The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-11-15

o BE familiar with maritime af-
fairs on the Pacific coast means
that you have heard of the Hawaiian
bark Aloha The Aloha has had many
commanders, but it is not worth While
to burden your memory with any OF
their names except that of Capt. Eric
Larsen, who, l believe, sailed her until
annexation brought her under Amer1-
can colors. Capt. LarsenS name will
be handed down to local fame for many
years to come When a master mariner
has a reputation it means that he is
either a most extraordinarily good
seaman and has a keen nose for fair
winds, or that he does things aboard
ship not pleasant for decent, shore
abiding people to contemplate.
Capt. Larsen's reputation was an ex-
ception; it was not especially due to
either of these causes. His fame was
gained by his power to convert the
wicked of heart to the true course of
righteousness.
Previous to Capt. Larsen's advent
on the Pacific coast as mate of large
British four master, the Aloha had
been commanded by a bold, hard
handed Irishman, who divided his time
at sea between drinking whisky and
committing assault and battery on his
sailors. This latter pastime of his
made life miserable to the marine hos
pital officials in San Francisco and
Honolulu whenever the Aloha put into
those ports. That sort of thing went
a. good ways those days, when mari
time laws were vague and seldom en-
forced, but finally the Aloha became
too notorious even for those parts, and
the owners were obliged by public
opinion to remove Kanaka Hogan from
his command. From one extreme they
went to another. To take his place they
engaged the meek and gentle Larsen.
On the first trip he broke the Aloha's
previous records between Frisco and
Melbourne and that placed him high If
favor with the owners. But by his
brother commanders of other ships
Capt Larsen was regarded with SUI
preme contempt. A religious master
mariner is never respected, more eS-
pecially if he belongs to the Salvation
Army, as did the good and pious Lar
sen.
When the Aloha lay loading or dis
charging in Honolulu Capt. Larsen
spent his evenings ashore at Salvation
Army headquarters, and he even Joined
the red-shirted soldiers of Christ in
their street corner demonstrations.
There the seafaring population of Hon
olulu would often behold the Aloha's
skipper, his bare head and broad
shoulders towering above his fellow
Salvationists.
To the popular disgust he would
sometimes step forward to deliver his
testimony, bashfully at first, later
warming up enthusiastically, exhort-
ing the scandalized seamen to mend
their ways and be saved. He invari-
ably began thus:
Dearly belofed breaern and ship
mates: 1t is almost impossible to ex-
press de joy of true salvation. 1 hat
never been so happy as since found
Jesus. Vunce I vas a bad man, far
from de road of righteousness. Vunce
I drink visky and use bad langvidge,
and vas not good to my sailors, but
now, tank de Lord, I have found sal
walton, and don't be so wicked any
more"
Naturally, such sentiments could not
be we'll received by West coast skip
pers. That a sailorman should declare
whisky and swearing wicked was, to
their minds, nothing short of treach-
cry to the brotherhood of seamen.
In San Francisco Capt. Larsen's
piousness proved equally Objectionable.