imbihcd too much wine, began soar
ing the American eagle and exploiting
their views in il way that was far from
satisfactory to the Norsemcn. They also |
became too familiar with the ruddy |
checked NorscWomen, and this was |
soon resented in IA manner that looked |
as if they would all be taken prisoners
or killed before they got ont Of the
hands of the men who We're ready to
fight like vikings.
Mr.. Perkins was the only man of the
party who had not been drinking, and
who had not given cause for umbrage,
but being with the other American sail
ors he was i'll for the same fate as his
1t was because he had kept
sober that escape was possible He had
noticed a side entrance. leading to a part
of the palace grounds, which was not
thrown open TO the crowds in the other
parts of the building. When in the
course of the scrimmage the Americans
reached this entrance, he induced his
to bolt through it, This they
successfully did, shaking off their ussail
lnts and walking past a sleepy sentinel
)ut into the park The soldiers woke up
II time to parlcy with their pursuers
md while this was going on the sailors
made run through the park scaled the
walls and found themselves in strange
part Of the town. After two or thee ;
iours wandering they again got their
bearings and returned aboard ship, The
authorities made every effort {
o ascertain the identity of the sailors
Who had created the disturbance, but
he silence Of the ships officers, who did
lot want any Of their sailors detained, ,
md the bold declaration that no leaves +
# absence had been granted any of the e
rev the night Of the disturbance prob. t
bly, prevented an international comIli. !
alton which might have resulted III /
ontinement Of the future senator for a
lme III a Norwegian prison.