The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-05-20
OLD TIME INHALER.
Capt, Prentice Avery Resting In Nor-
 wieh After strenuous Career.

wich After Strenuous Career.
 Capt. Prentice Avery, who resides in Norwich passed the seventy sixth mile stone in his life's journey May and to judge by his appearance and viva city he is liable to reach the 100 year mark, says an exchange.
 Captain Avery first saw the light of day in Poquetanuck and his youth was spent there with his parents. Like many young men of those days he had a yearning for the sea and shipped from New London on whaling vessel for 6 cruise of three years in 1S4S. A year later his ship was in the Japan sea and a big whale was captured about the place where the Japanese fleet recently annhilated that of Rus sia's, In short time TOO barrels of oil were secured in the Japan sea and then the whaler started for the arctic seas
 Captain Avery made five whaling voyages and made rapid advancement as a deep sea sailor. He rounded Capes Horn and Good Hope several times and touched at Honolulu, Hong Kong and other ports
 | When the Civil war broke out Cap tain Avery quit whaling and returned to Norwich and he was immediately induced to take charge of the fast and trim schooner Quick Step that was owned In Norwich by William M. Con- verse and David Smith and visit southern ports open to Union forces and deliver cargoes and trade. The lCaptain remained on the schooner un- I til the war closed and was very sue cessful in the management of the ves- sel. He was often overhauled by Union gunboats and had shots fired across l his bows, but his pursuers always found the right papers in the hands of the captain. After the war the Quick Step was brought by New London firm and was sent to the Arc tic seas whaling and was lost there She was one of the best schooners ever owned in New England and car ried many cargoes from Norwich to New York city.
 A delightful event in the life of Captain Avery was an excursion of 40 of the business men of Norwich made on the Quick Step when she happened to be in port during the war. The boat cruised for ten days in the vicln- lity of Marthas Vineyard and that is- Hand Newport and other places were visited. There were no dull hours on the trip and Captain Avery delights to talk about it. The passengers in- cluded William M. Converse, Calvin Rawson, William C., Edward and Samuel Osgood, Isaac H. Bromley, Joseph B. Carrier, Van Chapman, Will liam w. Avery, Ransom Harvey Thomas Wilbur, Elisha Staples, Cap tain Thurber, John Dorrance, Ansel Clark and others. Before sailing Cap tain Avery had S0,OO0 bricks put in the hold of the schooner for ballast The passengers were charmed with the manner in which Skipper Avery han dled the vessel.
 About 1870 after being on shore for lseveral years Captain Avery was in duced to take charge of a vessel and go to the seas near the south pole ir search of sea lions. On this trir (which was successful, he sailed through the straits of Magellan in. stead of rounding Cape Horn.
 Since leaving the sea Captain Avery has followed the calling of painter which trade he learned from hi, father. He is still able to do as gooC a days work as the best of men in hi trade and his services are sought b! many property owners. He is em ployed by his brother, John B. Avery
 MT. Avery is a democrat and fo several years under Clevelands reigl was watchman at the New Londol navy yard.
 The captain says the old woodel whaling ships were the staunches vessels that ever ploughed the sea and with plenty of sea room the. could ride any storm, He claims tn awful blizzard of 1888 caught and de stroyed many of them, large nun Der being capsized which was some thing unknown of any account befor that time He says the blizzart seemed to transmogrify things as pre- : viously rain was not supposed to com out of the west often but now it i liable to come from the west as tn east.
 Captain Avery knows the seas an
 its chief ports as well as he know
 Norwich and he can talk in an in
 structive manner of what he has see of this great world and its people.