The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-07-21
HERMIT SKIPPER
OF MIDGET CRAFT
PUTS IN" HERE

d. A voice from the deep was heard at
the Eleventh street wharf today,
where Thomas Drake, captain and
crew OF the 32-foot ssagslns "SIr
Francis" Is lying. resting after .
12.OOO-mile journey from Seattle,
Wash. begun July %, 1915.
After a stay of a few days here.
Captain Drake. who says he has been
told he is a direct descendant OF Sir
Francis Drake. will continue his wan
derings, going to Baltimore. Later
he will visit the pleasure resorts along
the Atlantic coast, finally returning
to his beloved Pacific coast He es-
Inmates two years will be consumed
In the journey back home"
Captain Drake is q remarkable sea-
man. First, he neither smokes nor
drinks. Second. except when he is
lying at a wharf, he spurns human
society Third. he kRo~s absolutely
nothing about scientific" navigation.
Has Been Everywhere.
His career, starting from the time
he was old enough to ship on a vessel
a few years after he was born in
Gravesend. London. nfty-four years
ago. has been written in every port
in the world Every type of sailing
and steam vessel has numbered
among its crew Thomas Drake.
He Is q small man, with peering,
scrutinizIng eyes. His face, neck, and
hands are the color OF some OF the
sea-stained shells he carries as Gu
rios, by tropical sun and temperate
rains.
The "Sir Francis" Is a remarkable
boat as boats go. It is neither
schooner, launch, dory nor catboat.
1t Is a combination. evolved In the
brain OF Its commander and built by
beam and a three-foot draft, especI-
ally designed to explore shallow
rivers and ride heavy seas.
Cabin q Sea Museum.
Forward. she Is decked over with
q small cabin. Hanging on the walls |
are strange sea creatures. Two huge |
sea porcupines face each other |
hAnked by q row OF coral. Alligator |
eggs are strung in one corner. Shells, |
sea beavers, beautiful plants and ma
rine animals vie with each other for
the attention OF the visitor.
A tiny cook stove occupies one cor
ner. Lockers, convertible into hunks,
contain thousands OF trophies of the
cruise. Overhead, electric lights shed
a yellow glow at night Two small
squares Of glass let in the light and
air from up forward, while sunlight
streams In from above.
Outside. an open cockpit, where the
helmsman stands. Is filled with the
steering wheel and the aft mast.
Both masts and the bowsprit are
hinged for convenience, in going I'M
der bridges. The masts carry 100
square feet of canvas, which Is suf-
hcient to drive the boat at from six
to ten miles an hour. A gas engine.
seldom used except in Gains, aids the
boat in making six miles an hour.
Holds Record At Canal
On the trip from Seattle. various
ports were visited Then through the
Panama Canal. and into the caribbean
and finally into the Atlantic the boat
went. She is said to be the smallest
vessel ever passed through the canal.
being OF but five tons burden
A shipwreck 400 miles below the
American boundary OF Southern Cali
fornia enlivened the trip. High winds
blew the tiny craft ashore, where
she stayed a week while Captain
Drake dug her out While in ia
naica, the rover was Imprisoned sus-
pected OF being a German spy. He
was incarcerated three days while
MS papers were being examined
Captain Drake has never permitted
comrade to accompany him on any
II his voyages For that reason he
las been dubbed the 'lone sea rover"
Not even a mascot Is permitted on
BOARD during a cruise. But when his
hip is at q wharf. there Is no more
person in the world than
,aptain Drake. Visitors are welcome
hen. The genial captain shows them +:
III over the vessel. describing simply
tut WILDLY his experiences
The Sir Francis has been at her
wharf the greater part OF a week.