The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-10-23
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fa Eh""t tAa htANh arms ~ tic
two occupantsi Il is the most 70.
markablo water feat that has
been accomplished, aud the pluck and
skill Of these two sailors will 20 down
into history. Ono OF tho men, Frank
Harbo, was the originator OF the ex.
petition. He was an expert sailor.
brought up on tho sea almost
for before ho was sixteen be
had been graduated from a
sailors school in Sweden and
had started on hio nrst voyage. When
he was eighteen no camo to America,
and IN the fourteen years Of HE resi-
dence here he has followed sea work
Tor living. He had long had the
idea that be could cross tho Atlantic
10 row boat, and last winter ho do
termined 10 carry Il out Ho had bis
boat built here under his especial SUI
pervision. 1t is eighteen feet long
and weighs 200 pounds. Without its
load It drew only three inches aud
loaded only seven inches It had no
cabin, but there was q water tank
htted In each end Of it to hold fresh
water, and canvas stretched over
one Of the tanks served as O place
under which the men slept Having
got his boat ready Harbo found
friend, George Fox, another
swede, who was as eager as himeslf
to make the adventurous trial. On
the 9th day Of June last the men
rowed down the bay followed by
cheers OF thousands Of spectators
along the shores, most Of whom we're
free to predict that the men would
never be heard of again. The men
we're very sure, however, that they
could make the trip and said they
would reach the Scilly Islands, off the
coast of France, in forty or forty-five
days. They did reach there August
ffty-hye days from the start, which is
quite as near accuracy as could be ex-
pected, considering no one had ever
tried the trip, to know how long it
might take or if it could be
done at all. The men rowed all
night, taking turns in sleeping
five hours each in the daytime. In
stormy weather each man had stout
line tied around his waist, the other
end attached to his seat, so that if the
boat should upset and drift off on a
big wave he could quickly pull him
self back to it. The accounts of their
trip have not yet been received, but it
Is already reported that they upset
only once, aud that beyond being
! somewhat exhausted after their long
pull they are quite we'll. They carried
r canned meats and vegetables and
+ plenty of oatmeal. This latter food
D can, it seems, be used with half sail
9 water, probably because it absorbs SC
much salt, and they thought if their
supply of fresh water ran low the oat-
meal would prove very useful. Oh
course the season at which they
: crossed was the time when the
ocean is its calmest; but July storms,
i il short, are often severe, and il
u any of you have ever watched
e rowboat on the waters of the East o.
0 North River on a rough day and no
ticed how slow was it's Roadway anC
r how carefully it had to be managed t,
keep from upsetting, you may hav
n some idea of the extraordinary sailin,
IS skill which has been displayed b,
e these Swedes, to say nothing of til,
d courage which was needed to under
t take the trip, OF course the trip wa
: foolhardy and unnecessary, for no on
!, expects that rowboats crossing th
It ocean will become common. But til
II daring and EXPERIENCES of the men car
g not be questioned, and they and thei
staunch little boat will be objects c
IS interested curiosity wherever they &c
Is OF one thing, however, you may b
sure-they are not going to row bach
10 New York Times.
d