The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-08-20
A REMINISCENT.
A VOYAGE Wherein the Indomitable Pluck
of Captain and Crew Alone Made 1t
Successful

OF captain dhu VIC" AonS 1Ae1S ~
Successful.
A subscriber referring to our recent men
ton of hermaphrodite briggs says: "They
would endure more and last longer than
any other class of vessel, owing to their
not being over-sparred or over-burdened
with large sails, although they had plenty
of canvas for their tonnage, but the head
square sails hadn't so much hoist, their
topsail being double, while the drop OF
the foresail was limited owing to the
shortness of the foremost, and the fore
and aft mainsai, the largest sail Of the
outfit, didn't extend but few feet on It's
boom beyond the taffrail.'
The writer made one voyage from
Bangor, Me-. to Port Morant. Jamaica,
in mid winter, just before the Civil War,
in the brig Abner Taylor, loaded with
100000 feet of lumber in the hold and
80, 900 feet on deck. The second night
out in northwest gale of wind she Was
thrown on her beam ends, but after cut
ting the lashings of our deck load she
righted, when it was found thac she had
sprung lead, and it took 1900 strokes
of the pumps an hour to keep her free
the rest of the passage. The captain and
mate relieved each other at the wheel,
steering most of the trip to Jamaica,
while the second mate, which position l
held, and the crew Of six men forward I,
were kept busy pumping when we were
nothandling sails, notwithstanding which
we made the passage in twenty-five days,
delivering our cargo at Port Morant, and,
as we thought, found and stopped the
leak after the cargo was out. Proceeding
to Kingston we chartered to load logwood
and pimento at Black River for New
York, which port we reached after 60
days passage, and that we eyer reached
port was due to the nerve and persistence
of our skipper, who insisted that che was
not born to be drowned by Old Neptune,
even if he did hold out mermalds as an
inducement to sailor man to change sur
roundings." This return trip was made
in late winter. We had been on short al
lowance of food and water for several
days. When in the Gulf Stream south of
Hatteras, in southeast gale with part
of our sails gone, we sprung another leak
which gained on the pumps, and our only
chance was to get rid of our deck load OF
i logwood which took about six hours, re-
ducing the leak to less than the capacity
of the pumps. The next day passing
vessel hove-to in answer to our signal OF
distress, and furnished US with pro-
! visions.
j A less nervy man than our skipper
would have abandoned the Abner Taylor
there and then, as he was begged to do by
all hands. But there was no such word
| as abandon in the language he was ia
miliar with. The result being that in a
few days we sighted the Highlands, took
a Sandy Hook pilot, who when ne came
! on board we could have kneeled down to
and worshipped, as the strain OF winter
gales and mountainous seas endured fol
sixty days had completely worn us out.
Those were the days when New England
! furnished men for sea service, forward
and aft, that could be depended upon te
perform their duty promptly under the
worst kind of conditions without any talk
back. Capt. George L. Norton in the
Marine Journal.