The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-06-28
GOOD OLD DAYS OF
THE CLIPPER SHIP
ARE BROUGHT BACK
The Feat of the Atlas i'm Beating
the Keiat Recalls Stories of
Time When American Mer-
chant Marine Led the World.

NEW YORK, June 27.-When the big
steel ship Atlas, one of the largest
'sQuare-riggers" afioat under the
American flag, raced the British bark
Kelat from Hongkong into New York
recently and beat the foreigner hand
lily there was great wagging of
tongues in those places where the old
deep-sea sailormen are doing away
the afternoon of life in clouds of rich
tobacco smoke. The old men forgot
their sOrrows-due to steam and
brought forth names and records of
half-forgotten ships and racy anec-
dotes of men long since dead.
One of them was of a captain who
got his training in the old Black Ball
line ships of vivid memory, who used
to boast that he would run his ship
into hell and out again if the owners
would pay pilotage." When the war
with Spain came on he got berth as
sailing master on a transport, by a
curious streak of chance, at Bermuda.
He had signed on here as mate, but the
captain went ashore at st. Georges
Town vowing that he would not have
murder on his head by bucketing the
old tub across the Western ocean to
the canal and down to Hongkong,
where our ships and men were waiting.
The mate took charge, put the fear of
death into the crew, and fairly pulley
hauled the under engined and leaking
old tin pan out to the China seas. She
was ready to give up her marine ghost
when her mudhook went overheard late
one sticky afternoon, and the masterfuI
captain went ashore to report. They
gave him another ship for that; he
Joined her in the Caribbean. Being
what he was, and knowing what he
did of things that can never be writ
ten, he looked at the little quartermas-
ter captain of volunteers so long and
so hard that the boy WINGED in spite
of himself, and there was never any
more doubt about who was master.
Sizing Up Crew.
Then the "old man. had the crew
mustered that he might look 'em over.
They came, a lot of little brown skinned
gentlemen of Porto Rico, taken aboard
since the ship had reached Southern
waters. The great ham listed, derrick
shouldered man sized them up while
they trembled in their pointed button
OOONH' liz 4llSlOC lIISIll d lItllo speech
which they didn't understand, but they
saw he was very great man and one
to be obeyed swiftly. After his ancient
custom he began to divide the ships
company into watches, and boat crews.
Whats your name?'
Jesus Antonio Maria Silva de
Torres, senor.'
What's yours?'
excellency"
And yours?"
"Alonzo Maria de la Conception Mar
celina Dominguez Y Estranda."
What's the good of you with names
like that?" roared the captain, his hard
little eyes kindling with wrath.
The fashion of naming children
among the Spanish was explained to
him.
500. They tack the names of their
great uncle's second cousins names
onto their own, do they?? Well, they
won't have that heather custom on any
ship Of mine"
He turned to Alonzo Maria de la
conception, etc: Your names O'Con-
nell He was king once, but never
mind that; it's teo good a name for
the likes of you, but it's your name
now, and you don't want to forget it.
or you'll hear from me-"
81, senor,' softly and in terror.
Your names Mccarthy, and yours
is O'Brien," turning to the others. "and
while Pm about it I might as we'll fix
up the lot of We. I'll write down the
names and give them to We. Here's
donovan, and Mulcahey, and Rooney.
ana OIoole, and Ryan, and O'Hara.
9e go to mass like Christians and
christian names We shall have"
~ n
ashore, the following day, when the
hands was called for boat drill this
mornln' every wan of them bla'gyards
mad lost his name. It's heart break
in" '''N
He was a type of the old school of
sailors, big, hairy chested men with
Dull voices, masters of men in every
sense.
In the old palmy days Of the packet
service, when American shipping was
carried in American bottoms. and orr
nag was known in the far-away and
almost unknown ports of the world. the
ships bore names that testified to the
PRIDE and high honor In which they
were heId. Marine nomenclature was
In the charge of men who had heen
Iouched by the mystery of the sea.
some or the famous old flyers wnro
star or the West, Rainbow, the Admit
RAJ Victory, Shenandoah, ConsteIIa-
S4oi1 olIU TIE MoHleZurna. Many of the
nlgh-class packets were built at the
famous old yards along the East river.
some OF them came from New Eng
land. Their captains We're the pick Of
the seafaring profession.
The homecoming of Clipper.
The homecoming of one of these
famous vessels, deep laden with the
odorous spoils of the islands of the
eastern seas. was a matter of imnort
to others than her consignees and own
ers. They reused local patriotism. and
were followed with solicitude through
lhelr long voyages. When one of them
came creeping in with the tide and was
warped up TO her dock, the men who
had punt and. rugged her were down to
see their handiwork.
Them topsails OF mine certainly
amt blown away" one would say
proudly.
Il knowed them shr0uds wouldn't
stretch none," from an old man. eying
the heavy hempen cordage shrewdly.
The great fleet of magnificent clipper
chips which this country produced in
1850 and the years following has never
beer surpassed for beauty and speed
Not one of them is left on the ocean
today. One or two are ending their ca
reers miserahly as coal-carrying hulks
IN the coastwise trade. In the DAYS
when they raced around Cape Horn to
the newly discovered California gold
neids. they became known throughout
the world. The Sovereign of the Seas,
commanded by the celegrated Lauchlan
Mckay, sailed from New York for San
In A 90 !.