Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-01-06

never have known of his heroism eX-
cept that weeks later communica-
ton came to the Treasury Depart
ment from the general offices of the
railroad thanking Johansson for his
bravery and presence of mind. Then
another letter of eommendation,
signed by G. II. Keep, assistant sec
rotary of the Treasury, went into the
gunner's official record.
The hero business called Johansson
away from his native Swedish village
of housekeeping early in life. When
he was twelve years old he went To
sea, and at an age when most boys
are shedding their first homesick tears
Johansson had been around the world
thrice and had been shipWrecked half
a dozen times. one of these wrecks
occurred in a great storm off the
coast of West Africa, and young
JOhanSson finally reached shore in a
longboat after experiences which had
turned some of the older mems hair
gray.
These rough years before the mast
developed the lads growing body
into n powerful structure of massive
bone and ripping, flowing muscle.
They also made him a moral athlete,
for he met and withstood the tempta
tons Of the Wild irresponsible life of
sailors of that day. 1t is the sturdy
moral fiber of Johansson as much as
his perfect confidence in his physique
that gives him the level lower eye
lids of the man who knows not fear.
Perhaps the most conspicuous exam
pie of Johansson's bravery occurred one
nj oil N psta he oil baj
the burning mast of a schooner and
extinguished the flames. The docks in
East Boston were ahlaze and the
I Gresham had been enlisted as an as
sistant to the force of fire tugs.
Rapid and dangerous work on the
| part of the firemen had succeeded in
cutting the schooner Brown loose from
the burning dock, and She was towed
ont into the bay. The schooner was
afire forward, and her valuable cargo
was threatened. although there was
still time to control the fire in her hold
| Her mainmast had been burning aloft
| but a crew from the Gresham had as
cended it and eXtinguished the fire be-
| fore 1t made much Roadway. The
| blazing fore topmast. however, was
| the menace which threatened 70 result
| in the complete destruction of the yes
| sci. The fire had burned the tower
| ing spar nearly in two; its lanyards
and stays had long since been burned
away and the unsupported mast sway
| ed dangerously and threatened each
moment TO crash to the deck. Under
| such circumstances the fire captains
| We're loath to direct their men to go
upon the ships forward deck and di-
rect streams upon the flames in the
| matches.
Johansson, as usual. had been in
the thick of the danger. He had as
cended the charred. steaming MAIN
mast with line OF hose, and from
that point of vantage had attempted
to reach the fire in the foremost with
water; but at that height the pres
sure was not sufficient To carry the
stream across.
The ship seemed doomed, when Jo-
hanson was seen ON the sehoners
scorching forward deck, trying his
weight on the swinging halyards hang
ing from the fore topmast As he
pulled, the mast swayed drunkenly.
But suddenly. before he could he
warned, he had lashed- the nozzle TO
his shoulders with blight of rope and
had started up the loose rigging, hand
over hand. Those Witnessing the tab
leau could only hold their breaths and
pray that the mast might hold, as the
great figure of the man swung in the
red glare and grew smaller as IL as
cended To the great height. AS a ply
steal feat it was notable, for Johans-
son not only had 10 lift his own weight
| but the ever-increasing weight of the
hose he was dragging upward with ev
cry pull of his powerful arms. He
reached the base of the tommast and
dashed himself there. The water was
! turned on al his signal and in few
minutes he had extinguished the fire
aloft, The fremen rushed to the for
ward deck of the schooner and pres
emily had the fire in the hold under
central. Then Johansson descended,
and the menacing spar was pulled
down by the stays.
The Republic disaste. january "a
and %. 1909, also found Johansson in
the role of hero The Gresham had
been summoned by wireless; the $50
passengers and most of the crew had
been transferred, and the Gresham.
having taken on board the remainder
of the crew, As men. was towing the
sinking liner to shallow water south
of Nantucket Island. The captain of
the vessel, Inman Sealby. and his sec
and officer. X. Williams. refused to
abandon their ship.
Night came on with rising sea and
q fog. The change from calm weather
was mad for the Republic, sinking
lower and lower by the stern. The
Gresham was pulling the liner by
three-inch wire cable, shackled to the
starboard and quarter bits. 1t was
feared that in the darkness the Is, 600
ton liner might sing unseen and drag
the revenue cutter to the bottom with
her by the cable SO a heavy hempen
hawser was bent through the eye of
the towing cable and Stacked off about
100 yards, and the Gresham's earpen-
ter was stationed with an ak to cut the
rope should he see it dipping down
tiut into the sea.
The captain of the Republic had
agreed to show a blue light from the
bridge when the steamer began to
sink A lifeboat was moored to the
cid Of IF 10 liner AS q