The Republican journal., 1917-01-04
Personal "reminiscences.
Bh Capt George L. Norton. Editor of the
Marine journal

Nov IL. 1916.
What memories of hardship this para
graph recalls in our experience when en-
gagged in like pursuit. 1t was in the
winter Of 1859 that was second mate Of
the hermaphrodite brig Elmer, of Ban
gor, Capt. Abram Tapiey, of the famous
Tapley brothers, as master. We loaded
under and on deck with ''shooks and
staves' at Portland. Me-, for ships &C.
count for the windward West India
Islands, Barbados being the first port
of call. II our cargo was not disposed of
there, we had the trade winds to favor
us in seeking the leewsrd ports. We
out and give us favorable wind, which
it did. in short time, leaving Portland
IN screeching northwest gale with a
bad head sea, under foresail and topsail,
all the sail she could carry with safety.
The second morning after passing
through South Shoal Channel, the brig,
In fearful following sea, preached to,
went over on her beam ends, shook off
her deck load, and, as she "payed off, !"
r1ghted with no apparent damage above
decks, but we soon discovered that she
had sprung leak, and that bad enough
to keep us pumping almost continually,
as l remember about 1900 strokes per
hour, and this condition lasted till the
gale moderated, when the leak diminished
somewhat, but not entirely.
| Arriving at Barbados without further
mishap, and finding no sale for our cargo
here, We sailed for Pointe- a. Pitre,
Guadalupe, where Capt. Tapley disposed
of it and where our suffering began. The
first night the heat was terrific and the
mosquitoes unbearable; sleep was out of
the question for those that hadn't an i'm
penetrable skim. We had hoisted out
the longboat and it lay astern full of
water through Its open seams and the
captain, mate and myself got into it and
sat down between the thWarts, which
| brought the water about up to our arm
pits, and In which condition we were
quite comfortable until it became monot-
onous, Wnen we crawled back on board
| land fought the mosquitoes till daylight.
The next day our skipper purchased
bolt of mosquito netting and we managed
to get some sleep the following nights,
as all hands had to work on cargo in
those days. and when night came one
| could sleep, even in beehive,
through exhaustion.
We had been discharging our cargo
about three days when the cook was
taken with fever and soon became de-
lirious, which resulted in his jumping
overheard the second night and coming
near losing 1.-The number of his mess
The captains hammock was swung under
the main boom and awning, he heard the
splash, called the mate and myself, who
manned the yaWl, roWed after and saved
the cook. We found him to be as crazy
as loon and kept him under surveillance
till the next morning, then sent him to
an improvised hospital ashore, where
Captain Tapley and myself soon followed
him, with nearly all the crew, down with
fever.
l was given mattress on the floor in
room in this primitive building with the
captain, who had the only bedstead in
the place. The second night the captain
became delirious and through his inco-
herent mutterings | could make out that
he was going to cut some ones throat
and in the dim light of candle on shelf
near his bed | could see the glitter of
big carving knife. Wherever he got it
never knew. 1t was enough for me to
know that he had it and perhaps it was
my throat that he contemplated cutting.
Ii ever | was scared in my life, burning
up with fever and hardly able to crawl,
was then. l was trying to pull myself
together to jump out of the window,
which was near where | lay--we were on
the ground floor-when the captain, with
the strength of a maniac, got up, put on
his pants and coat and deliberately walked
out Of the door, brandishing his weapon
and threatening to use it on the first
person that dared to interfere with his
escape. BY his rawlings | ascertained
that he imagined himself in prison.
When the door closed behind him |
breathed, 1t seemed to me, for the first
time since L had seen that long-bladed
knife In the hands of practically maniac,
and one of the mil lest hammered, best
dlsposltloned, klndest men | ever met,
when rational. The next day he was
found sitting on the doorstep of a resi-
dence, completely exhausted and NUT
terlng to himself. 1t had been learned
that he had escaped from our improvised
hospital, search was N AIDE and the kind
hearted physician found and took him to
his home and thereby saved his life. |
began to recover as soon as learned of
his safety and in about two weeks the
sickliest ships crew that ever trod deck
was back on board the Elmer, we'll on
the road to ultimate recovery. My, but
how we had suffered for everything from
proper medical attendance to palatable
food and care when unable to raise our
heads from our straw pillows without
herculean effort.
What seafaring man of to-day knows
anything about the hardships such en-
dured before the Civil War and about
which there was no thought of legislative
relief? We would have been ashamed to
ask it. All engaged in the calling at
that time believed it to be part of the
game to suffer privation. Those who
have lived through such, and it did US no
harm, cannot help smiling when We read
of the white pillow slips and sheets,
shower baths and steam heat that has to
be provided by law for those who style
themselves seamen at present. While l
was never happier than when with my
clothes bag slupg over my shoulder l
climbed up the hill to my humble abode
in small Maine village after such peril
GUS voyages and privations as related
above, and in less than month was
eager to take chance in another.
Eiohtv-Seven Years Old