New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-11
MONTHS ON A SH|PLESS
OCEAN IN MOTORBOAT
Shippers Hair Turned Snow
White from Many Peri|s of
Transatlantic Trip.
LONG GIVEN UP FOR LOST
Engineers Heroism Saved Lit
tie Graft, Which Left London
in May-No One Sighted
En- Route.

| En- Route.
| The full story of one OF the most
thrilling trips ever made across the At
lantic in a small motor boat Will most
| likely he revealed this week when Cap
tain Edwin l.. Smith, OF London, ar
rives here from Trinidad with his crew
on the way back TO England.
| Smith is master Of the 5J-foot motor
barge Corbetr Woodhall, which, bat
| tered and rusty, arrived safely in Trim
idad on October 22 after a trip of five
months from London. The masters
hair turned from dark brown to snow
white by the ordeal, and a stowaway
named Kesselmann, who said he was
an American citizen, was almost crazed
by lack of food, seasickness and fright
Had II not been for the second engi-
neer. who stuck to the engines when
the chief was unable TO repair them.
the Woodhall would never have kept
anoat
Word OF the barges safe arrival in
Trinidad and the hardships encount-
cred by Captain Smith and his men
was received here yesterday by one Of
the shippers friends who had given
him up as lost
The Woodhall which should have
made the run from London to Trinidad
i'm forty days, was posted as missing a
month ago. 1t was believed i'm London
and Trinidad that she had been
swamped and all on board drowned.
as she had not been sighted since she
left Lisbon, where she had put in for
repairs.
Intended to Tow Her.
Almost year ago an order was
placed by the Trinidad oil Fields Com
pany FOR a 7O-ton motor barge which
could go out under her own power and
supply vessels stopping at Trinidad for
oil fuel. She was designed and built
by a Thames yard. and was ready for
delivery i'm April. II was planned 10
have her towed across the Atlantic,
but the cost was found to be prohibi-
tory, and the alternative for owners
ana builders was TO send the tiny craft
out under her own power 10 Trinidad.
The journey, which was approx
mately 400 miles, could be covered
theoretically in thirty-fve or forty DAYS
If the Woodhall maintained her maxi
mum speed Of five knots. But allowing
for adverse weather. the builders gave
her about two months for the entire
run.
But when the Woodhall was in com.
mission the problem OF getting a skip.
per willing TO take her out confronted
the owners. Dozens Of capable masters
applied for the job. but the idea Of oil
engines and oil cargo i'm TO-ton barge
only % feet long looked like a losing
game, and not one would take on tn
contract.
Finally, after a delay OF a few weeks.
the builders found Captain Smith. who
had made a specially Of undertaking
hazardous trips Of this sort for the
sake Of high pay He agreed 10 run
the Woodhall TO Trinidad If he coul
pick his crew, and. what IL more, as.
serted that he would deliver ner intact
at Trinidad. In consideration OF the
high cost tow would have entailed
the skipper got his figure, and on May
% took her out Of London.
He had fair weather for about twelve
days, when he encountered a blow a
few hundred miles off the Portuguese
coast and had TO put into Lisbon for
men, two of whom were In charge of
the engines. The second In command
seemed to be more expert with the en-
gines than the first, but as all the men
aboard were Of the masters own selec-
ton he kept them and all agreed TO
stick by him.
Unexpected Passenger.
Two days after leaving Lisbon Cap
tain Smith discovered that he had
seven men aboard instead Of his origi-
nal crew OF six. one of the oilers heard
groans near tank aft and found Kes-
selmann, the stowaway. He said he
was an American citizen and had been
told that the Woodhall was bound for
New York. He was treated well, but
as there was one more mouth to feed
the skipper was not pleased. He esti-
mated that the maximum food supply
the barge could stow away in her gal