Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-09-24
AROUND THE WORLD
Eorty-Siz Thousand Miles in a Forty
Foot Boat.
ALL ALONE ON THE LITTLE SPRAY
Sailing Along While Her Captain
Ate or Slept.
EX CITING ADVENTURES

Copyright. 1S9S by the International Literary ahd
News Service.l
Those who find an ocean-going steamer
all too small for comfort, when they trust
themselves TO old Neptune's mercy, should,
if possible. take a look at the Spray of
Boston and then mediate on the 5000
miles Of b-ine through which She has thrust
her blunt bows.
The Sprays builder and owner is Cap
tain Joshua Slocum. who combines the va
ried functions OF AL hands and the cook
aboard dis unique craft, in which he has
just completed one Of the most remarka-
bic voyages on record. Captain Slocum is
all that a Geep-sea salt SHOULD be. accord
ing to the best traditions developed in the
minds Of he young by Marryats thrilling
ronances Of adventure atloat. He would
ci.eerfuIly 90 10 sea on a plank. if moth
ing better offered. rather than risk those
dangers which, as every sailor knows,
threaten tn Iandsman at every turn. He
has sailed, at ona time or another in al
most every sort and variety Of craft that
can he UanJioued. and he has the utmost
Confidence IN his ability to fetch a port az
proper intervals
= 4O-fOot yawl. such as the Spray. he
considers about the right sort of a boat
Tor a voyage around the world. If he were
St4st5 t-ltl-ll8 tlSIaDtt. say to san Fran
cisco or England, he would not be so par
tiCular- t,It for a really long sail such
as 46.'@" miles. ne is Of the opinion that
one needs S1r0e thing OF q ship, and 4O-fOot
Planklng, with width Of Il feet and a
oepth OF - feet inches. meets these re-
qLirernentS Of size and safety.
Inc captain halls from Nova Scotia but
IL long cry, as he shipped on his first
voyage some Iorty~flve years ago, and has
beeh the deepest sort OF u dcep-sea sailor
ever since
Notwithstanding his years Of wandering.
he has found time to marry and rear a
fanny Ills children have been character
4SufaiS irohga in the matter Of birth
places one son was born in Hong Lyonf,
harbor, two in the Philippines and a daurb-
ter at San Francisco.
\ >hipyvrcckcd Family.
Several years ago the captain, with his
VIE and family. was wrecked off the coast
Of Brazil. From the wreckage of his bark
the AcquinG!ck. which claimed Baltimore
as her home port, he built a small yayvI
In it he made his way down the coast of
South America. around the Horn and ND
70 New York. matter Of 700 miles. This
peat the Lberdad. is now in the Smith
8 man institute, Washington, a prominent
II silent witness 10 the courage and insa-
nuity Of q man who refused to be worst-I
by storm or shipwreck
1t was the success of this voyage in n
NfNTl' NLtS.At tttstt AAAICei captain SiOFurl
to build the Spray, and start on his LONG
and lonely cruise around the world Three
years AMI a half ago he began work on
ms ioFty-fo otter. Il had but dollar and
haH 10 my name when 1 commenced
her. said he in telling his story. land she
is all my own work. Every stick of tim
Der / shaped ana put III place / drove
every rail and fastened every bolt She
IS wonderfully stanch and seaworthy. and
as water-iGht as any lron-clad af1oat In
all the pounding she has had, and she has
lLn more Than q cap full Of wind she has
not started "a seam. I have never once had
occasion L" use the pump"
The Spray has cabin aft which the
captain cesiguates as ''rOomy." though the
nnnauticaI visitor may silently agree to
differ with him on this point II has inst
one berth. for Captain Slocum made his
famous voyage without companion but
as he explains. he was not lonely as he
had plenty To think about"
1t would be difficult To- find n moro in
teTesting place than this cabin. in which
tall man would have some trouble i'm
standing upright. Ranged around its
walls or slowed away forward under the
deck IS most Interesting collection Of war
clubs, spears. swords shields aud a hun
orcd and one odds and ends picked nm in
the various Out-of-t he-way ports the SDrav
visited O:e ugly looking war club. COW
cred with dark stains came from Africa
as did also heavy rawnidc shield with
q curious wicker covering. Another club
and some spears came from Samoa There
We're swords from China and Japan. \
particularly interesting ncmeuto of the
visit to Samoa are The Sailing Directions
in the Mediterranean and the Indian
Ocean," presented Captain Siocurn by Mrs
Robert Louis Stevenson. on the first
page is written: These books have been
read and reread by my husband and
feel sure. that he would be pleased to have
them passed on to the sort of seafarinz
man whom he loved above all others"
\ Floating Lfbrary's Gems.
These volumes are given a conspicuous
place in the captains little library, which
includes a Bible, set of Shakespeare,