The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-06-22
REMARKABLE LIFE Saving.
SEA STORY TOLD BY CAPTAIN OF
SHIP A. J. FULLER.
Sailor Makes . Great Swimming
Record, at the Same Time Fight
ing With Albatross-Spends Forty

marvellous story Of live saving, and
the greatest swimming event on record, Is
told by the captain and sailors Of the ship
A. J. Fuller, now lying in Seattle harbor
near the West Seattle shore. After the
sailors came ashore yesterday and told
the story, II was handed from mouth TO
mouth until ii reached proportions that
sounded very improbable. An investiga-
ton of the facts. however, proves remark
ably skillful management of the vessel.
the officers Of which performed feat
that could hardly be repeated after
hundred efforts, and the wonderful SWIM
ming OF a sailor whose only name record
ed in the log book is Antonio. This man
left the vessel in the Orient. deeming his
voyage sufficient education in the dangers
of navigation When interviewed last
night aboard the ship Capt. Nichols said:
THE real story l think is remarkable
enough. without anyone adding to it IT
occurred while we were on a voyage from
Philadelphia to Japan. We were in the
Indian waters on January 10, at O'Clock
p. m, in latitude 1920 south, longitude
1880 east. The weather was thick and
drizzily. with a northeast wind driving
the vessel at the rate of seven knots.
Through some careessness a sailor named
Antonio fell from the jibboom overheard.
He had scarcely been in the water
minute before he was missed, and all sail
was reduced and the vessel hove TO for
an effort to find him II he was still above
water. In fifteen minutes time a boat
was going astern in charge of the third
mate and two seamen, but we soon con-
cluded that although he was not visible
he must be more than mile astern. AZ
ter the boat had been out about FIVE
minutes the weather became 50 thick we
could not see three times the length of
ha n rfit n nd n n q
direction the man had fallen in. We
could find nothing of the boat, which had
lost its bearings and gone Off on the
wrong tack. While searching for either
the boat or the man, we spied him SWIM
ming IA the water with a flock OF alba
tross pecking at him and making his
already bad circumstances anything but
comfortable. We were so close on him
we had no time TO lower away n boat be-
fore passing him, so we lowered rope
from the main rigging and swung him to
the deck. There is not one chance in
hundred that this feat could be performed
again. which is one of the first remarkable
circumstances TO be remembered.
"You may well imagine our astonlsh-
ment when we found that although he
had been swimming for forty-hve minutes,
he had on heavy clothing, a suit of oil
clothes. and a pair OF rubber boots. | ask
ed him why he had not shaken these of.
but the scars where he had been Pocked at
by the albatross spoke for themselves.
You know an albatross is about four feet
from tip to tip of wing. They follow
vessel and pick up anything 1t drops. "A
man Is no exception to this rule. They
made 1t so lively for Antonio ne had no
time TO do anything but tread water ana
keep fighting them off. That is the true
story, and the water front rumors of
fight with sharks Is all bosh.'