The New York herald., 1922-02-26
MAINE SKIPPER HAD
FIFTY YEAR SEA DUTY
Capt. Joseph A. Brown, Dead
at 81, Was Noted Deep
water Sailor.
BEGAN AT THE AGE OF II
Had Yellow Fever 8 Times,
Was Shipwrecked and
Quelled Mutiny.

Special Dispatch TO THE NEW YORK HnALn.
BANGOR, Feb. 25.-Capt Joseph At
wood Brown, who died at his home in
South Orrington last week aged 81. was
one OF Names Oldest and most famous
deepwater sailors. He went to sea st
the age OF IL as cooks boy In vessels
commanded by his uncies. Capts. Charlie.
and Stillman Brown, and at 10 began
making voyages TO foreign ports. For
fifty-one years he was most of the time
afloat. serving much OF that period a.
master. making many transatlantic
trips and 1o1 round trips to tho West
Indies.
In the early seventies Capt. Brown
made his first African voyage, being
three years on a trading cruise along
the West Coast. and whiis tnere con-
tracted yellow fever. from the effects OF
which he never fully recovered. Some
years later he suffered a second attack
Of this disease. in Pensacola, Fla, where
the Masons saved his life by taking him
into their private hospital.
third time. In Havana. he was
stricken with the yellow plague, just as
his vessel was about to sail. The Amer
lean Consul ordered him to q hospital,
but he pleaded SO hard to be allowed to
sail that an old negress. famed for her
skill in treating fever patients, was put
on board. she desiring to make q VISIT
to relatives in New York. When the
northward voyage the captain was able
to be on deck.
HIS Experience en- Barge. @
For many years Capt Brown com
manded the schooner Fred Smith, sail
ing for the old firm of Smith Brothers,
New York. and afterward took the mas
ter's berth In the barge Roman, former
~ the steamer Roman Of the Reading
Railway line OF colliers. After many
successful voyages the Roman ran into
heavy gale off the Capes OF the Della
ware. and one night the mate. Capt
Samuel NJ. Conley. son-in-law of Capt
Brown. thinking that the barge acted
as If she were down by the head,
went forward and lowered a lantern
into the hold. A rush of water swept
the lantern out OF his hand, and the
mate rushed aft. shouting for all hands
TO get ready 10 leave her, then report
ing the condition of things TO Capt.
Brown and signaling to the tug.
When the boat was ready and the
men had piled in with their dunnage
bags. Capt. Brown was noticed stand
ing at the wheel as II lashed there.
When warned to get into the boat at
once as the barge was likely to take
n header any minute. he stubbornly re-
fused to go, saying that he intended TO
stick by the barge in the hope of getting
in past the Capes. The men had to
carry him by main force into the boat.
which had barely got clear when the
Roman went down.
After getting free of the barge and
her undertow the men discovered that
there was a big hole In their boat, but
a seaman stuffed his oilskin jacket
into the break and the boat kept afoai
until the tug Storm King. that had
been towing the Roman. picked them up
When they got TO New York It was dis
covered that Of twelve pairs OF sea boots
that had hurriedly been stuffed into
the mems bags no two were mates.
Sent on Trip TO Brazil.
In 1892 being a yellow fever immune.
Capt. Brown was sent to Santos TO bring
home the bark Archer. all of whose
crew had died of the fever. the orders
being to call at Grand Turk. Turks
I lSIdHu, a VA salt lAicaS'
proceed to New York. The terrible heat
OF Brazil had shrunken the bark's plank
! ing and the oakum could be picked out
OF her deck and topside seams with
the fingers. This gave her a bad name
Of course. but after a little tinkerfng
with the calking irons and a few dabs
OF pitch Capt. Brown aged TO ship
a scrub crew and got out OF Santos as
! fast as he could make sail.
All went we'll enough till the Archer
had taken in her salt cargo. and then
she began to leak like a sieve. The
men first growled at so much pumping.
then mutined and declared they would
get out Of her. first chance. mo matter
what that little old man aft had to say
about it" They were determined to
quit tho bark before she had left the
salt islands far astern. Just as this
conclusion had been reached. Capt
Brown, who was small but mighty, APP
pearcd at the head OF the companion
way with two revolvers, announcing In
the most placid tones that the first
man who refused TO pump would bs
shot dead in his tracks. That settled
the uutiny.
Before reaching New York. however.
the Archer ran into a gale. was dis
masted and finally driven under jury
rig to Bermuda. where afterward shs
was sold as she lay. This WAS Capt.
Browns last voyage, his remaining years
being devoted TO work on shore.