Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1883-10-13 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

FOOLHARDY ATTEMPT.  Another unsuccessful attempt to cross the Channel in his tub raft has been made by Captain Drevar. Since the last attempt the captain had repaired and strengthened his craft. On Friday morning he conveyed his boat to the foreshore on the west side of the Admiralty Pier, Dover, where she was launched in the presence of a small crowd of spectators, several of whom tried to persuade the captain, without [success, from entering on a voyage which, in such a frail craft, was regarded as little less than courting suicide. The boat is about GNI long, 4ft. across paddles, and Bin. deep, having a fiat bottom. The occupant works the wheels with two cranks, his paddles being constructed of two gallon oil cans, which are watertight, with pieces of ciear cases for floats. Captain Dreyer was provided with a small amount of provisions, a lantern, and a little pail. with which to bale out water from his craft There was a heavy swell in the Channel, with the wind in a northerly direction. Captain Drevar, as soon as he got into the tideway, lost all control over his vessel,and was drifted eastward in quite the opposite direction to that which he intended. Early on Saturday morning he was picked up on the Goodwin Sands by a fishing smack, and conveyed to Dover in a very exhausted condition. His boat had capsized, and he kept himself afloat by holding on to it. Captain Drevar gives the following account of his attempt to cross the Channel: At 12.30 he says I left Dover with a strong north wind and high sea. I started from the west side of the Admiralty Pier, and passed clear of the pier in a few moments. On getting into the tide, I drifted awn' eastward, but my boat did not ship the least bit of water. When about two miles out from land I fouud that she was leaking seriously, and I had to leave off paddling and attempt to bale, which kept me constantly at work. All this time I was going away to eastward, at about four miles an hour. Finding I could not paddle and bale at the same time, I took about a yard of canvas I had in my boat, and hung it up on the two levers I paddle with as a sail. The little craft then moved along under sail at a nice pace, and I continued bailing her out until about 3.30 p.m., when I found, to my alarm, I was amongst gull breakers, about nine miles away from Dover. The boat did not ship one drop in this sea, but I noticed she was down in the water considerably at the bow. On examination I found the fore part of the bat was full of water. The sea was getting more boisterous than ever, and, the boat's nose now being under water, she finally shipped seas right over her and myself. Although I tried to get the water out of her, she became quite full, even to the top of the box I was sitting on. After this I was considerably knocked, about for some time, and at last I took hold of one of the levor handles, and, with a wrench, capsized the boat bottom upwards. I swam by her side and tried to right her again, believing by this means I should get a considerable quantity of water out of her. By this effort I became very exhausted, and when I did manage to right her I could not again get on board. The sea cotinued to increase, and, as I could not get intd her, I • turned the boat bottom upwards again and got hold of one of the outriggers, and battled with the waves for up. wards of an hour in this manner. Subsequently I managed to draw myself up and rest my body on the bottom of the boat, in which position I remained until picked up by a fishing smack, Happy Return, of -Walmer, Captain Arnold. I should have had to remain in the water all night had it not been for the fact that I had with me an old brass foghorn, by which I made the smack aware I was in the water. The master of the smack said he had seen me previously in the water, "but, mistaking my craft for an empty barrel, he did not deem it worth stopping for.