Evening star., 1923-12-09

~ n looking about for a ship
Cat wellington) 1 was for
tunate enough to find one
that suited my inclinations
to 1T" Having made the neces-
sary arrangements / shipped as first
officer on clipper ship bound for
Cape Town, South Africa, calling at
the River Platte.
We left this port running before
strong southerly gale and carrying
fore main and mizzen topsails. The
first day out we logged our shin three
hundred miles: certainly splendid go-
ing. Round around Cape Horn, we ex-
pected to strike rough weather and
therefore IL was necessary for us to
fit out our ship with heavy canvas
and new running gear.
Our ship carried three royal yards,
crowned with a main skysail yard.
Our topmasts consisted OF Georgia
pine, the lower masts being of steel.
Fore. main, nizzen and crossjack
yards were of steel and so also were
all six topsail yards. This splendid
ship was twenty ght hundred tons
burden. She had a steel hull and her
yacht,
The Santa Anna was one of those
fast clipper ships, so famous in the
carly days, which traded between
American and foreign ports, going
around Cape Horn and Cape of Good
Hope as part of their regular passage
and keeping schedule time, almost
like Il railroad train.
The skipper was of the driving
calibre, but none the less one of the
finest sailors it had ever been my
good fortune to meet.
We carried as crew of this boat one
other mate besides myself, a cook,
steward, boatswain, carpenter, four
apprentices and sixteen men before the
mast.
I shall never forget the first time
the crew was lined up on deck for the
usual setting of the watches, which
takes place the first day at sea. The
men were all assembled before the
break of the poop, and l have never
looked over a smarter lot of young
sailors before. Having the port
watch / had assigned to me six Of the
most interesting characters I had
ever sailed with.
There was Liverpool Irishman
named Duffy, who besides his Irish
brogue. probably inherited, displayed
a wealth of Lancashire slang truly
amusing. Duffy walked with the
swagger of the typical British sailor,
but there was always a story on his
tongue that displayed his wealth Of
Irish humor Another interesting
man was William Fleming. hailing
from Dublin, who on this voyage per-
formed one of the most remarkable
and heroic rescues / have ever seen.
Other members of this watch were
Thomas McCrea of Scotland, George
and two Americans, William Burgess
and Frank Ellis, down east Yam
KEGS" from the coast of Maine
The first day out the gale held
strong, and. though we were carrying
considerably more canvas than I
thought advisable, the captain decid-
ed at dawn the next day, to set reefed
courses and outer jib. Later in the
day, on slight falling of the wind,
though 1t was still strong, the reefs
were shaken out and the fore, main
and mizzen topgallant sails were set.
The ship, under this spread of canvas,
with a strong, fair wind. must have
presented splendid spectacle.
X X X X
TN two weeks, carrying a press of
canvas, we had put 1900 miles of
green sea between US and the shores
of New Zealand and were hauling to
the southwark to enable her to round
Cape Horn"
The failure on the part of certain
H'navigators properly to estimate the
amount of "southing" they must make
or to take account of the great west
erly gales that blow off that desolate
point of land. together with surface
currents. binding snow storms and
other elements of danger, have made
Cape Horn or Cape Stiff" holy ter
ror to seamen.
While fairly good weather prevail
ed we took advantage of 1t to reover-
haul practically everything aloft.
Chatting gear was examined, and new
caring and rovlngs put in from royals
to courses. Fore, main and mizzen
tacks, sheets and braces were inspect
ed, and where the slightest defect was
found the new replaced the old. All