The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-04-11
AN OLD-TIME SEAFARER.


graphical and Political, comprising
History OF Internal Improvements
(rivers, harbors, etc. from the founda-
ton of the Government to the present
time: comprising historical notices of
various political events-of ocean steam
navigation-of the tea and coffee tax;
together with biographies, personal his
tories, etc, etc. The author was
Henry G. Wheeler, and the two vol
umes were Illustrated by steel plates
and facsimile autographs. Among the
biographies is one of Timothy Pilsbury,
who took his seat in Congress from
Western Texas on the 10th of June,
1916, shortly after the infant republic
had been admitted to the great sister
hood of the States. The book is out Of
print, and while the personal history
may only be of interest to members of
the family, it is thought that Mr.. Pills
bury's seafaring experiences, which
were rather out of the usual order,
might entertain many OF The Journals
readers. He was born in Newbury, in
the State of Massach usetts, on the 18th
of April, 1899, the sixth descendant of
William Pilsbury, who was born in
England in 1905 and was a resident
of Dorchester, Mass, in 1911. This
was the onlg family of the name in
New England With this brief intro
duction we quote from the biography as
follows:
The father of Timothy Pilsbury died
in January, 1900, the son then being in
his Twelfth year He had casually, or at
intervals, been at a common school-a
very common school it is described to
have BEEN The bent of his mind was
toward the study of mathematics, but
the teacher was incapable even of cor
recting the inaccuracies of his arithme-
tic. His father left very small prop
erty. and that under considerable en-
balTasSment. After his debts had been
paid there was but a small pittance left
foI tie widow and her four small chill
dren of these, Timothy was the sec
ond. the eldest being sister.
The circumstances of the family were
50 Straitened that its members We're
compelled to put ont and do something
for themselves. At the age of eleven
and a half or twelve, Timothy left
school and went into store at New
buryport. where he remained about
two wears. Looking to the situation of
his family, lie believed that nothing was
left to him but to go to sea. He therefore
shipped as foremost hand on board
the ship "Romulus," Captain Luflin,
belonging to Jacob Little of NeWbury-
port, the father of Jacob Little, broker,
New York. She Was bound to Charles
ton. South Carolina, and thence to
Greenock, in Scotland, whence, having
narrowly escaped shipwreck on lee
shore She returned by Liverpool to
Boston.
ON the next voyage he shipped in the
Aurora" Captain Jonathan Titcomb,
formerly lieutenant, during the
French disturbances, in United States
Sloop of war. The ship was bound for
Georgetown, in the District of Column
bia, and thence to Hamburg. He was
a great favorite with the captain, and
was much attached to him. ''Titcomb,"
We have heard him say, was the most
accomplished master of vessel it has
ever been my lot to become acquainted
with. He is in his grave: but if | could
speak to him now as | do to you, |
would say as much"
The ship left Hamburg for Alicante.
in Spain, for the purpose of procuring
freight of barilla. She lay there three
months. and, failing to accomplish her
purpose, she was steered for a little
port called Lamatee, where she took in
a cargo of salt for Boston. She en-
countered very severe weather, and
suffered much in her sails and rigging,
but finally arrived on the coast in the
dead of winter. and with the ships
company ON ''shOrt allowance"
She was a bad sea boat, and thoroughly
leaky When on the coast a violent
gale sprung up. The sails of the ship
had been repaired, particularly the fore
sail, but the gale came on so suddenly
that there was not time to mouse the
hook" as the sailors say, which fasten-
ed the fores4eet; The Ship lay to bad.
ly, frequently shaking the foresail, and
risking the loss of it by the unlocking
of the sheet The captain, standing in
the companion way, called upon MI.
Pilsbury to give him a piece of rope,
telling him at the same time, to lash the
sheet to the stanchion, to prevent it's
unlocking
As he passed forward to obey this
order at the moment he came abreast
the ''caboose- house, a heavy sea struck
the ship 1t carried away all the
Observation-Disclosures of the lee
boarding having gone before-broke
away the long-boat, caboose-house, and
everything on deck-swept the decks,
pitched Mr.. Pilsbury into the lee-scup-
pers, and thence overheard into the sea.
On his way he caught hold, iustinctively,
of the clew-garnet CT the mainsail,
which was coiled on the lee side Be
fore he was extricated from his perilous
situation, a second sea struck the ship
The iron bolts which confined the ca
boose were drawn and the caboose came
down within a foot of him, striking
the gunwale and gong overheard The
first sound which struck upon the ear
of Mr.. Pilsbury was the captains voice,
calling aloud upon the crew to ''save
him. BY their united and powerful
efforts be was drawn out of the water
and saved He mad been an invalid
during the whole homeward voyage, but
he performed his duty during every
period of it.
The ship was thirty days before get
ting into port. During the whole of
this time her company lived on raw
provisions-pork, beef, and bread
When she arrived in port, so constant
had bpeD his tulm at tine helm for fOur