The Washington times., 1914-06-14
THE THREE DECKER" Z"

THE THREE DECKER"
Critics Of the now-a-day voyage de-
clare that sea romance received its
death blow when the old wooden ships,
manned by men Of iron, were replaced
with iron ships, manned by wooden
seamen- The ancient mariner, summing
out his last days in some Snug Har-
bor,' or Sailors Rest" will whittle
plug tobacco into the bowl Of a crooked
Woodstock and growl that all a man
needs to make him a modern sailor is
z Sulson wrench and e swab
Sai!cTiZlng is a lost art; the tales
OF Captain Maryatt are well nigh for
gotten. and 1t is. in all truth, q rine-
crusted old skipper who can truIhcully
claim the distinction of having Club
smoking lee shore reef; or having
rounded the Horn on q whaling spout
e.. ryal yards all down.
But great epic of the wind TANNERS
than ever a Stevenson dreamed, or a
Clark Russell made into book. began
on April II, 1912, when the barken-
tine Success, the oldest vessel afioat,
set sail from Lancaster. England. and
cropping away from Giasson dock, vet
eran CT all piers, seized bone in her
teeth and flled away on a voyage
across the Western ocean
At different times in her adventurous
career the barkentine had been a full
Tigged merchantmen. 4 convict trans
port ship, and a despised prison hulk.
-or she is the sge-old craft which has
been in port here for the past ten
days
Anachronism On Sea.
High of stern-slmost a galleon in
Iines-bluffy ''apple-bowed" with an out
of-dete fgurehead spr9wling beneath a
II
her kind, an anachroaism a curiosity,
q craft as out Of place among mod
en- hUlls, her foremast hands declared,
as an alligator ashore
And that was why she sailed unin-
sured: for LlOyd's-that gamest Of all
maritime insurance companies, in
whose rooms q gamble will be taken
even upon ship whose skipper cracks
on sail into the Day o Judgment"-I
had refused her as q risk.
she had been denied British Gear
ence, too. and her only papers were
2 board Of health certificate counter
signed by the American consul in her
port Of departure
Before her company was filled a score
Of captains had thrown up their sea-
callDussd hands In holy horro! when
cffsrsd the masters billet aboard her.
and two crews had deserted before her
fOFeTOot could brulse the ocean swelis.
ShOTt-manEed she vas. by nineteen
Shellback fo'c'sle MATES, all III TO
hand. reef, and steer and who wien
the voyage was over, mad won the right
% chant that saga OF all long sea
chances. The Ballad Of the Bolivar"
which runs:
Overloaded UndeTmanned. meant TO
lounder-We
Euchered God Almtgh,ys storm. and
bluffed the Eternal Sea-"
The date first set for the sailing Of
the Success from the port on the river
LUne. saw the Titantic clear South I
maiden voyage. The old bsrkentine.
however. was delayed by an inability 1
TO fill her crew.
''If I hadn't know the sort Of stuff /
been as skeptical Of her chances as the /
rest" Capt D. II. Smith her owner !
admits. As vessels go now-s- days. I
she isn't any giant She is only 135 |
foet over all. with beam Of g feet, |
and registered Al $50 tons. And then |
consider her age and h1story
she was built Of teak throughout
hat they used to call q black ship
and that's why have such faith in her.
even though she WAS battered up some
T.Lrates. and after she fell from "sste
as mooTed for so many years as
prison hulk.
CeI "EEu - hSlIali. anu L-4l6ld III AiiAE4
her own sail, and then l determiT ed to
bring her 20 the United States
Two Crews Desert.
But there werli't many who wanted
&c share the risk. Finally | signed on
Capt. John Scott. a veteran. es sailing
master. and with a BIuenose named
Sisut as first officer. ] took command
Of her
but tUo crews deserted before they
got their ditty bags slowed. ard We
had trouble getting the third. That's
how much the seamsn thought OF our
chances
The Success. all sail set 20 catch tbs
lszk Of the easteriy winds she had