The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-09-13
Mr.. FRlETScH's LONG VOYAGE
After Passing Seven Years at Sea,
He Lands at New Or
leans

After seven years vcyaging on near
ly every ocean, the one occupant Of
the little vessel which he himself built
Captain Adolphus Frietsch landed here
this week from his last solitary cruise,
met his family which had come all the
way from Milwaukee to see him, and an
nounced his determination to sell his
boat. retire from his solitary sea life
and spend the remainder of his years
in Pensacola on the proceeds of his vow
ages and speculations.
Captain Frietsch is a Finn, only II
years old. but has been at sea for "A
years. Seven years ago, when he was
living In Milwaukee, engaged in the
schooner trade there, the viking spirit
seized him and he determined to tray
ell over the world and visit all her seas.
He himself built a little vessel, the
Nina, with 40-foot keel. He left Mil
waukee in 1894 for Liverpool, passing
through the Great Lakes by way Of Buff
falo. His little vessel aroused some in
terest at the time and thousands came
to see her. He set sail from New York
for Europe. and for most Of the world
that was the last heard of Captain
Frietsch and his Nina. That was seven
blowing the ocean waves ever since.
The Nina has long since gone the way
of all such tiny vessels, and the cap
tain comes to New Orleans in a new ves-
sci, the Anna F., also built by him, and
a trifle larger than the Nina, having
q \0-foot beam. He comes here from
a cruise along the coast of South and
Central American and the tropics with
tho r,.~
ais and other marine curiosities, all COL
lected by himself. for whenever he saw
coral or shells that pleased his fancy he
dived overheard to collect them.
Seven years in a hermitage at the sea
is remarkable. and it seemed strange
that Captain Frietsch should have es-
capped all its dangers-but very narrow
ly at times. for when the first vessel
the Nina, was wrecked off the reef in
Kilbrennan sound the captain just miss
ed going with her to destruction by a few
seconds.
To navigate a vessel without a crew
is difficult matter, for there is the
question of the watches. Who are go.
ing to look after the Nina or the Anna
F. when the captain, boatswain, chief
mariner. all rolled in one, We're asleep:
over lnlS apparently l1SuperdDle OlI1l
Guilty Captain Frietsch triumphed by a
lesson he learned in the matter of sleep
which he says any one can learn who
will make the proper trial-the ability to
sleep for fixed time, an hour, two hours
or three hours, as the sleeper might
desire. This enabled the captain to rest
during Gains and when there was nc
danger to fear to be awake and ready
to attend to his boat when danger
threatened. He naturally slept most OF
the day. because there was less danger
Of his little vessel being run into, as
it could be seen. whereas at night he had
to be more particular and keep a watch
for vessels. In crowded places like the
British channel he denied himself all
sleep, and when he was on the route
Of vessels he seldom allowed himself
more than two hours rest. making a
good examination of the horizon before
retiring to rest, to make sure that there
were no vessels within reach which
run him down. He timed himself care
fully and gauged his rest by the char
acter Of the water In which he was and