The Detroit times., 1914-12-03
Trough Good Offices He Signs
For Voyage Instead of
Suicide
FEW STANZAS FROM
"SEA TALES IN RHYME"
lay Lack Divine Afflatus,'
But Give the Sailors Point
of View

o BENJAMIN Noble Brown, poet and
iror, addressed a letter from a
Fetched Bowery lodging house to Pc
10 commissioner Woods asking nis
vice on how he-Poet-Sailor Benja.
IN Noble Brown-could commit sui
lie In manner that would give least
convenience to the city. He said
4 throw himself under a trolley car
he cid not care to delay traffic +;
uldn't shoot himself because he
d no gun, and, If he had one, he
hs such a bad shot he'd probably
ISIS himself and kill somebody else;
in't have the price of poison; so
saw nothing ahead logically but
death route by cold and starvation.
The commissioner sent detectives
the lods ny house and Poet-Sailor
fown was arrested for fear he
light not wait for the advice and do
o trick, anywa.. He had a book
cording his discharges from success
We ships TO prove that he was a
ma fide sailorman. and he had an
her tattered book with pliable paste
ard covers on which were stamped
collegiate composition book" but
on which Sailor Brown had rudely
iated with a heavy lead pencil:
'ales Of the Sea in Rhyme"
Whatever you do with me-" said
to the police, please don't take
is away. It's my poetry written
many ships during my seven
ars at sea. I'm not saying It's fine
|etry-even good poetry-but | love
ese things I've written just the
|me."
"Tales Of the Sea-"
Now. as matter of fact. a peru
OF this book OF rhyme--closely and
Fatly written in longhand while the
ilor sprawled on merchantmens
Icks or by dim lights in forecastles
will show that this tar-singer was
together too consumed modest re-
(rding his verse, shiver my timbers,
BY hearties. Mind you, neither Kip
big nor John Masefleld need start in
arm, feeling that their laurels are
danger OF being snatched from
lem. Nevertheless, our hero, Ben
min Noble BrowH, has a perfect
ght to consider himself among
ose present" This isn't to say but
lat occasionally his meter goes a
W points nor by nor'norwest on
course, and It's fact, perhaps,
lat his muse Is rough and ready
brt OF lass, but just the same the
betsailor has things TO say and says
hem with fine good humor and no
title descriptive force. and there's a
Indy Whit OF a dash Of salt spray
Eery now and then.
There are samples OF this A. BIS
|terary outpourings between the COW
rs OF his Collegiate composition
box" presently to be given, but just
n way OF further proper Introduction
here's more to be told about Benja-
bin Noble Brown, who went on the
bcks in this here town. (This poetry
fuff Is catching.)
Some Traveller.
He was born In a village far away
rom the sea, namely Nealville, Wis.
Ind has been a world wanderer since
|e was 13 years old. At first he
|idn't get beyond the woods of Wis
ons.n and Minnesota. He found 1t
asy to get along. A handy boy Is
lways In demand around the lumber
amps and on the big farms He fed
nd grew UP hardly In the company
Il rough men. And then he got a no
ion that he'd like TO go to sea.
No better way 10 further that than
o be young and husky fellow and
ct yourself go wandering carelessy
long the 'Frisco's famous Barbary
cast. That's what b. Noble Brown
i'd. He met an affable young man
Who insisted on standing the drinks.
md the next 3. n. Brown knew he
vas standing nearly on his head in
bunk in the pitchinfg forecastle or
he Italian ship Eliza, with barley,
or Ipswich and Cardiff. That was
n 1908. II was all over; from that
ime on Benjamin Noble Brown was
yedded to the sea.
From Cardiff on the Duke OF Corn
vail through the Black sea and the
4 Mediterranean and then to Buenos
Iyres, from there on the ship Bank
Ields to the west coast OF Africa
nd thence TO RE Janeiro,~ out OF
rio on the English shop Ledauer
O Pensacola, Fla, flirting along the
american coast on the schooner
Doris, hitting land bit. visiting his
mother I'm wisconsin, then on to Port
and. Ore, thence to Genoa as stow.
way ON the Bangor (of Belfast, and
ossed ashore at Huelva, Spain,
towed away on another ship loaded
With copper ore that carried him to
BROOKLYN. n. Y, off on another boat
nd back TO Portland. off again on
he Deutscher Kaiser to Turkey for
opper ore, chucked off there as in
ane and confined for three months
n an asylum. then sent TO London at
he ship company's expense. once
more aboard the Bankhelds and TO
he River Platte, and thence on the
sailing bark, TO Ply
mouth and aboard the Count to Nor.
yay and Finland; and there was he
when the war started. and he had TO
20 to st Petersburg (beg pardon.
TO get pass from the
and finally he landed in
Jew York. Some travelled. benjamin.
Noble Brown. He's % years old now
Played Crazy,
And by the way, regarding that
ime he spent in the insane asylum
4 Malta. He says that life on the
Ierman ship was so hard and the Of
Icers so brutal that he decided TO
Iesert Il. The easiest way, he con-
luded. was TO play crazy. He said
IL didn't throw any hand-springs
- emit fearful wells, but Just pre-
ended to be deaf TO everything said
O him, went about with . faraway
Dok I'm his eyes and n silly smile,
nd once or twice ground his teeth
nd leered al the mates and made
imself appear so uncanny that he
vas shipped To the Malta asylum.
here the company had to pay his
.nard A Long "a they Id 40 tho