Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1896-07-12
WOMEN OF THE SEA.
Thee Have Followed . Life on the Wave
fr.un Choice.

These Have Followed = Life ON the Wave
frvm Choice.
The sailors supcrstitious fear that 4
woman's presence on shipbonrd invites
ill-luck has failed to deter women
whose hearts ycarn for the sen from
gratifying this desire. The rages of
the maritime history OF the world
contain the names of many matrons
and girls in various periods who, dis
guised rs men, have followed Il life on
the ocean wave. The majority OF
them not only proved excellent sailor.
but even fought bravely with cutluss.
pike and pistol against the foes of their
native land.
They did not even shrink from sail.
ing under the black flag: for the Eng.
lish Anne Bonny and Mary
Read. Joined the buccaneers, the typ
ical pirates of the Antilles, in order Ia
gain booty to their hearts content.
a German writer gives Il number Of
names Of women who have gone to sea
among which the following are inter
esting:
Jean de lBcllcvillc. TO aveng;, her hue
band. who was murdered i'll III: year
l343 in Paris, fitted out Il squadron al
ships and ruyaged the const of Nor.
mandy. burned castles and illuinincd
the seat Mt night with the glare of bla".
ing villages. Jean lie Bcllcville was
famed in her age as one of the most
beautiful women in Europe.
Sometimes jealousy has sent II youu..
wife to sea in sailor garb. The ballad
of bold Hannah Smell is now known lay
all sailors. This woman was born in
London in 1923, and in the course %,
time married II German sailor TaIuvcl
Jacob SumIns, who squandcrcd her IL.
tie property and then deserted her.
To seek this faithlcss fellow. Hanna.
donned mems attire and went to 81.
Her experiences during her quest
woul fill volumes grave and gay, tra:'.
L. and comic incidents a%ltcrnatcd. Sn'
served only on English men-of-war
took part i'll numerous battles and re-
ccived several wounds. Aftcr many
years she had the news hat Jacob, ia
punishment for n serious crime, had
een put into n sack and thrown into
the sea somewhere in France. From
that time she left the royal service.
where her disguise had never been dis
covered, and returned in woman's
clothes to- London. The government
granted her NJ annual pension of $50
sterling for life. She is said TO have
gone on the stage aftcrward and ac.
quilted herself admirably in sailor
characters.
There are also high-hcarted women
who have performed many brave, he
roic deeds while sailing the seas with
their husbands. Among them Louise
Dittmar, the wife of the captain of the
Prussinn steamer Edgar, deserves the
highest praise. On the way home TIN.
entire crew, except the captain and
helmsman, we're attacked with serious
Illness. The two men undertook Ia at
tend to the engine, while the woman
stood ut the helm and stcercd the ship.
and this was done night and day almost
without relief, for weeks. The steam.
er arrived in port safely, after seven If
the crew had died on the passage. In
this case the valuable vessel had actu-
ally been saved solely by the captains
wife, for il is difficult to estimate what
the two men could have M without
her aid. Captains whose ship owners
forbid them to take their wives with
them might nptly cite rs an opposing
argument of the example OF Louise
Dittmnr.-Detroit Free Press.