The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-12-07
A STORY FROM THE SEA.
Mutiny Follows the Death Of q
Crazy Captain.
iUNGER AND THIRST AND
HATRED.
HUNGER

The Voyage of the Bark Oakland Was AZ
| DISMAL as any of Those Narrated by
Clark Russell.
(From the San Francisco Examiner.
With her Captain dead, her water and
provisions almost gone, her mate con-
stantly armed, her crew surly, and hel
steward in open rebellion, the famous ole
bark Oakland came slowly, almost pain
fully, through the Heads yesterday. The
great, strong tug that was putting away
at the end of the hawser stretched over
the Oakland's bow could easily have
towed clean vessel twice the size al
double the speed. So covered with great,
red barnacles was the bark's bottom that
she moved through the water like giant
sponge.
The Oakland was sixty .one days out on
the way from San Jose de Guatemala to
Port Madison, and she put in here be.
cause Capt. MoGuisr SO ordered on his
death bed. The gruesome novelty of these
sailing orders was perfectly in harmony
with everything about the bark In all
respects the Oakland looked like float
ing funeral. Her flag was at half-mast.
andEevery man on board wore that..sorrow-
full aspect suggestive of death, hunger,
and disaster. Even when at anchor in
the stream the experiences with which
the voyage of the Oakland was crowded
were not at an end, for the mate was
watching his chance to get ON shore to
| cause the arrest of the steward for the
fearful offense of mutiny. and the stew
ard Was trying to drop off into White
hall to take steps to prevent the mate
from being careless with the Captains
money.
The bark went to San Jose with load
of lum Der from Port Madison. Her mas
ter, Capt. McGuier, was one of the most
widely known sea Captains on this coast.
For three decades he had been in the
ooasting trade here. and at the age of
sixty three he had accum ulated compe-
tency by years of CAREFUL never-ending
thrift. The very vessel in which he sailed
as Captain was really his, for he held the
mortgage on her that her ostensible own
ers never hope to raise
When the bark reached the port at San
Jose de Guatemala, Capt. MoGuier was
really ill. He was built OF such sturdy
stock, however, that even in the face of
painful sickness he would not give up
That would be expected of a man born in
such a rugged town as Thomaston, Me-,
and who had FOLLOWED the sea all of his
long life. The vessel sailed on the return
trip Sept. 10, and the Captain, in spite
of the treacherous condition Of his health
went to sea without signing second
mate He and his chief officer, Mate
Lorentsen, were the only navigators on
board. The bark was provisioned for
fifty days, and it seemed that that would
surely be enough. for the usual trip from
Guatemala to the sound is not more than
forty days.
The very day after leaving port the
Captain began to fail. He showed mani
fest signs Of breaking down-a complete
surrender to old age and pain. Three
weeks passed, and the Captain was fail
ing SO rapidly that he finally told the
mate to take charge and kept very close
ly to his room. Then Capt. McGuier
grew Tightly. At times he was completely
out of his head. With contrary winds
and a crazy Captain the bark was indeed
in a serious predicament.
One day the Captain fell upon the floor
in the cabin in what resembled spasm.
When he came out of it he called the mate
and said: "My end is near now; can
feel it, and I know it's coming. This
is my last voyage; I am near my last
port wish you would take hold of
everything here just as if was gone. Do
the best you can by the boys, but make
San Diego with me if you can before I
die.''
81 will, Sir" said the mate II will
do everything cam
The next day Capt McGuier had an
other Eighty spell, and in his wildness
went into the chartroom and pulling
down the chronometer smashed 1T on the
floor. This was indeed serious matter
for the ship. Lest the Captain should
destroy. compass as we'll as chronometer,
the mate ordered two of the men to stay
constantly in the Captains room to guard
him and keep him from injuring either
himself or the ship.
Taking two men to guard the Captain
left only one man to spare on deck. The
breaking of the chrocometer, too, was
most serious, for the welfare of the YES
sci depends largely on the keeping Of
the proper time. The mate took the broken
instrument and fixed it up as best he
could, but, from the time the Captain.
in his wildness, threw it on the floor, it
never once kept the right time. From
that moment even the whereabouts Of
the ship was an uncertainty. Perhaps it
was heading full Oh toward danger, and
perhaps disaster might suddenly close the
eventful voyage.
BY his observations the mate was able
to fix nothing but the latitude the bark
was in. The longitude was made by
dead raoLcsino AS the result ,,roved