The San Francisco call., 1913-07-29
TRY To CROSS SEA
IN A FOOT BOAT
New Bedford Men Will At
tempt Trip to Wean Them
From Briny Deep
Tiny Craft Will Dare Waves
From United States to
English Shore

PROVIDENCE, r. J., July 2S-Law-
renee Erhard and 7. Johansen Of the
United States revenue cutter Acushnet
will leave New Bedford the last of
July in IA foot motor boat. bound by
way of Fayal for the English coast.
They plan to make the trip. by sail
and motor power in 35 or 40 days.
They are sick of the sea- There
fore they plan a long intimacy with
the sea in a little open boat, hoping
thus desperately to wrest from the sea
the means of abandoning it forever.
Like many sailors, they dream of
little farm inland, where the warm
fragrance of hay, new mown, greets
the nostrils instead of the salt tang
of the sea breeze. They have known
so much of dangers they are weary OF
adventures; therefore, with one great
desperate venture they would close the
book of their sea lives and become
placid, plodding til1ers of the soil
The list of men who have steered
eastward in little boats on similar
quests is long. There is in it not alone
the desire for adventure, but a thirst
for the notoriety any effort so hazard
Gus is sure to give them. There is
chance, too, to clear comfortable sums
diiiOn6 liic SpOI llllS II
is safe to take heavy odds against
Erhard and Johansen ever reaching
England in their little cockleshell.
TOWN OF ADVENTURES
New Bedford men have been fond of
such foolhardy enterprises. The first
of them, no doubt, was J. Miller
Cranston, who in 1S49 sailed $4,000
miles from this city to San Francisco
in the little Toccao--a vessel only Al
feet over all-or four feet longer than
the Spray. Then came Captain Thomas
Crapo, who with his wife crossed the
ocean in a 20 foot leg o. mutton rugged
schooner in 40 days, back in 1871 Then
there was Captain Joshua Slocum, who
was really a Fairhaven man, who on
the banks of the Acushnet built his
stanch little yawl Spray and set forth
from Boston in her one day in 1895 on
his solitary cruise round the world.
He succeeded - and it gave him so
great love for this sort of sea ad-
ventures that he sailed yearly to ISL
ands of the sea; and one time stood
southwark all the way from here to
hereafter, where he may be sailing
still.
And there have been many others
from other ports. Erhard and johann
sen, however have chosen one of the
smallest boats that ever made the at
tempt 10 cross the OCSdI 1l6lIS viii
be only ii feet long. Captain William
A. Andrews in 1889 sailed from Boston
to Havre alone in a 10 foot whaleboat
but attempts in smaller craft have
always, so far as the records show, re-
suited disastrously.
SAIL FOR CRAFT
The motor boat upon which the
Acushnet sailors will make the attempt
Is an open boat, which will be provided
with a canvas covering or spray hood.
and air tanks. IT will have sail. oar
with sea anchor for use when drifting
in rough weather. IT is planned to
make SO miles day on an average in
this craft. and to reach Fayal in %
days.
From Fayal TO England is a distance,
according to Erhard. of 100 miles, and
these will be covered in from 13 to 20
days, making their voyage of from 35
to 40 days duration. They viii reach,
if successful, either Plymouth or Ports
mouth. They viii carry fresh water
and provisions in the shape of canned
food and biscuits for Is days, and will
allow themselves one pound of meat
and two or three quarts of water day
each. They plan to replenish their sup
plies in Fayal.
Erhard, although only %, has had
life of adventure. He was born in
Germany. AS young man of II he
was shipwrecked off the coast of Ice
land when the German fishing schooner
Sontag sank. Nine men of the crew
were saved and five were drowned Err
hard, with the men who were drowned
was thrown into the sea when the Son.
tag sank The others escaped in the
schooner's boat. A heavy sea was run
ming. The schooner at that time had
her nets out. Erhard is a strong swim
mer, and swan until he lost conscious
ness. He was swept ashore and picked
up half dead by the natives He never
knew how long he was In the water.
In 1904. during the Russian-Japanese
war, he was running blockade on a
German tramp steamer. The steamer
was captured by the Japanese. and
Erhard was carried a prisoner of war
to Yokohama, where he remained dur
ing May and June, 1904. He then came
to this country, and July Is, 1905, en-
tered the United States revenue cutter
service at Philadelphia. He is an
oiler on the Acushnet
Erhard has a wife in Germany, who
is Ill lie plans to bring her back with
him to this country. Johansen is a
quartermaster. Johansen is single and
% years old. He was born in Sweden
He began his seafaring life on Swedish
fishing vessels. He has been in this
country IfNe Years.
Both men are confident they will sue
ceed. They feel that it is their last
chance in life to leave the sea. They
are sure of themselves and their mo-
tor boat, and declare, we shall come
back
SOME OF GREAT ATTEMPTS
Among the many attempts to cross
the ocean in small craft have been the
following notable ones:
1871. Miller Cranston, New Bed
ford sailed $4,000 miles to San Fran
cisco. in Al foot Toccao. 226 days.
1S64-Yawl Wells and Dawson Both
lost.
1S66-Twenty-e eight foot Red, White
and Blue. Hudson and Finchly, crossed
in 3S days.
1ss7-Dory Nonpareil. Miller and
Lawton, Gloucester to Southampton in
81 days
1S6s-Skiff John Ford. Marshall and
French. Marshall and skiff lost; French
rescued by steamer
1S70-Sloop Ragusa, Harper and Ben
sen, Liverpool to Boston, SO days
1S76-Centennial, II feet, Alfred
Johnson. 81 days. Gloucester to Liver
pool
l877--Captain and Mrs. Thomas Crapo
OF New Bedford, crossed from New Bed
ford to Penzance in 20 foot schooner
New Bedford, 40 days.
About this time Captain William A.
Andrews sailed with hrofbar from Roe