The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-11-28
DARING VOYAGE
ACROSS OCEAN
Its Made in Sail Boat Thirty Feet
long
SIXTY DAYS TAKEN ON THE TRIP
Very Little Rough Weather Met aud
MANY Steamers Passed - Great
Welcome ON Reaching
His Destination.
SIXTY DAYS TAKEN ON THE TRIP


the Atlantic IN a small sailing boat has
recently arrived at Gloucester. England
having sailed from Gloucester. Mass
with that port as his objective point
Although the feat has been accomplish
ed before. It IS an extremely penlous u'i-
cdrtaking and has been but rarely ul'u'
The most remarkable part OF the eNp.ol'
IS that Captain Howard blacNoNI ID 'io
daring voyager. lost the fingers OF ooDl
hands, through frost-bite seVefai gea'S
ago. as wei as three toes ana 'p' '"e
heel from the right FOOT and two toes
from the LETT foot. while most oil 'he o''''
ers are badly misshapen
The difficulty Iof sailing boat uhoer
such conditions will Doe readily aPplo-
GATED. and the pluck and determination
Of the Individual who could accomplish
the journey under such circumstances
fully understood.
Captain Howard Blackburn Is no ordl-
nary man. however. as his record aoaho-
antiy proves. The Great Western, as
his little craft S. called. IS cutteI-rls-
ged boat. thirty feet over all with an
'eight-foot cight-inch BEAM seventeen
foot keel. and O. depth OF four feet SIX
inches. She was built in Massachusetts,
according 20 Captain Blackburns design
and under his personal supervision
The voyage. which 10 had been expect
ed would be accomplished in about forty
or fifty days really occupied siNty-one
DAYS. owing 10 a certain extent TO sick
ness, which attacked the Captain almost
ut The commencement of the voyage ana
10 Gains and adverse winds with which
the plucky mariner had 80 contend.
Captain Blackburns visit 90 Gloucester
had been announced behorC hand. so mat
when ne finally reached the Severn. a
royal welcome awaited him, the author
i,ies and residents of the ancient city
rendered him a public reception and an
enthusiastic demonstration.
The Great Western carried storss for
ninety days. the provisions consisting
chiefly Of canned stun, salmon CLANS.
baked beans and tomatoes. salt beef and
pork. tea. sugar. milk. coffee and cocoa.
Sixty gallons Of water. a case Of whisky,
tobacco and medicine completed the list
Blackburn is forty-two years Of age,
OF fine physique and was born al Port
Medwey. Nova Scotia. but migrated to
the United states before ne attained his
majority. and has spent the best years
OF his life as a fisherman off the banks
Of Newfoundland
When about eighteen he cut away from
Queen Nictoria's apron strings and came
10 the United States (Gloucester where
he could find more work and more money.
more scope and less rope, fair play and
no favor. That homely yet broad motto,
Share and Share Alike adopted by both
Uncle Sam and his big-hearted fisher
then, seems henceforth TO have been the
law Of his life
Mr. Blackburn's own account. written,
gives a good idea of what the perils at
Iached 10 crossing the Atlantic alone in
q cockle-shell Of a boat amount to. lie
writes from London. under date Of Octo-
Der Cd:
BLACKBURN STORY OF THE TRIP.
after leaving Gloucester, where the
townspeope gave me a great send-Off,
got under way with a fine breeze from
the south. For the first ten days /
made little Roadway. as l was sick most
OF the time. my foot swelling so that i
could not get on boot or slipper. l saw
several vessels. but managed 10 keep clear
az all but one that was pilot boat No. G.
10 Boston. who spoke me about ia miles
east OF Gloucester ] was then under
riding sail and iio, although the wind
was light and fair. They must have
thought IL strang 20 see me under such
easy sail. but ! was too sick to set any
more. In eight days I olly ate the
contents OF one small bottle " matted
milk, which did me much good. / drank
large quantities of water, and was SILVER
ing with cold all the time, so l shaped
my course for Shelburne 10 see "a doctor
but as the fog shut down very thick l
hauled off 20 the southland. ! soon began
60 get better and tried To- make up for
lost time. Although spent sixteen hours
out OF every twenty-four at the wheel.
rrrrn
eight and fourteen miles per day.
Just east Of Sable Island. one night.
as 1t was dead calm and / could make
no headway / turned en-, the fog was
very thick. About . a. NJ. a steamer blew
her whistle hight. alongside. which woke
Inc up. / grabbed the foghorn and rush
cd on deck She had just passed by and
] did not see her, but the waves that
she made rocked my boat. that was the
closest shave that / had OF being run
down as far as / know OF for the whole
trip.
MANY VESSELS PASSED.
Il had mostly light westerly winds.
thick fox and rain for the first thirty
two days After passing the 10th meri-
dian / made very good time until |
reached longitude %. / still hoped to
make The trap In fifty days. but then had
four days nearly within twenty-five miles
Of Lundy Isle. ! grew fairly sick Of
beating against the wind day after DAY.
and week after week. q good deal of the
time the sea being very rough. with heavy
Tainsqualis. On day a very black cloud
passed over, long sharp point gradual
ly shot down towards the water and in
q few minutes l saw one OF the largest
waterspouts ever saw in my life
During the passage ] sighted seventy
or eighty sailing vessels and forty or
nfty steamers. "a few of which ] spoke
Among them were the Charlton Of New
castle. Europe Of Liverpool and TWO or
three others. They an asked In they
could do anything for me. and when
answered that ] was an right. they would
give three cheers. dip their flags and pass
on.
II usually kept 20 the southard OF the
steamboats, track. but when the wealth
~ was clear and felt lonesome 7 would
run into their course where 7 would see
from one 10 FIVE per day. one morning.
Just before daylight while was asleep.
a steamer blew her whistle riqht along
tide. /. thinking that e had shut down