The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-01-02

Etruria,s Present Trip Likely Paynter's
Last--Has Sailed On the Steamship
Since She Was Launched, and Has Been
Forgive Years in the Service of: the
Cunard Line,
New York Sun.
When the Cunard line steamship
Etruria sails this morning, it will carry
away from these shores for the last time
George. Paynter, known throughout Eng
land as the cold Man of the Sea. - For
forty -eiaht years Paynter has sailed the
ocean in gold weather and tad. and
forty five years of that time has been
spent insthe service of the Cunard line.
Paynter is one Of the most remarkable
men afoat today. lie is rs years old,
strong and hearty, and he does his work
as well today as he did twenty years ago.
although in all that time he has not had
an assistants add ed to his staff.
Paynter Is the man who has charge of
the wines and liquors on the Etruria.
He joined the steamer when she went
into com mission in 1885, and has been
with her sver SINCE No one who has
ever crossed the Atlantic on the Etruria
is apt to forget Paynter. If they don't
rememb him by name they will re-
member him as the understood old man
with the rolling gait and the merry
round face which is SO good an index to
the man Is whole character. They will re-
member him, too as the good -patured
old man who spent so much time walk
ing around the docks and visiting state
rooms to try and alleviate the sufferings
of seasick people from his own private
stock of remedies-and if they ever talked
to him they will recall him as the old
man who had SO many yarns with which
to cheer up the unhappy.
Paynter has in a measure made up his
mind to quit the sea. 1t has taken him
five years.to reach this conclusion, and
he says that there is nothing certain
about it even now. sit isn't easy, my
boy, "he said the other day, ''to think of
the old ship going out without you for
the first time since she was built. I've
said to myself, many time in these last
five years that I'd quit. but always
weaken when see the boys getting ready
for the trip. and my locker stays in the
old place. .
Paynter has wife and family of
grown up and married children In his
home at Liverpool, and 1t is to give
them chance to cultivate his sacquaint-
ance that he has decided to leave the
Cunard service when the Etruria reaches
the other side. His days on the sea have
been almost three to every one spent on
land, and before he wentaa into the At
lantic service he was for years with the
Thestrip beginning rnext Saturday will
beshis.804 across the Atlantic Ocean,
which is more by severalg dozens than any
other living man has made.
That he bad made more trips than any
other man was settled when San English
paper some months ago offered a prize to
the man who could prove that he had
crossed the Atlantic oftenest. The prize
was 10 pounds, and whsnS Paynter's at
tention was called to 1t he declined to
send in his name to the paper or to allow
his friends to do it. 81 don t want any
of tneir prizes" he said. "The company
don't pay me to make capital out of my
service.
The result was that the prize went to
700 trips. Then the English papers be-
gan to exploit Capt. Brooks al the Oldest
seaman in the Atlantic service, and
Paynter's friends resolved to ignore his
wishes in the matter and rectify the mis-
take. The editor of the publication made
an investigation, and finding that the
claims of Paynter's friends were true, he
awarded the old man silver medal
suitably inscribed Paynter has the
medal on big frame on the wall of the
parlor of his Liverpool house.
A Sun reporter found him in the
pantry of the Etruria the other day. The
old man was surrounded by attaches of
the boat and they were laughing mer
rily at something he had said.
The very bloomin'est old wonder of
a man ever see, remarked the pantry
man whom the reporter spoke to. "Hey,
there, Paynterl 'Ere's gentleman as
wants to talk to yer.
Paynter eyed the reporter suspiciously.
and when the latter had stated his bust
ness he smiled and said:
"Why, l don't want anything more
written about me. Why, chap talked
to for five minutes in Liverpool once
me, and it's fact he told me more
about myself than 1 knew before, and
when l came to reckon on it. darn me
if it wasn't all true.
''Ah, soy, why don t yer talk ter the
gentleinan?" exclaimed one of the pam
trymen TELL i'm 'ow yer got that eye.
There was laughEfrom all hthe men at
this. and Paynter, pointing to black
mark under his left eye, said:
"Bag yer leads, all of you. Mr.. Report
er, ISgot that eye by falling over chain
on dack the other night, and"
"Oh, say, Paynter, an you "a years
old, VI Interrupted the pantry man.
"Hes n bit of q chatter, that fellow,
went on Paynter. "But leaving the eye,
there ism much can tell you about
myself. WAS born in the north OF Wales,
in the Anglssea Islands, you know, and
being thrown In with sea-faring people,
got the idea that l wanted to be "a sea-
man, too. My father was not a seaman,
neither were any Of my brothers, but
shipped on % schooner when ] was about
80 years old going before the mast. OF
course it was hard life, but liked 1T,
and when l came back from my first trip
had firmly made up my mind to stick
to the sea. / sailed on several other sail
ing vessels, and then entered the Cunsrd
service. Since that time I have done
about everything n man can do in the
stewards department Of sn ocean liner.
During the years l was with the Medi-
terranenn feet kept changing from YES