The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-25

course was through the Indian ocean,
strait of Babel-mandeb and the Red sea.
When on the latter inhospitable sheet of
water, the incident occurred which has
been the source of ~unbounded wonder to
Captain McLauchlan and his crew.
"We were well up the strait said the
former, when the barometer fell rap
idly and there was every Indication of
the approach of one of those tempests
SO dreaded in that vicinity. Between 4
and 6 O'Clock in the evening of Feb. 2
there was only one sail in sight, an Egyp-
tan dhow with lateen sails, on the same
plan as the generality of craft in those
waters She was of large size and was APP
parently ~endeavoring to make port at
! Colino ahead of the brewing storm.
"Soon we were within one-half mile of
her. To my surprise l saw but three men
on deck and no other sign of life any
where. The hurricane vas almost upon
us, and 1 called the mate's attention to the
dhow, implying that she was in a very
dangerous position.
He had better get some of his rags
in he replied, and in short order, too, if
he wants to stay afloat.
Scarcely had the words left his mouth
when o most remarkable exhibition took
place ON the decks of the Ghow. One of
her men raised the forehatch cover, and in
the twinkling of an eye eight big GO
rillas swarmed out into the daylight. In
an instant they had assembled the rigging,
each to his appointed station, and in less
time than it takes to tell it the odd look
ing vessel was stripped of every sail and
snugly hove to awaiting the oncoming cy-
clone.
1.-The tempest broke over the Nyanza
and her strange consort. The latter dis
appearee- into the foam and mist and was
lost to sight for nearly 40 minutes. When
the sun reappeared, she was seen riding
TRANQUILITY only a mile or so off and appar-
entity uninjurcd."
Captain McLauchlan, scarcely believing
the evidence of his senses, resolved to fur
Their investigate the crew of the Egyptian
vessel. Luckily, he had an interpreter on
board and sought an interview with her
captain. 1t only served to verify the facts
as related. Several photographs were tax
en- by Mate Walker, but all attempts to
solve the mystery attending the methods
pursued in training the odd crew failed.
"Imagine a crew of docile chimpanzees
or gorillas, " said Captain Mclaughlin. II
don't know which they were, but each was
more powerful b a a couple of men. No
need Of donkey engines to help hoist sails,
double topsail yards or other labor saving
devices. One of those fellows on the tail
end of a brace or sheet would make a
sbucko' mate with a Delaying pin laugh
with glee, while there would be no charges
of murder as q result of collisions which
might occur between officers and crew"
Captain McLauchlan thinks that the
inauguration of monkey crews would re-
organize things afloat. The cost of sailing
vessels would be reduced to a minimum,
Jack the grumbler'' would disappear
from the forecastle, and it would require
only two or three human officers to run a
ship. Naturally the "hands'' would be as
well taken care of as possible also, for as
property they would cost money, and on
the same principle that a man takes care
of his horses the owners would keep a
strict account of them.
The idea of employing big monkeys as
sailors is rot without precedent. Even
Admiral Schley has had an experience
with them which furnishes one of his
most interesting stories. According to the
New York Marine Journal, it was when
he was executive officer of the Benicia, i'll
the East Indies, in 1868, that he had a
highly intelligent orang-outang as a
member of his crew. 1t was educated by
the boatswain's mate and picked up a re-
markable degree of culture, audacity and
the finer trimmings of humanity among
the men. Itlearned its hammock number,
slept i'll it regularly and picked it out of
the bunch unerringly every evening.
While Captain McLauchlan realizes his
experience is moi without precedent he
thinks that the wonderfully able manne
in which the dhow was handled makes a
most remarkable story. The Nyanza has
a big cargo of II, 416 baskets of sugar.