The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-12
HIS vAR|E0 LIFE At SEA
Captain Buckman's Experiences
With Farragut, Evans, Dewey.
TOOK TO SEA TO REFORM
"reminiscences as q Sailor for Forty Years
Vain Attempts to Drive Supersti.
ton From His Men-An In
corrigible New York Boy.

Among those persons In Franklin
county, Pa. who followed the move
ments of the navy of the United States
with keen interest was John II. Buck
man. a retired sea captain Of many
years experience on the waters of both
hemispheres. He now resides On a
farm Of more than 200 acres near Fay
ettevflle. An Ir.shman of good family.
but long a wanderer from the parental
hearthstone; an American by adoption.
a sailor from choice and a participant
in the sea fights during the sixties. be-
cause OF his love for the union, he has
had a varied and interesting lifetime.
He was a sailor 10 years before the civil
war and he served in the war under
some of the officers. then li~eutenants,
who attained new celebrity in the re-
cent war.
He was on the Hartford under Ad-
miral Faragut when that fearless COM
mander approached the defences Of
New Orleans I'm April, 1862. and saw
Faragut standing on the forerigging
Of his ship. with one arm through the
ratings. but he did not see an officer
or a sailor lash him TO the mast, nor
does he believe that the admiral was so
protected from probable accident. It's
hardly right to take away from the ro-
mance Of hat days great. work by
the gallant admiral" reflects Captain
Buchanan, but facts must always re-
main facts"
Perhaps the officer OF whom Captain
Buchanan has the greatest affection is
Captain Bob" Evans. When the land
attack was made on Fort Fisher on
Jan. Is. 1865. Lieutenant Evans was
leader of a scaling party and was at
the head of his men. A quick rush was
made for a ladder. and there was m
ulation among h party to reach 1t
first. Lieutenant Evans beat Buck
man to the ladder by about six feet,
and as he climbed up its rungs he was
hit by a rifle ball in the thigh, receiving
the injury which yet causes him to
walk lamely. 81 have always thought
l ave reason to be grateful to Bob
Evans that he was the feeter of foot"
remarks Captain Buchanan. We made
a hard run to be there first, but IL vas
only for a second that | was sorry my
legs had failed my ambition"
d Captain Buchanan sailed under Ad-
miral Dewey and has no fear that
Americas interests will suffer in the
Philippines as long as that magnificent
naval officer and diplomat is there. He
~eulogizes the irmness and GOODNESS of
the admiral. n his superior fitness for
his place. hat Dewey was always a
man of Captain buchanan 81
illustrates by a story of an occurrence in
Boston harbor. A lot of green Irish
men a been sent to his ship. He or
dered them aloft, but they refused 10
go. apparently afraid to risk their
necks so far from deck. Dewey thought
over the matter a moment. and sem out
to a store for a a dozen hods. When
they were obtained he ordered the Ir-
ishmen to carry bricks to one OF the
cross-pieces and lay them there. and
Captain buchanan says he and his COM
rades were somewhat surprised at the
alacrity with which the lrishmen, hods
over their shoulders, climbed aloft.
Once an Irishman got the better of
Dewey. then a lieutenant commander,
in n brief passage of words. The ship
was being prepared at Boston for sea.
Dewey asked the Irishman whether he
had ever been To sea" The quick re
Spouse a
And how do you think ! came TO
this country. I'm a donk cart?"
OF course. Captain Buchanan has a
store of "reminiscences of the sea that
is almost unfathomable. He was a
sailor for 40 years. and knows the
legends and the customs Of sailors. He
Is familiar with all the superstitions
of Jack and does not believe I'm m
of them, yet he confesses that. he has
had some experiences that are hard to
explain. The Firms are the most super
~stitious sailors. They are great wan
and inoculate nearly all the rest
of the sailors with their superstitions.
Captain Buchanan tells several incl
dents OF the remarkable hold this "un-
canny power has on them. on the
Wild Rover. OF which he was cap
tain, he had a Finn as carpenter. one
day the carpenter was squaring a piece
o. timber and placed his watch on the
rail. In reply to a query as to whether
he was not afraid some one would take
IL. he replied:
bring il back" He placed his purse on
top Of IL to show his confidence. and
said:
Il will leave that there until sunset,
and l dare any man to take It. II he
does. he will bring II back. | say-that
Is. IL he can"
Not one of the motley crew would
touch the pile. but Captain Buchanan
watched his opportunity and put the
articles In his pocket. Peterson. the
carpenter. when he observed his loss.
performed all sorts of jugglery. He
tool three hairs. three drops Of water
from the tank and three from the
ocean. put all i'm a bottle and shook
IL violently. all the time "blathering
like Shakespeare's witches" and then
threw IL overheard. He informed the
captain that the crew would be a man
short next morning: that the charms
ne had worked would drive the thief
to jump overheard and drown himself.
Lest he might be suspected Of injuring
the sailor who was doomed to DaNy
Jones locker, he requested the cap
tain To lock him up. He was not
locked up. N all hands reported next
morning. For "A week there was almost
as much trouble aboard as II the thief
had been murdered or drowned. for
the sailors could not understand why
the charm had failed Co work. and
they waited. I'm a state Of nervous eN-
pectancy that lmost produced insubur-
dination. for the blow To fall each day.
At the end Of a week the captain re-
stored the money and watch and en-
deavored TO preach a lesson ON the ali