Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-03-17
A MUTINY AT SEA.
BY CHARLES B. LEWIS.

The Norwich was bark of about 700
tons, plying between Liverpool and the
South American coast, and she carried
from to l 5 passengers on her outward
trip. OF the ten passengers two were
servant girls going out to English fam
lilies, five were men who were in search
of health or adventure, and the other
three consisted of man, his wife and a
daughter 10 years old. The crew was
made up of Englishmen, Americans,
Swedes and lascars and was neither
better nor worse than the average. That
trouble came, followed by tragedy,
was not their fault as crew, though
some of them had to suffer for it.
1t was my second voyage as an ap-
prentice, and though was not taken
into the confidence of the men came
to know all From the hour of taking
command Captain Shaw showed himself
to be one of the most cruel and hard
hearted masters afloat. He had been al
lowed to select new mates to please
himself, and they were men after his
own heart. We were not yet off sound
ings when the officers began knocking
the men about, and inside of three days
the crew were a unit in declaring that
the bark was a floating hell.
The crew of the Norwich were will
ing lot, and they had no fault to find
about being weak handed or with the
provisions. So far as I could observe
and SO far as testimony went later on,
they gave the officers no cause for knock
ing them about as was done. When we
were four days out, one man was laid
up with broken arm, second was in
his bunk with a broken head, and no
man had escaped being knocked down.
/ had been ropes ended and kicked and
cuffed by the chief mate, in whose
watch was, until some of the passen-
gers went to Captain Shaw to complain,
and yet no boy was willing to work
harder or run faster at the word of COM
mand.
The protests of the passengers caused
row aft and change in the usage of
the crew. AS to the change, the mates
were instructed not to exhibit temper
while the passengers were about, but at
night, when they could do it unobseryed,
they knocked the men about with more
heartiness than before. The sailor with
the broken arm would have had no care
at all except for the passengers, and the
fact that he was an incum brance seemed
to harden the hearts of the officers
against all the rest of u.s. Unless there
is treasure on board to be seized and di-
vided mutiny is matter to grow by
slow degrees. It is rare that mutiny
comes about through i'll usage. The
average sailor will submit to thirst,
hunger and cruelty hundred times
over before he is ready to rise in def
ance and take the ship out of the hands
of her lawful officers. But there is a
limit to even what sailors can stand
But for the sympathy clearly shown by
the single men among the passengers
there might have been no mutiny, al
though / am sure that after the first
week afoat some of the men were plot
ting to make an example Of the mate by
striking him down during his watch
and throwing his body overheard. It
was not that the passengers came among
us and expressed their sympathy in
SO many words. though a word was
dropped now and then, but their looks
and actions plainly told US with whom
they took sides. While that sympathy
was merited and justly placed, it was a
dangerous thing for all concerned and
led to lamentable results. Had the men
not been sure of it they would have
turned for revenge in some other direc-
tion. One life might have been taken,
but things would have stopped there.
AS said, the men did not take me
into their confidence, as | was only a
boy, and they feared me, but saw and
heard enough to satisfy me of the gen.
eral feeling and to make sure, after we
had got down to the south of the Azores,
that climax was at hand. We were a
short handed crew when we left Liver
pool, and one able seaman was laid up
almost at once, and from that time on
more or less of the men were partly dis
abled. This made it hard work to sail
the bark, and ON several occasions both
mates had to go aloft to help out. What
brought the climax to a head was the
action Of the mate one night soon after
coming on watch at midnight We had
following wind and plenty Of it, aud
though one of the best men in the ship
was at the wheel the incest steering
could not prevs-5 her from swing
ing off her course now and then. Had
there been two men at the wheel the re-
suit would have been the same, and it
was something not to be found fault
with under the circumstances. The
mate, however, used it as an excuse to
attack the sailor and do him grievous
damage, and as the poor fellow lay on
| the deck unconscious he was kicked in
the face again and again. When the
watch on deck saw this, they rushed aft
in a body and attacked the mate He
made hot fight of it. but was thrown
overheard without being much hurt.
The men then brought the bark to the
wind, and just as the maneuver was
completed the captain and watch below
and three Of the passengers appeared.
Had the captain been the right sort of
man the mutiny would have ended