The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-12

Another adventure aloft is recalled
Mr.. Whitmarsh by very distinct scar
/ on the third finger of his right hand.
He was sliding down a wire backstay,
| and when about half way to the deck,
found himself stopped by the strain
upon his right hand. A broken and
unwound strand of wire had gone
through his finger close to the bone.
His finger had slipped down a foot of
more over the broken strand. With his
| feet and his one free hand he did his
best to raise himself so as to get clear
of the wire. 1t seemed impossible. He
was losing strength, and as he did not
relish the idea of falling and tearing
away his finger, he got out his sheath
knife and cut himself loose.
Mr.. Whitemarsh was five years at sea
before he reached his majority. 1t was
in such school as this that he got his
training for the more uncertain and
adventurous life in Australia. Three
times he encircled the globe before he
decided that the game was not worth
the candle.
1t is at this point in his life that he
takes up the narrative in his book,
"The Worlds Rough Hand" He knew
the sea and was in the way soon to get
the command of ship, but the life had
proved unsatisfying. He had oppor-
tunities to become either a. clergyman
or physician, but after studying with
his doctor-uncle for a few months, he
decided he did not care to become
professional man.
BECOMES A SUNDOWNER.
Thence, the book takes him to Ade-
laide in a sailing vessel and up to Sill
verton as a "sundowner." A sun
downer' is man who travels on foot
through the country and at shutdown
applies at a ranch or station for food
and a place to sleep. The ''sundowner''
is supposed to be travelling with some
definite object in view, but in many
cases he is a tramp travelling aimless-
ly over the country and living on the
bounty of the people. Yet it was the
only way of getting into the interior
fifteen years ago, unless a man had am
pie wealth to spend upon horses.
The three years that followed young
Whitmarshs arrival in Australia were
damned with exciting incidents. which
he has crowded still more compactly
in his boook. When he had money he
risked it freely in some ambitious adj
venture, and when it was gone he
worked for more at anything he could
find to do. The ups and extreme downs
of the life followed one another rapidly
from the time he started out as a
diver.
1t is difficult even to outline the
story, but all through it runs the pic
ture of an intelligent young adven-
turer. who bore hunger and restitution
with stout heart and persistentiy
took an active part in the control of his
fate.
ut is a true story-as true as I could
make it, said the author. 1T is my
history, but it is hardly typical. had
an advantage because I was a sailor
You see, I knew that if I could get to
the coast L was always sure of a chance
to ship, and that helped to give me
confidence in the most trying times
Yes, it is true L was shipwrecked but
many people are shipwrecked, and it
all comes in the days work, as the
saying is"
PEARL DIVING NEAR BORNEO.
1.-The pearl diving is about the only
part of it really out of the common.
and that experience is a very interest
ing memory. Some men are naturally
unfit for diving, even though they have
the opportunity, and l was fortunate
in getting onto the thing very easily.
Pearl diving was the first thing 1 ever
wrote about, and that was in an emer-
gency to get money to go on a yaca-
ton. l was much surprised when my
brief sketch was accepted. and | de-
termined to cultivate my power of ex-
preston. I have a great pile of stories
which were begun. but never ended,
as a reminder Of that attempt
MY work on tine Worlds Rough
Hand was really commenced several
years before Wykoffs articles and
other tramp-like experiences had be-
gun to appear, but even then l prob
ably was affected by the prevailing
spirit and tendency. My idea was that
interest in the story would depend upon