The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-08-23
WAS OVERHEARD
FOR TWO HOURS
Lively Experience of Mate Ross
on Trip Around Good
Hope.

Mate Ross of the American ship E
Navy wharf, has a reputation as be-
| ing one of the finest athletes of the
+, American merchant fleet He is of only
! medium height but is of iron build.
The "hobos'' who came to Honolulu as
, sailors of the big white ship declare
that Ross is the strongest man they
have ever seen and that he could han
die half dozen men in a fight if oc-
casion required it,
Although only twenty-nine years of
observation-disclosures even for a man on
the sea, who is expected to meet with
exciting and dangerous experiences. At
the age of twenty-five he was captain
Cross which sailed out of New York
for many years and engaged in the
far eastern trade. Off the Western
Islands in 1898 the then Captain Ross
had fearful time of it with this ship,
The vessel encountered a hurricane
which broke her mainnast off two feet
above her deck. When the mainmast
went over the side it carried away the
foremost and what a moment before
had been a fine ship was shorn so bad
Iy that she was but a hulk with only
her mizzen mast standing. Ross used
his wits and his muscle on this
casion. He sailed his ship backwards
so as to use the nizzen mast and rig
ged a rudder to her bow. While sail
ing in this manner few days later he
encountered another hurricane which
drove the vessel on the shore near the
Straits of Gibraltar
After this accident and the loss of
his ship Ross went to sea as mate in
the Great Admiral and while on a voy-
age around the Cape of Good Hope
had one of the worst experiences that
can befall a sailor. When in sight of
Table Mountain and with a strong wind
blowing Ross had two sailors set up
some gear on the bowsprit so that he
could harpoon some porpoiseS which
were playing under the vessels how.
The sailors had a grudge against
Ross and fixed the gear in such a man
ner that as soon as he had occasion
way and he fell into the water. A
dozen sailors saw him fall but not one
raised a shout. They were willing to
see him drown without making any
effort to save him. An old boS'n on
the vessel who had at one time been a
ships officer heard Ross shout and
threw life buoy over the side. The
bos'n then called the captain, and in
a few minutes the crew were put nard
at work to bout ship, get out a boat,
and save the mate. The unruly sailors
mashed up the first boat in lowering
it into the water and a long wait re-
suited in getting another boat out of
the davits. The mate was by this time
out of sight and the captain could only
tell where Ross was by the birds that
were circling about him over the water.
He sent the boat in that direction and
managed to rescue the mate after two
hours time had elapsed.
During the time the hardy officer
was in the water he made brave bat
tie for life After being in the sea for
twenty minutes he rose on the crest of
wave and saw the life buoy. He
swan for this and managed to get into
it but for the next hour and a half
had to fight large numbers of albatross
and Cape pigeons which tried to bite
out pieces of his flesh.
Ross thinks that the cowardly sail
ors did all in their power to keep the .
rescue work delayed so that they might
not be able to find him.
Later Ross commanded the bark Sa-
mar. After her owners had sold her
Ross had to look for something else and
became mate of the E. NJ. Phelps. /
During his stay in different ports
Ross has exhibited remarkable ability
in athletic work. He is a strong swim :
mer and a great wrestler and it is said
that he can put up a very strong
fight He has engaged in several spar
ring matches in the East and many
people along the waterfront here be-
lieve that he could show Jack Weday
a few points. An effort may be made
to get the mate 10 put up a sparring
exhibition here.