The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-07-04
When | Sailed Under the Emo.
lish Flag.


In December, 1864, | was retnrr;, D.,
Boston from Smyrna, Asia Minor in Tho
bark Race Horse, with a cargo If f;rs
and ralslns. | was one of the eight man
before the mast. In the crew was ono
William Conway, fine fellow. whom, 7
liked exceedingly well.
"A few days before we arrived in Ros-
ton he asked me which way | intended n
go for the next voyage l told him I had
thought nothing about it. He said.
Lets you and ship in the bark Spring.
box" He said he had been in her the
voyage before, and that she was fne
vessel, and had the best man for can
tain he ever sailed under. She ran az a
packet between Boston and Cape Haitien
on the island of Hayti.
When we arrived in Boston, we went
to the Office of the owners of the Spring
box, A. S. & G. w. Lewis, on the south
side of Rowe's wharf, to ascertain where
the vessel was, and when she was due
The owners told us that she was due in
one week.
Will Conway, as we called him. be-
longed in Newburyport. He told me to
go and tell the captain that he wanted
chance for the pair of US. l was to write
| him when the bark arrived and when she
join her. | did as he desired, and had
no difficulty in getting berth for each
of US.
| was somewhat surprised to learn that
the captain, both mates, the stewards
and one man before the mast were Nor
wegians. The vessel looked to me to be
what sailors would call diving bell-28S
tons burden, British register; was under
the English flag, hailing from Turks
island. | looked her thoroughly over,
and learned that she was built in Fal-
mouth, Eng, for a yacht, with any
amount of brass work to be kept shining.
| She had been fitted out by parties in
England for a ade-runner with
| full cargo of contraband of war, and was
captured off the Eleuthera island by the
gunboat Sanorna, under command of
Rear-Admiral Charles Wilkes, when she
was trying to get into some southern
port. A prize crew was put on board,
and she was sent to New York and con
tiscated, but through some technicality
she was still kept under the English flag,
and was chartered by the firm of A. S.
& G. w. Lewis, it was said for the term
OF ninety-nine years, who ran her as a
packet to Cape Haitien, taking out gen.
eral cargo, and returning with logwood
and coffee.
The bark was fast being loaded, and
Monday morning l asked Capt. Larsen
when he would need my chum, Will Con-
way. He told me to write for him to be
on hand Thursday morning wrote him
and mailed the letter that forenoon.
| Now comes what | think the most
singular incident of my life. While the
| Springbok was being loaded, the bark
/ I bol
sailed in last was taken down to the head
of Rowe's wharf and the stevedores COM
menced loading her again for Smyrna |
was down to her, and the captain wanted
me to go with him again. The mate said
to me, as he looked at the Springbok:
'1'll bet you will get your feet soaked,
if you go in that thing | told him
| that Will Conway said she was all right,
and he wanted that we should sail to-
gether, and that he would be disap-
pointed if should not go.
Only for Will, | would have shipped at
once, for l liked Capt. Searles, and also
| Mr.. Searles, the mate, who was the cap
| tain son.
The loading of the Springbok was fin
ished Wednesday afternoon. the matches
were put on, and work of clearing the
decks began. We were to meet at the
custom house at II a. M, and | expected
my chum would be there early on that
day, but for some unknown reason, he
failed to come. All the sailors were on
hand except William, the one who in
duced me to go in the Springbok, instead
of the Race Horse. Our captain waited
| till p. M, and was obliged to ship an
other man.
At p. m. a tug took US out of the
dock and the pilot took charge, and in
short time we were out past Boston light.
At four bells (6 o'clock) | took the wheel.
At 100 seven bells were struck. This
was something | had never known on
shipboard before, and every man except
ing myself at the wheel and the officer of
the deck, filed into the cabin. In few
moments they were singing a beautiful
sacred song. After the song, there was
reading of the scriptures; then prayer
by the captain. And |. one who had al
ways had great regard for Christianity,
said to myself: 1t is good to be here.
In seven days we got pilot to take US
into Cape Haitien. The people are near
ly all colored, and speak the French Ian
guage. We were in port but three weeks.
Cape Haitien was rendezvous for Yam
kee gunboats during the Civil War, and
their mail was sent to Boston on the
Springbok. We completed the trip in
forty seven days.
On arriving, the owners told me that
my chum came down to the office when
we had been gone about two hours.
Finding we had sailed, he went on board
the Race Horse, and the captain wanted
him to go second mate, and he shipped
and went in her. She was reported when
she passed in through the Straits of Glib
raltar, and was never heard from after.
My chum hac induced me to go in the
Springbok, and he himself went in the
Race Horse, which vessel must have been
lost with all on board, the crew consist
ing of twelve men all told.
When we We're paid off for the trip,
Capt Larsen said he would like for US ali
to 60 again; and as we knew the vessel
would be in port only week OR ten days,
we told him we would be glad to 90. We
hung around the vessel while she was
being loaded. and would be down to her
every day. One day, as we We're stand
| ing on the wharf, one of the men, Rus
sian Finn, said to me: You are going
second mate this time, are you not?"
mot that l know Of" l re piled. He
said: "Mr. Land, our mate, told me you
| WERE"
was the only Yankee on board. Just
then the captain came out of the cabin
| and called me in He asked me if 7 wo,,ld