1105

Date 1912-06-26

From 1105

Wednesday, June 2th, 1912 Wednesday, June 26th, 191 x (2 lt; CAS . 2e2 : W (FCUMNAVIG apta Adams, Aboard a Whaler, Once Was Entertained Matineers Retreat and Later Fared Royally as we) ata TAWAYS FAMI 7 p Giop 7 Guest of the Sole Owner of an Antipodean Island Upon Which His Bark Was Wrecked (Copyright, 1911, by the New York Herald Co, All rights reserved.) z the appended story, is a veteran mariner lof the days when full rigged ships lured youths to enlist, perhaps as runaways, in pur- suit of romance and adventure on the Seven Seas. In 1860, when he was quite a wild young fellow (to quote him), he enlisted in : the English navy, where he chafed under strict discipline until he shipped as- apprentice aboard the Victory for an eighteen month voy- age to China, For a time he was aboard the packet Hudson, one of the. worst of the Western ocean fleet. He served, too, in the United States navy and was paid off at the Charlestown Navy Yard from the double ender . Oleolia. in 1865. Several years following found him engaged in whaling and aboard coasters off New Zealand and Australia. If 1872 he retired to the less hazardous berth of captain of a Delaware River excursion vessel, the Creedmore Cutter, and later he was quar- termaster aboard the Hudson end the Enicker- pocker of the old Cromwell line. Captain Acams now makes his home in Plattsmouth, Web. gt; BY CAPTAIN CHARLES ADAMS. Twas jn the 6s that I shipped In the New Bed- AD fost whating bark Othello, Captain Jobnson, for a two years whaling voyage. She swung five boats and I was boat steerer for the second mite. It was on a Monday morning that we were towed down to the iron pot buoy, at the mouth of the har- ben and, having a good slant of wind, we dropped tbe (er CHARLES ADAMS, author of made sail. cruise off the northeast coast of New were to Zealand, and a few weeks before we arrived all hands were getting things In shape, taking the turns out of the ropes, coiling them in the tubs and getting lances harpoons sharpened. At last everything was 1y and shipshape to lower at the first ery of-whales. Our captain had just taken the SigDT o0-w Surrday afternoon and was closing his day's work when the masthead lookout gave us the welcome cry: Ah, bilow; there she whitewaters; there goes flukes: f We boat steerers were the first ia the boats and the Itrerent crews were soon tumbling-in after us. The cuatter of the pulleys in the davits told of the lower- ing of the ttle fleet of double enders, and we were fas te leeward, 80 we np stiek and started to sail down on bim, the other ponts doing the same. rhe ship keepers bad a pointer, a large hoop cov- ered with canvas, with which the lookout kept point- ing where the whale was. By watching this pointer it was no trick for us to keep the run of the whale until we were close enough to see him as we rode up tug a We and on the waves. Aw-this was our first whale, we were all doing our pest to de the first boat to fasten to him. You can bet every man Jack was helping to urge his boat along yy all the tricks known fo sailors. We had out our puddles as well as the sail, and our mate was dashing water on the canvas to make the sail stiff as a boatd and not spill out any of the breeze. The crew bent in unison as they drove their paddles Into the water to give the boat greater headway. In spite of this one of the other boats drew away from us and I had to call out seon after: The first mate's fast, sit 1 had seen his boat steerer stand up and dart ats fron Into the whale s side. I glanced back at the ship as-Theard-a-faint-ers-that 1 tock for a cheer for th yictors, but T saw the pointer was directing us Ina other quarter There must be more whales than one. 1 suid. as i lwoked ahead, Dut could not see avhat they were point: ing at. ; Enddenly. there was a tremendous rush of awater hiya few. boats lengths ahead and a monster head of a a) out of the water. Several of our crew wed at once t We were alt on our fee gnifed in the Just then th g clear by a mighty sweep of the steer ony, tn the hands of our bucko + LT he d my tron po das the rushing bulk of the whale y sbeered past and let him have (t bing bin: trom xtra tree fortestseed + whalerste t he Was coming our in a moment avernous mouth. boat was swu te side the ship and we looked around for the other whale, but they had lost him. The ling had become fouled and they had to cut It, so we were the first to grease the decks and enjoy the honors that went with the victory, After a cruise of five months we sailed for Norfolk Island, as we needed potatoes, ontons and fresh veg- etables so we would not get the scurvy from eating too much salt horse. It was a fine sight to see land again, and one of the toughest of the crew, who was standing beside me looking over the side as the Island came In view, remarked: what a pretty picture it was. That struck me as straige for a man like that to make a remark about pretty scenery. Norfolk Island at this time was inhabited by de- scendants of the mutineers of the ship Bounty, and when I got ashore I stopped at the house of a man named Adams, a great grandson of the boatswain s mate of that Ill fated ship, It ivas very Interesting to sit in that comfortable honse, my first night ashore, and hear the story as It had been handed down from generation to generation. He told us the story, as you have probably read of elsewhere, how the ship Homnty caine out to the South Sea Islands to get the bread fruit trees and bring specimens of them to the West Indies to transplant. After a stay at Tahiti the crew was so attracted by the hospitality and the beauty of the native women and the ease with which a llving could be had by sim- ply trking the bread fruit off the trees that they could not stand the harsh discipline of a British naval ship of those days, and they mutinied. Placing thos the crew that refused to mutiny in an open boat. the sailed back to their Garden of Eden once Realizing they would be caught there. they took uative wives and sailed away Into the unknown, until they finally landed on thelr island, where the ship burned. ee It wit simply hell till all the white men but Adams were dead. through marder, suicite and drink. Old Jack Adams had-een the light of religion and fn sone mysterious way the ship's Bible hnd 1 He got all bands to rend the Bible and the childre mutineers were bronght up in the strictest unum It wax a grent day when, some years after. the werd. was startled to learn that an Amerjean whiting tte Topaz, had disc Isiand in the Tact where the patives lt;poke Eu Hwa hushed broad as a Yankee stiior s yarn, Lut Lwas They covered the dese wutineers on that far off Isiud tu the That was the substance of the story. It a great deal more of dt, of course, in the te'lig. mort an ertheless. here wos had to laugh at old Adams, who w fe us the tat when he complained that It was a leny time tw tls and 4 short one to smoke when yon cre the talker Week's run ashore sid Bessie, the danzit mover the island, which js very fertite LY WHO up a conversation with hin, My, but be was a power ful young man 1 looked ashe tind Uttle (id 1 think T would be on We had gotten our anchor over the bows and the cable rigged for anchoring, iid then filled away, aud stood iy behind a point of ind, where -we would be safe as long axa norther dil wot come up, Stand by your anchor and tke In sail, came the order from the mate, and we were soou riding at our anchor with all sails furled. Those were the lads that could handle a ship. The old man and Mr. Hunt weut ashore wile we got our fishing lines out. T never saw so many fish as were in thit bay. We must have caught more than a hundred. While we were enjoying our supper of fried fish we noticed that the wind was rising, and when the cap- tain came aboard, about widnight, it was hauling around to the most dangerous quarter for us the north. The glass was golux down, so we dropped our port anchor, giving it seventy-five fathoms. You can Imagine the position we were in, with our stern toward the beach and the sea rising fast. In fact, we were on a lee shore. All hands had come up on deck and were standing by, with anxlous faces, FOUND A ROBINSON .- them. I saw these waves were carrying tons of sand as they rolled up on the beach, and they broke with a deafeutu roar, had been built, when the port cable parted and the ship rose up like a frightened horse broke loose and slowly swung broadside to the beach, There was a tremendous smashing and cracking as the old bark piled up on the beach, and in un hour the high seas made kindling wood of her timbers. Tired out, we all luy down and slept ut the captain. Next morning we were up early and started In to save all we could of our old ship, and hauled the spars and all we coulll get up on the beach for future use. Mr. Hunt sent us food and our cook soon had our breakfast ready. It was the fnest meal I have tasted so t Seemed to me, after what I had been through. It was a week before we had all we could save stored, with sails covering It, Most of the oll we were able to handle very easily in the barrels, but the rigging took some time and brains to get on the upper part of the beach. Then we marched to Mr. Hunt's house and were re- celved with much kindness by his wife. The captalu obtained a boat from Mr. Hunt, and the mate with five of the crew started for the main Island, fifteen miles away, to try to get another vessel to take us aud our cargo to Hobartstown. The rest of us did not want to be a burden on the old man, so we proposed to help him clean up his land, while waiting for a vessel. We organized In two gangs ani worked along, I Ing out with axes and burning up any d bris. In about a week's time we had made great progress. Phone 433. HO A FE SWISS fF m2e2 * See us about a GOOD ACREAGE PROPOS in the wheat house in a large mill that would hold TION a bushel of wheat. It took two to turn and one to Some Money-maker. sift, and the big son, my shipmate and myself would GOOD BLOCKS ns. and Sissons, Be ing, Altawana, and Riverslde right prices. Good list fully modern Hou The first year was uneventful except for the landing of a negro, who was cook on a New Bedford whaler. He bad consumption. The captain offered to pay Mr. Hunt well for the sailor's keep as long as the poor fellow lasted, which would not be long. Mr. Hunt BUSINESS gave him a nice, comfortable room, and he lived there Main St, Block: 15, for five months, p foot. It was at Sunday dinner that I was asked to call 50 ft, corner, Block 25, M him, and I went in his room. He had his back turned real St, 400 per foot. to me, and I'gave him a push to wake bim up, when be fail out of the chale. I saw that bo had reached hls ee 500 last port, I returned to the dining room, and simply a said he did not want anything now. 1 thought tt would be better to tell them after they had their nner A month after his death I learned that my shipmate hdd asked for the room this man died in.as he wal Uke all sailors, always wanting to change. He asked me to go in there with him, as it was detached from gttt b hee st ' CORRESPONDENC the house and we could smoke, read and talk as late as we liked without disturbing the old folk. FEET DELETE After a thorough cleaning we moved our things in Note While we welcome all munications from our readers wish it to be thoroughly under that we do not necessarily cribe to or endorse the opinior there and made It quite cosey. We had all the candles we wanted to,burn, as we made them out of mutton tallow in the winter evenings. The first night we slept there a curlous thing hap- pened, which to this day I cannot understand. We: pressed by our correspondents had stopped reading and blown out the light. Our letters must be signed by the bunks- were opposite each other. I had just fullen some third asleep when I felt as thongh there person present. 1 awoke and Mlgreaede Thege War a j was imprisoned 41 the room and wanted to get out, 1 could tear a Muttering, awd jay motionless, Then I rose and lit a candie. 1 was surprised to find mg. companion awak he told me he bad heard the same thing. 1 searched all over the room. he sild, and 1 could not find anything. We talked about It for awhile und then blew out the light, and sure enough It started again. Getting kind of leary over it. we teft the Heht he i and were not disturbed again. I think it was the coon s spirit. laughed my bunkle the next day when it was daylight, and who can find a coon s spirit In the night time? The Mary Jane, a fore-and-after, came in with a small cargo and a smaller crew, and the captaly made I ceractiana)*ekat cAttowanee mn automobile, the number of whic us such a good offer tousattcwas WTMLblan th . bid al hands goodby and salied away 1892. The driver was asked b not necessarily for publicatio as a sign of good faith Fd. Editor, Evening News: Dear Sir 1 would like to under your notice the facts of a which was brought up this mo at the police court and which thrown out owing to the sectio der which the case was brough having reference to occurrence the kind taking place within th mits. At 8 o'clock on Saturday ever was bringing a bunch of hors town, and at the corner of 1 and had been the pleasantest home for two years that I of the men driving, the horses t. had known since boyhood. off and give them a chance to Tas eete 6, and that with the 20) but he still kept going. Anothe I Heid Ry Iran P, lt;d as the Rusitiny Bulk of the Whale Steered Past and Let Him Have It Bin3 ht fy stfety I hen we started iu to do We backed mp th slug und rollin of We watebed the old Neoker rite ont the Seven bed brewkfast tl ore save the lt;p, meri ai schooner, and Mr, Hunt offered 8 a auth to stay and The cite lt;uc je buek to carr, te anid s ann maned Ger ship. naire the MRM our captain had given us made a tidy sum. It was quite a wrench for the of man to have us go, but be nodded his head when we explained we wanted (see our homes once more. In a New Zealand Port. ? Christchureh, New er went up and stopped him wt was immediately in front of horses, but the auto owner wou get off the street or back up. oon as the man left him, he s his engine up, seattered the some of them fallit SHOW G lt; In six days we had arrived at qeuland, and went to a siilors boarding house and pat our things in care of the boarding poss, Then we ve cout for a new outiit of clothes, ind for a week Wenliled about the town, until we got sick of it and decided to. passage Home. cided t9 take Ue ynnny shifis-at anchor, but when we inquired about passage we found they had no crews, atthe wages were so high for harvest hands the amas had deserted and gone up country to the farmers. oe time, whea we heard the boarders talking about which biz wages were paid, we finally decided to Apert iniand ourselves: Banking all our money except stunt we needed for expenses, we Joined a gang of Sve wii hired out to a Scotchman to shear, at twenty-one esa hundred, five thousand sheep. Ke orked all through that season of harvest and forty pounds more added to each Ww shearing until we bad of our bank accounts. . T snetter get back before the ruahs 1 seid to my side partner, and In a few days we Were ln Christehurch again. The men were and a dozen ships were already filliug up the shipping offices ready to sail. 1 found one was stated to sail au nd four A. B.'s, Phe captain wis poked tke te cuipplug office when I entered. He looke 3 ie ee uanynatyieal Brither, and 1 ex dined I would take the berth of second mate If wages were right. were FEDE: ing eighty pounds for second mate for yo enn to. London, he explained, and fifty for, AL BS : All right, when do you sail +AWhy, as Soon ts P get my th today. If so, We start in the i T signed as second mate and He asked If we wanted any advan aud we told him we hud plenty. SGet your.dunnage abeard some thne to-d: short a second mn* y frigid ay A. on our money At last we Ind shgued arth les to Sturt buck. sor our stuff from the boarding bossand by supper tine we were aboard ship. wice aroumd the word and Li that equalled tis one, She inock six ubie seamen, twu leatswans, th renter, sill maker aud four att fail rigged ship, six topsells. six 1 ed tke a nmin of war, doubie slroussd wal Kestayed, The oflicers quarters w ser SAW rhein curried twent, mutes, rar kat ier ein a house on AS the line flew out all hands peaked oars and 6 the bow as away we-flew in the wake of the giant mammal. e He is a big fellow, no mistake. f sitid in to the second mate. Mr. 1 as we chan; E Mr. Brown in band, and with 9 broad, confident smile, answered:- jow see what I can do. We were carrying the mall. as the saying goer. with the stroke carsman watching the line, as the whale was running deep. All we could see was the Wake as he flew along. It must have been all of au hottr, going at the rate Of Twenty knots an hour, before 1 he jet up, threw up bis flukes and sounded. E One tub and a half out in a Jiffy Then he slack- ; efied up somewhere far beneath the surface, and 'we 4 commenced to haul line, as It came flaking up on the top of the rolling waves. It not long before h broke water a ship's Jength to windward. Mr. Brown ealled out at the same time: ; Haul line, boys, haul , Give me a chance to lance E him, 4 I tell you it was tough hauling. By degrees we got within ten feet of him at last, and before he could gather headway again the whiz of the lance went past py ear and struck nome. The next minute the whale spouted blood. The mate bad reached his life with sped my hand as he passed m 1 whale off shore le ye out to the ship aud take you ashor a raise on as none nd ax they do. tirough the heary sure that ix always ruming on the beac, Before we left we went exe huyting on the small istafids which abound -th nd btained nearly a boatful of all Ki Cape pigeon and th of the sea, the albatross way fur the Chatham Est one morning At last we sq Ix, where we arrived As you come In sight of Pitts St there is a large rock, standing well out in the ocean, and if you did not know It was rock you would swear it was a sail We caught fine whales on thix leg of our cruise the old man was weil pleased with the voyage su far. Ax we came abreast of Pitts Island we dipped our flag three times. This was a signal that our captain wished to speak with the sole owner of this faland, a Mr. Hunt. We backed our malnyard and hove to. It was not long Vefore a whale boat shot out of the cove where his boat house was, We could see bis home standing well up on the hill. It was a one story bouse with 4 thatched roof, and the group of outbuildings made it look Ife quite a little settlement. He wax a short, tout man, about sixty years old, a3 near is I could Judge, when I saw him come alongside in bix boat, that was swiftly the ship had loosened th Tlie royal yards and topsuliaut masts with yards and it ed. te look like the end of things when we startid to take ere the ows. They must aS they bpbit a signa fre ou the beach, In ease of emer- gency, thd we could see Mr. Hunt and bis men walt- ing for the end to come. Eight bells found us tossing like a cork on the waves. Everything that around the decks. The morning wore away with us all elfnging to the shrouds, and at noon we bad a bite to eat cold salt beef and hardtack, as the cook could not get a fire in the galley. A snap and a surge and our starboard cable had parted. Only the port anchor holding us now off the shore. ine captain ordered a ten barrel cask to be brought on deck and a small line fastened to It. Wheu we heaved It over the wide. I knew the end had come now and we were going to be put ashore for sufety. Mr. Hunt-and his fellows were waiting for the cask to come ashore, and I tell you they bad a hifd time to reach it. It would be tossed up ou the beach and then the undertow would drag It back gain, At'last we anw them get It and take the line In. On top of fa bill back of them was a buge blue gum tree, and after hauling the small hawser ashore, they made ft + win were seut 1 sens over was. loome wal waslIng had wandered from hix flocks.e Lely him, and we de fded to accepr it 7 After lotding the hoaner our Ie and gave we what juty was cu honk, hands all around, nnd then as the shi 9 watched her until she dropped below the b A Swiss Family Robinson. Mr. Hunt and His family lived the lives of the Swiss Family Robinson, He owned fifty-two thousand aeres as the crow files under a patent from the Englisi: government, and surveyed by eugineers who had con over from Aucklind, and the larger part of it he bought thr a xood KON and some tobacco, which was the price demanded for t by the native chief who owned It. He owned at thut tlme more than a hundred thon- sand sheep, five buridred head of cattle and horses, also a large quantity of pigs. Some of these last got loose when he first bfonght them to the island and there were lote of wild pigs, also fowls and turkeys, whleit Do not envy him his fortune, for you will understand his sorrow and why he gave ps such ald when we were shipwrecked. His son and aughter were lost at sea when he sent them on a Journey fo Auckland to be educated. I can picture the nild of,that old home how. It was so osey, with the four bedrooms at the rear end, then the parlor and the dining room, and then the long living room with no carpet but the floor, white as hound s tooth, as tlited aut. yussenzer trade. was Wood and, cory eon. Tek paet look like Hue of battle sith soe reef to Bid th 1 we had quite a long talk, feet pent Unfolding the roll of showed ae ie xplend.d wet boat. h EVERY BI Speite recite aise tata Sh he prospect of a voyage In such company pleasant one after (he rough sailing 1 bid be for many yea 5 After enrly moruing breakfast the ery w the ship, Ship windiass brakes and heavy: pugh. away With the old chanty song of Schowanador, I love your dainsater, the crew merrily sbook her up and down as they walked the cable in, with a suusfcal clapk, lank, elank, clink. in Is up and down, sir I sang out n up to loosen-topsalls, Trop yout foresall and mainsail; have a man at the wheel, thea heave away, the skipper bawled back at me. In an hour we were well outside, with sails set and a good slant of wind running our course, two points free, and all hands getting anchot on the beams. The captain was watebing how 1 handled the wen and seemed. satisfied that 1 knew my business. Stow down cable uad see everything 18 fast. he said, and have the decax cleaned up. Then he left ne in chnege of the ship and went he low. At eight bells, four l', M., watches were port watch sent to supper and the starboard w on deck. 1 walked over t Ft one thrust. 5 : a . rowed by two Maoris, as natives there Ape named. fast, with a running line, to the tree. All was ne In thix room wax a long, plait table, with benches re my old shipmate was xt F eath of: the coed The Captain's Friend. ' ready for the crew to be hauled ashore by the instead of chairs, What cooking And how hearty ing, near the break of the poop deck, and put iy i with a cheer for our mate we gave the whale We heaved bieirm line and they pulled the boat up to breeches buoy woricctariwilies: 1 can remeber Ulan cutie (hell Mimpeisae terse nociewara hounds wd - tz-of line to nto his death a We were our ship Sit seemed that our o; was: well we: It was getting dark when the first man was open all day and then returning to thix home to find Yeas be angwered siowis, but Inve been wore ie not tong in getting a tow line on his flukes, and then quainted with him, as he grasped bis hand and sald: over the watery route to The shore mit Mt Tate aint otchertneeiderefaeiian Aanked dering whe we left tit weir vid Isintid whiter Sy L we sat down to rest, open the Intern keg and have Weil, well, old boy: how are sou anyway? Low all were onthe leech with the ed man condng bier f with large brawn pabituns, amd then the best rely: ere Yipee OFS muta Res ung at tara ena he ; our rapper. nnre yom getting tong and how Is the rnisaue? Rhall never foveet stint 1 tle acoaw trp ashwry hwy yideting wren How mig mouth did water? Goet inek aver. thirusa He) eae, youtine tr a 2c wax quite dark when we finally got nim along lesen had also come along th the beat avd 1 lt;tr: sisih 1 awn t Bin , as Ge wear aRd Tei thi a ; ed y . Advance sale of

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Attribution Image 1105 (1912-06-26), from microfilm reel 1105, (CU1743576). Courtesy of Early Alberta Newspapers Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary.