The sun., 1896-07-13
FROM F0'CASTLE TO FORUM,
SENATOR PERKINS, EARLY DATa
BEFORE THE MAST.
The Adventurous Career OF Chhtornia
Statesman - Stalled Around the Horn
Vyhen Mo Was n YounEster OF Ia

tn. Aaverturour Career or n Cniifornia
Statesman Stalled Around the Horn
when Ho Was YounEster OF Ia
From the Washington Post
senator Perkins has lived a life full OF ro
nance, and his experiences contain az many
chance meetings with old cronies att9T many
years as do most mclodramas. Senator Ter
kins has often been asked how he came to 20
to California, but whcr he starts to tell tue
story the many interesting tales which spring
up on the way often prevent him from arriV.
ing at the point. As an ordinary seaman bo'
fore tho mast he sailed many voyages on the
Atlantic before he finally decided to sail
around Cape Horn. He WAS only ls when he
landed In California, and his previous OK
periences had been those of q boy acting In the
capacity OF man.
I'm tho spring Of '53 I reached New Or
leans" said tho Senator recently, ana FOUND
1t In tho mi6st OF the worst yellow fever cpl
demic that had ever occurred there. took
the fever myself and fingered along for SOW
eral months between life and death. on the
o3d of August. the day when the epidemic
reached its worst. and there were 4oo deaths
in twenty four hours. came near diving my
self; but I pulled through. When left the
hospital weighed sixty-nino pounds, but
soon got into shape and shipped to Boston, and
went homo to Kennebunkport 70 show my re-
mains to my family. They wanted to Keep
me home but wouldn't stay. The chip Lizzie
Thompson had just been finished at Bath. Me-,
and I shipped aboard of her. and we went to
New Brunswick. where we took on load OF
deal, with which We started for btverTool We
carried ninety in the Grew, and they were
shipped at thirteen pounds and ton shillings
for tho voyage out and back.
six days out and we had an interesting de-
velopment. The ship began to leak. She was
new and untrled. and tho calking began to
work out Of her seams. The Captain was not
much concerned about this, as such was eT-
pected. I'm measure. OF any new vessel 10
was necessary to man the pumps. and here the
and talk together in knots about the vessel,
and finally the whole ship'r crew. with the ex-
sRrSR Sas SRpped for sT the rst time aud myss
fused to 20 to the pumps. There WAS a tuil-
edgsd mntny on The hrsf DR. I'm mate t ti sWore s he
body, and he went forward with big marlin;
spike and BEGAN to lay out the first crowd Of
for a while. but presently they turned on hin,
and the game was up with the hrst mate pret'
ally soaked with the blood Of 'frst-class seamen'
and sSa e b n Tbe w boT sas
%bo ad seem ths sort Of thing for the S
time huddled together In the forecastle. friRhu
ened out of their wits; and J., who S, had d,a ;eea
four years OF service then, found the incidens
quite as exciting as yearned tor.
There was nothing to do but 70 return
where we had started from. and there we ar:
rived with two or three feet Of water in the hold
and with AS sullen and ugly looking q crew as
were arrested Immediately upon arrival in
port, and we stayed ANCHORED in stream while
dock and onr vessel was caulked, and we were
ready for sea again. Some of the crew had
active parts returned to the ship again on pro-
bation, and we were ready once more to sail
that The three fS5 Boys WSu had shppd
and the captain ,t felt a measure of resp9}nsi,
boys had dsgusted them with the Lizzie
Thompson; and they we're exceedingly anxious
though had no intention m sseif of deserving
and / saw that they were not the stuff that
no harm would come to the ship If they left
her So laid plan h 70 tis get them r, away al
though the Saptala had refused % hnen snem o, re-
were statioDsd on board 10 prevent any OF the
new men who had shipped with us from being
persua led by any disconnected hands who
might have remained on board to desert at the
first moment.
the hour when the harbor police were taking
their dinner at about q O'Clock. The Captain
The The boys boys we're we're ali forward and the police ali
aft with the ships boats floating astern. I
III anS softly If Of to sna
boats. To this attached a long line. which
I ran along the outside Of the Fail to point
lily hauled on this line and gradually brought
the boat up to where the boys could slip down
tow toward h' dark. The Boys tumbled T into S the
boat. one after another. and two Of them
contain a ns Th
chest, WHICH II we had dropped it into tho
boat would have caved the bottom out of her,
and much against ais will he was forced 10
take out his things ami drop them helter-
skelter into the boat then came down my
tide which runs In those waters swept Us up
stream Mt its own sweet will.
I'VE had not gone u hundred yards before
1t was discovered that one of the ships boats
vas yi missng, s; and howl went up from tho
To bEpr bae bc f5 boat u.s. p S
depended on it we four youngsters could not
have stemmed the tremendous current In
feet. While the harbor police were making
an investigation on board and were discover:
out OF their sight in the eloaming.
There were many ships further MP the
oRH ps Srs Te wS fSe in sh #
them out Of that by telling them that thew
Lizzie Thompson II they did. So put two of
them, much against their will. aboard the de-
the darkness. and told them to stow them
selves away in her cargo until the brig hal
ST reea The h5s s
bark IN Ike manner. and left him very
sorry mat ne had not stayed on his own ship
Then | was alone in small boat with. a
problem before me OF getting back from
where had started.
should never have COTTON back II the
tide had not turned. but when II did went
down the stream rs rapidly as | had come
up. and three hours later managed with
some difficulty to grab hold OF a line from
my my ship rs swept down upon her at a bowl
Ing gait. could hear a council OF war going
on in the cabin as taste ned my boat ,Sberss
she belonged. They were explaining to the
Cartaip how we had gotten away, and I
didn't believe that George Perkins wouid run
away. Very soon was In his presence. and.
although Capt. Smith gave me a dressing
down l could see that he was not sorry To
lie questioned me very closely but all ba
could get out OF me was that had left tho
Three boys on other vessels lying in the stream.
able TO fnd again IL wanted to. The Car. So
ain made ms get into boat. and we wers
,sa ,swH UP the stream against the tide with
tne captain making all sorts OF threats apainst