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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/4673-8.txt b/4673-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a7efb76 --- /dev/null +++ b/4673-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,1535 @@ +Project Gutenberg's Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life, by Arthur E. Knights + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life + +Author: Arthur E. Knights + +Posting Date: August 24, 2009 [EBook #4673] +Release Date: November, 2003 +First Posted: February 26, 2002 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOTES IN A SAILOR'S LIFE *** + + + + +Produced by David Schwan. HTML version by Al Haines. + + + + + + + + + +Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life + + +By + +Captain Arthur E. Knights + + + + +Introduction. + +In 1898 I was in Hongkong on a business affair which gave me much +leisure, when Murray Bain, editor of the China Mail, whom I had long +known, asked why I did not send him a letter occasionally. This led to +my venturing to give him "Some Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life." + +These Notes, I considered, could only be of interest locally. But some +of my friends have urged me to overcome my diffidence and put them in +pamphlet form, which I now do for distribution among my friends, +trusting that they will treat leniently the literary efforts of one who +is a sailor and not a cleric. + +A.E.K. + + + + +Contents. + + A Quick Passage + A Record Long Passage + A Voyage of Misfortune + Beginning of the German Navy + An Incident in Hongkong Harbour + A Singular Meeting + A Little Railway Experience + A Good Record in Life-Saving + Presentation of a Telescope by the British Government + The Ship "Bombay" + Is There a Fatality Attaching to Men or Inanimate Things? + Chinese Politeness + A Brazilian Slaver + Mary Ann Gander. + Hard Times + Memory For Voices + An Incident of the Great Taiping Rebellion + Conclusion + + + + +A Quick Passage. + + +To the editor of the "China Mail." + +Dear Sir:--I have just read with much pleasure the report of the quick +passage made by the sailing-ship "Muskoka" from Cardiff to this port in +ninety-two days. This is really a good trip and the captain and his +officers may be complimented on having done so well, for, as you know, +the ship is of large tonnage and the complement of men is small. I +congratulate the captain and his officers, and wish they may be as +successful in all their future voyages. + +Mr. Editor, no doubt you remember the ship "Northfleet." I was second +officer of her, as you know, in the year 1857. In the spring of that +year, we loaded government stores, guns, mortars, and general war +materials, with two companies of Royal Artillery, for the war at Canton, +in which the French and the British were allies. We sailed from Woolwich +on the river Thames, and stopped at Gravesend twelve hours, then made +our final start for Hongkong, in which port we anchored in the +wonderfully short time of eighty-eight days from Woolwich, which is at +least three days' sail farther than Cardiff. + +On the following voyage we did the same in eighty-eight days and a half. +These two were record voyages made in the glorious days of +"teaclippers." + +A. E. Knights. + +Hong Kong, June, 1898. + + + + +A Record Long Passage. + + +First Cotton From China to America. + +During the palmy days after the opening of the River Yangtse--when +freights were taels 22 per ton from Hankow to Shanghai, a distance of +six hundred miles--I was in command of the "Neimen," an auxiliary +ship-rigged vessel, engaged in this trade until near the end of 1863, +and saw some of the exciting times of the Taiping Rebellion in that part +of China. By the end of 1862 the steamers "Huquang" and "Firecracker" +had come from New York round the Cape of Good Hope, and later the +"Chekiang," "Kiu-kiang," and other paddle steamers were put on the +river, and the freights were reduced to taels 4 1/2 per ton. Then we had +to clear out. + +My employers ordered me to Hongkong to meet new boilers for the +"Neimen." Later I received instructions to sell the "Jedda," belonging +to the same owners, which was done. Then I had an offer from Mr. Paul +Forbes to buy the "Neimen." This arrangement was completed, and I agreed +with the new owners (Russell & Co.) to take the engines out of the +vessel, and to change the rig from ship to barque, with the object of +loading cotton for New York--the first from China to America. After +completing our alterations, and after painting the ship in Whampoa, we +came to Hongkong to load at the beginning of May, 1864. The weather and +water being warm and the paint new gave a favorable opportunity for the +barnacles to attach themselves to the vessel, and by the time we started +the barnacles were like coarse gravel on her sides. + +On the 24th of May, 1864, we sailed from Hongkong, and when we got out +into the China Sea we had no monsoon, but met with a continuance of +calms and squalls. The ship was unable to stand up under her canvas, +having no ballast, and being, as it were, stuffed with cotton. Well, at +last we reached Anjer, eighty-four days from Hongkong. The ship was one +mass of barnacles as large as "egg-cups." I sent overland to Batavia to +buy some garden spades, to be fitted on to long poles, so as to try to +chop off some of the shells, which we did, and after five days' delay we +sailed again. From Sunda Straits we had a good run till near the Cape. +Here we had calms again, and the grass and barnacles grew very fast. +Indeed, the ship's bottom was like a half-tide rock, and when the water +washed up the sides, as she rolled, the noise made by the barnacles was +like the surf on a sea-beach. We were followed for several days by a +shoal of dolphins, which we caught in great numbers night and morning. +Finally we got round the Cape, and to St. Helena, where we stayed four +days, and employed men to assist us in chopping off grass and barnacles +as far as we could reach. Then we proceeded on our way once more. + +We had a wearisome time in the "doldrums" about the equator, only +enlivened by catching dolphins and watching crabs, which would leave the +grass for a swim and then return to the ship. After getting clear of the +calm belt, we had a very good run to Bermuda, where we encountered a +heavy gale, with tremendous heavy seas. + +When the weather moderated we found to our dismay that the rudder was +adrift, the pintles having been broken by the heavy seas. I was now +compelled to put before the wind and run for St. Thomas, in the West +Indies, and when near the entrance of the port a passenger, Captain +George Adams, "went off his head," and thus gave no little addition to +my anxieties. Finally we arrived safely in port. Here more troubles +began. I was advised to do many things, some of which would have been +much to the benefit of some of my advisers. One thing was to land and +store the cargo.[*] This I positively refused to do. But after all I +found that there was only one European blacksmith in the place, and he +had but a small shop. This man contracted to do the repairs, and after I +had got the rudder to his shop he coolly asked me if I had a good +carpenter or other handy man to help him, as the job was too heavy for +his negro assistant to weld. I proposed to him another plan. So at last +the work was done satisfactorily, and we went on our way with partly a +new negro crew, some of the old crew having left. We made very good +progress and were nearly off New York when we got into a violent +snowstorm, which greatly amused the negro sailors, who had never seen +"white rain" before, but unfortunately for three of them, they got +frostbitten and lost their legs. We got into New York at last on the +25th of January, 1865, eight months from Hongkong! + +Although the voyage was so long, I believe the venture turned out to be +a good one financially. Gold was at a very high premium,--about two +dollars and eighty cents at this time,--and our cotton sold for one +dollar and fifty cents per pound. The "Neimen" went into dock, and +people came in hundreds to see the strange sight. She was covered with +shells like a rook. Some of these shells were sent out to China, and +Messrs. Russell & Co. (the owners) had them mounted in silver as +inkstands. + +28th June, 1898. + + + +[*] To land and store cargo should never be done by a shipmaster without +authority from the owners. + + + + +A Voyage of Misfortune. + + +After the last voyage which I gave you an account of I accepted an offer +made me by my late employers, and became superintendent of a business +under their management in New York. Unfortunately, at the close of the +war, this business was temporarily suspended and my contract was +annulled. I then tried two or three different things on my own account, +and finally settled as agent for a paper-mill; and all things were going +on fairly well until in an unguarded moment I read an advertisement in +the New York Herald. It ran as follows: "A gentleman with experience +requires a partner with capital, in a safe business, with no risks." The +bait took, and I had an interview with "the gentleman," and saw the +persons to whom he referred me, and we joined, with the result that in +less than seven months we had changed places. I had the experience and +he had the capital, as well as the stock, and had vanished to where the +woodbine twineth. His friends told me that this was his usual way of +doing business. This was pretty cool. In a short time the same gentleman +was seeking another victim in Chicago. My advice to sailors is to "stick +to the ship." + +Well, sir, the next thing I thought of was to get a ship before the +landsharks took all I had from me; and, with the assistance of Mr. Paul +Forbes, I was soon in command of the ship "Royal Saxon," owned jointly +by R. W. Cameron, of New York, and R. Towns, of Sydney. We sailed from +New York for Melbourne, and arrived there safely, though in running down +our easting about 42° south latitude we had continuous fogs. + +Now, sir, to the point. The above firm despatched from New York each +alternate week one vessel for Melbourne and one for Sydney. The week +before I left, the ship "Eastward Ho," Captain Byrne, was despatched for +Sydney, and apparently all went well until she got into latitude 37° or +38° south, and a little to the eastward of the Cape of Good Hope, when +suddenly one night, when running before a strong gale, she came crushing +into ice. The shock was so severe that her fore and main topmasts and +mizzen-topgallant masts went by the board, and the foremast-head sprung. +The hull was considerably shattered, and the main covering-board split +up from forward as far aft as the main gangway. + +After this, the captain thought he had better try to reach Simon's Bay +or the Cape. For some days they were working through field-ice, getting +a little to the north. Patching the vessel with canvas, and rigging +jury-masts and sails, finally they got clear of ice, and with fine +weather it was decided to stand to the eastward, with the hope of being +overtaken by some other vessel (which never came). After many +vicissitudes,--taking to the boats, then returning to the ship twice,--it +was decided that the ship was the safest place, and she ultimately +reached Sydney. + +In passing through Bass's Straits, the "Eastward Ho" had been passed at +a short distance by a steamer from New Zealand, and reported in +Melbourne, but could give no name. This gave great offence to the people +of Melbourne for passing a vessel in such a state and not finding her +name or her wants, if any. + +The "Eastward Ho" was repaired and loaded coals in Sydney for Hongkong, +and misfortune again overtook her. In coming through the Eastern seas, +her crew mutinied, and the vessel narrowly escaped wreck on one of the +islands. Then, later, she got into a typhoon, and was very badly +strained, but escaped for what might have been a worse fate--fire. Her +cargo of coals caught fire, and after some days of hard work, the fire +was extinguished; but when the vessel reached Hongkong and her cargo was +discharged, it was found that the hull was a mere shell. Her frames and +planking in many places were burnt nearly through. + +The vessel was condemned, the crew were paid off, and the captain left +Hongkong for New York and Syracuse, where was his home. When he had +nearly reached his house he met an old friend who conveyed to him the +sad news of his wife's death and of the funeral from which he was just +returning. A sailor's life is not always a happy one. Is there a +fatality attaching to certain men or things? + + + + +Beginning of the German Navy. + + +In the beginning of the year 1862 I was chief officer of the ship +"Ballaarat," with Captain Henry Jones, of Far East fame. We loaded in +the East India Docks, London, a full cargo of piece goods for Shanghai +and for Taku Bar. We arrived at Shanghai, and, as the war was finished, +we were ordered to proceed to Taku to discharge our cargo for Tientsin. +In due time we reached Taku Bar, where we found several of the British +warships anchored, and the South Forts occupied by British troops. + +We anchored in the forenoon very near to a vessel flying the Prussian +flag, and when we had furled sails and cleared up decks it was +tiffin-time. To our surprise, a boat came from the Prussian, bringing +the captain. I met him at the gangway, and reported him to our captain, +with the result that he stayed to tiffin with us. And then he stated his +business on board our ship. He said he wanted to buy provisions and +stores of any kind, sailors' clothing, boots, or anything we could sell, +which our captain laughingly agreed to do. + +The following conversation then took place: "What is the name of the +vessel you command?" + +"She is now the 'Hertha,' and was the British sailing-sloop 'Thetis.' +The British Government had her converted into a screw vessel, and +presented her to us to bring our Minister, Count von Eulenberg, to +negotiate a treaty with China as soon as the war should be ended, and +that is why we are here; and the barque with the American flag flying +near to us carries extra coals for our use." + +"But," said our captain, "you are not a German. How is it that you are +in command of that ship?" + +"No," said he; "I am an ex-Danish naval officer, and all my officers are +Danes, and we have German cadets. There being no German navy, there are +no officers yet trained." + +Business then began, and the transfer of provisions and stores of almost +every kind was made from one ship to the other. After this we used to +have daily friendly intercourse for about three weeks, and one fine +morning the "Hertha" left her anchorage. A fresh easterly breeze was +blowing, and the "Hertha" was working under sail against the wind, which +was increasing, and a nasty, short sea rising. After a couple of hours +we saw her yards squared, and the vessel put back and she anchored near +to us. In the afternoon, the wind having moderated, an officer from her +came to buy a grindstone. + +This caused some little merriment. Then the officer explained that in +the forenoon, when beating down the gulf, in one of the plunges, the +grindstone had been washed off the forecastle-head, where the men had +been employed in grinding their cutlasses. + +They were expecting to hear news of a rupture between France and +Germany, and they were on the way to Hongkong for shelter. + +It is highly creditable to the Germans that from so humble a beginning +they have raised such a fine fleet as they now possess. + +After our return to Shanghai from Taku I was permitted to leave the +"Ballaarat" and take command of the "Neimen" on the Yangtse. + + + + +An Incident in Hongkong Harbour. + + +The following incident regarding Captain Keppel may be of some interest +to sailors, and perhaps is remembered by some residents of Hongkong who +may have been there at the time of the last war with China. + +Sir Harry Keppel was every inch a sailor, and sometimes did some very +strange things, which would annoy his superiors; but the very oddity of +his actions gained the hearts and confidence of those who served under +him, and he could rely on every one acting as one machine when he +commanded. + +One day, for some reason, the Admiral, Sir Michael Seymour, who was then +on the flagship "Calcutta," gave orders for the "Raleigh" to proceed to +sea in face of a very strong southwest monsoon. The "Raleigh" was to go +out by the Lyemoon and return by Green Island. The ship was got under +way, and went out in the ordinary way by the Lyemoon, and beat round the +island. After some hours she came back by way of Green Island, with all +plain sails and all studding-sails set. At first this called for no +special attention, except for the grand sight of a man-of-war under full +sail. + +At this time, the harbour was full of sailing-ships of all nations, and +as the "Raleigh" came near and threaded her way among them, the crews of +the various ships became interested. When the "Raleigh" came near to her +anchorage, the order was quietly passed, and then, as if by magic, in +came all studding-sails; then, in the same manner, all plain sails; +after that "Let go the anchor," and a running moor was made. Then came +cheers from every sailor who had witnessed the maneuvre, cheers that +could be heard all over Hongkong as it was then. + +Well, sir, the Admiral was not pleased with this piece of skill in +seamanship, and for coming through a crowded harbour under all sail. The +"Raleigh" was ordered out for a twenty-four hours' cruise, and to come +in in a shipshape way the next time. Well, she went out again, and as +she came in past Green Island, she had all sail as before, and when +nearing the shipping, greatly to the astonishment of every one, in came +all plain sail and furled, leaving only the studding-sails; and under +these she went through the shipping to her anchorage, and then, "In all +studding-sails," and a running moor was made as before. And, if +possible, the cheers were more vehement than before. + +Now, sir, what do you think was the effect? Why, nearly half the sailors +in the merchant ships wanted to join the "Raleigh." They could not be +accommodated, but many were engaged and put on board the "Sibyl." + +It may also be remembered that when the "Raleigh" struck a rock near +Macao, a French man-of-war was in sight. The French flag was hoisted and +saluted by the "Raleigh." After the salute, the order was given to +abandon ship, and all this was done with as much coolness as if going to +a church parade. + + + + +A Singular Meeting. + + +A few years ago I had with me as chief mate a man who had left his home +when quite a boy to come to China. After arrival in Shanghai, he got a +position as quartermaster, and worked his way up to chief mate. + +After about eighteen years' absence from his home, an older brother of +his came to Shanghai in command of a sailing-ship, and the two brothers +met. The captain and I were introduced to each other, and I invited him +to spend all the time he could with his young brother on board the +steamer. Later the captain asked me to use my influence to get his +brother to go home with him to see his mother, who was a very old lady, +and always yearning to see her child "Sam." + +After some trouble, I persuaded him, as a matter of duty, to go home, +and obtained for him a year's leave of absence. He left Shanghai in his +brother's ship, and went to Iloilo, where the vessel loaded and sailed +for America. When the vessel was well on her way towards the Cape of +Good Hope, they had one very calm day, and a short distance from them +was another vessel showing the American flag. The two brothers agreed to +have a boat lowered and to pull over to the stranger for a short visit. +This was done, and to their great surprise, when they got on board, they +found that the captain was their own older brother. + +The two captains had been employed in different ports and on different +voyages, and had not met each other in fifteen years, and the oldest and +the youngest had never met before. + + + + +A Little Railway Experience. + + +By way of a change, I will tell you of a little railway experience I +once had. During the Civil War in America, I had occasion to go from New +York to Boston on important business, and I was there some days. When my +business was ended I decided on leaving Boston by the midnight train. + +Each hotel had its coach to convey guests to the depot or railway +station. I took my seat in the coach, and was joined by a gentleman also +going to New York. We each got our railway tickets, and sat side by side +in the same carriage, or "car," and after some little time we got into +conversation, and when my companion found that I was a "seafaring man," +no one could have been more astonished than he was. + +He looked at me and said, "My dear sir, you look to be an intelligent +sort of man, and you tell me that you go to sea." + +I said, "Yes, and why not?" + +"Well," said he, "I don't see how any man possessed with any common +sense and reason could ever be such a fool as to go to sea." + +I said that possibly that was the reason for my going to sea--just +simply a want of good sense on my part. But it suited me very well, and +I should like to know what objections he had against a sea life. + +"Why, sir, supposing you are in a gale and a fire breaks out on board, +what are you going to do? You have no back door to escape through?" + +"Well, we may be able to leave in the boats." + +"But you can't do it in a terrible storm." + +"Well, then, we will do the best we can, and do as sailors often are +compelled to do, trust in Providence. But for my part, I don't see that +we run more risks in a gale at sea than you do in the cities or than we +do now on the rail. What is to prevent us from having a smash-up before +morning?" + +"Well, now, my good sir, I beg of you don't go to sea any more, but just +come out to Iowa and buy a nice farm and settle down ashore. You can buy +a nice farm with all improvements at from three thousand to five +thousand dollars." + +I asked him what was the matter with the other man, that he wanted to +sell his farm and all improvements. I did not get any satisfactory +answer to this, as we had something more serious to attend to. Just at +this time I felt a peculiar motion in the car, like a horse cantering. I +clapped my hand on my friend and said, "Sit still," and in a few moments +I felt my heels grinding on some one--and the next thing was, that we +were landed bottom up down twenty-five feet of embankment, and terrible +shrieks on all sides. + +Three cars were capsized. One in front of us went down on its side, +endways. Ours went a side-somersault, and the next one endways, on its +wheels. En route we had gathered a number of soldiers who had been +drafted and were on their way South. The cars were jammed full. + +The furnace in our car did great damage to some, and altogether about +seventy were more or less hurt. The accident was caused by a rail +breaking, owing to severe frost. + +After this I tried to persuade my friend to go to Iowa, sell his store, +and come to sea with me, where he would be safe from any more tricks of +this sort. He still seemed inclined to hold on to the rail. + + + + +A Good Record in Life-Saving. + + +[From the Shanghai Mercury, April 13, 1887.] + +The steamship "Kiang-yu," Captain Knights, left the Kin-lee-yuen Wharf +for Hankow, at 2 o'clock on the morning of the 1st instant. On account +of the fog prevailing, she anchored at Halfway Point till 6 A. M., when +she got under way and ran as far as Lin-ho Point, where she anchored +again until 11 o'clock. The wind had been fresh from the south, but at +noon it changed in a squall to north, and continued very strong all day. +At 4 P. M., when about 75 miles up the Yangtse, a junk that had been +capsized was seen. A boat was lowered and six men, two women, and two +children were taken off, who were all got safely on board the +"Kiang-yu." A change of clothes was raised for them among the Chinese +passengers, and over thirty dollars were subscribed for the +unfortunates, who were landed at Kiang-yin. Their home was about five +miles lower down the river. They had left there in the morning, and were +capsized in the sudden change of wind. The poor creatures appeared to be +very grateful for their rescue. + +This is not the first time that Captain Knights has been instrumental in +saving life. During the last six years, he has picked up over thirty +people on the Yangtse, and in November, 1858, when second officer of the +tea-clipper "Northfleet," he performed a gallant action in going in +charge of a boat during a cyclone to the rescue of the crew of the brig +"Hebe." This happened about four hundred and fifty miles southwest of +the Scilly Islands, Land's End. The "Northfleet" was bound for +Portsmouth with some four hundred and fifty soldiers and sailors, +invalids from Hongkong, and twenty-four saloon passengers, mostly naval +and military officers. The "Hebe" was laden with grain from Alexandria, +and was in a sinking condition. + +The following testimonial, signed by several of the military and naval +officers on board the "Northfleet," who witnessed the rescue, and by the +captain and mate of the "Hebe," speaks for itself: + +Ship "Northfleet" (at sea), + +November 18th, 1858. + +We take much pleasure in awarding to Mr. Knights, 2nd officer of this +ship, this unsolicited testimonial, expressive of our high sense of the +coolness, judgment and courage he displayed on the morning of November +the 13th, 1858, when, under circumstances of great difficulty and +imminent danger, when in charge of the cutter, with five men, in a gale +of wind and high tumultuous sea running, he was, by the interposition of +Divine Providence, mercifully allowed to be the means of rescuing the +master, mate, and crew (9 in all) of the brig "Hebe," of Southampton, +reported to be in a sinking state. + + J. R. Fittock, Master, R. N. + W. J. Stuart, Lieutenant, R. N. + H. J. Tribe, Captain, R. N. + R. Picken, M. D., R. N. + H. Ward, Captain, R. N. + James Driver, Engineer, R. N. + G eo. A. F. Day, 2nd Master, R. N. + Wm. Donnelly, F. W., R. N. + A. W. Stratton (late Master and Owner of brig "Hebe"). + Chas. Clarke, Mate. + +The first signature to the testimonial is that of Mr. J. B. Fittock, +Master, R. N., father of Mr. Consul Fittock, well known in China. The +following letter on the subject was also written to the London Times by +the master of the "Hebe":-- + + +Heroism at Sea. + +To the Editor of "The Times." + +Sir: I wish to acknowledge, through the medium of your journal, my +sincere thanks to Captain B. Freeman, of the ship "Northfleet," of +London, for having rescued myself and eight men, the crew of the brig +"Hebe," of Southampton, when in a sinking state, and at the same time +blowing a gale of wind, with a high sea, in latitude 48° 80' N. and +longitude 12° 20' W. At the same time, I cannot pass by the courage +displayed by Mr. Knights, second mate, and five of the crew of the +"Northfleet," in the management of the boat which took us off. Yours +respectfully, + +A. W. Stratton, Master. + +12 Wood Street, Ryde, Isle of Wight, Nov. 30. + + +The Board of Trade recognized Captain Knights's gallantry by presenting +him with a telescope (by Troughton & Sons, London) and recording the +fact on his certificate in the following terms:-- + +"Certified that a telescope was presented by the British Government to +Arthur E. Knights for gallantry in saving life at sea." + +Recently, Captain Knights received from his old chief, Captain Freeman, +who was master of the "Northfleet" when the rescue of the crew of the +"Hebe" took place, a large oil-painting descriptive of the scene, +accompanied by a letter, from which we take the following extract: + +South Hackney, Feb. 25th, 1887. + +I have sent you (by favour of Mr. W. Howell, the chief officer of the +"Glenroy") the painting that Captain Stratton gave me of the +"Northfleet" rescuing the crew of the brig "Hebe," of Southampton, and I +beg your acceptance of it. I am sure you will like to have it, as you +were the principal actor in the scene--and I have a copy of it done by +the same artist. I well remember (as if it was only yesterday) how +anxious I was during the time you were away on the job, and how my heart +was frequently in my mouth (as the saying goes) when the old ship gave +an extra heavy lurch, and you and the dear old cutter were out of sight +for a few seconds in the trough of the sea; and I often think now what a +wonderful and merciful thing it was that we got that boat up without +accident,--but you see we had so many willing hands on board that they +ran away with her as soon as she was hooked on. + +The painting represents the "Northfleet" in a storm under close-reefed +topsails, fore staysail, and main trysail, and the "Hebe" under +close-reefed topsails, with heavy seas breaking over her, her boats and +house washed away, her stern-post (struck by a heavy sea) started, and +the brig in a sinking condition. The cutter, manned by a crew of five, +with Captain Knights in charge, and with the rescued crew of the "Hebe" +in her, appears under the stern of the "Northfleet," one man of the +"Hebe's" crew being hoisted on board by a bowline running from the +spanker-boom. The whole of the "Hebe's" crew were got on board the +"Northfleet" in the same way,--the cutter, containing Captain Knights +and the crew from the "Northfleet" being then hooked on and run up +without accident. + +It may be mentioned that the "Northfleet" was the ill-fated vessel which +some years afterwards was run down, while at anchor under Dungeness, by +the Spanish steamer "Murillo," when over three hundred lives were lost. + + + + +Presentation of a Telescope by the British Government. + + +In the early part of the year 1859 I received a letter from the Board of +Trade, notifying me that the British Government had been pleased to +award me a telescope in acknowledgment of my service in rescuing the +master and crew of the brig "Hebe," and requesting me to write a +statement, of what took place before and after the rescue, and hand it +to the President of the Local Marine Board, on a day named, and to be +then presented with a telescope. + +I appeared at the place and time appointed, and the President rose from +his seat and read my statement to the gentlemen of the Board. He then +asked me if I had rendered any previous service to British or foreign +subjects in distress; if so, had I received any reward or remuneration +for the same. If not, then the Board would make application and obtain +whatever might be due for such service. Or, did I wish for any further +reward for the present service from any Society in Great Britain, +application should be made. + +I replied that I had not rendered any previous service to any others in +distress, and that what I had done on this occasion was voluntary and +spontaneous, without thought of reward. I considered it only as a duty +to my fellow-man; and since the Government had been pleased to +acknowledge the service, I was truly grateful. I was then complimented +by the gentlemen of the Board, and was presented with the telescope. The +inscription on it is my greatest pride to this day, as is also the +honorary testimonial, stamped on my Government certificate of competency +by the recommendation of the Local Marine Board. + +To the President and Gentleman of the Local Marine Board, London. + +In latitude 48° 30' N., longitude 12° 20' E., on the morning of the 13th +of November, 1858, at 7 A. M., it being then just break of day, I saw +the brig "Hebe" about three miles on our lee-bow, having the signal of +distress flying. I immediately reported it to Captain Freeman, who came +on deck and gave orders to bear down upon her and see what was wanted. +When near enough we hove to and hailed the brig, asking what they were +in want of, and they answered, saying "For God's sake, send us a boat, +as we are sinking." Captain Freeman then asked if they wanted to abandon +their vessel, and they repeated their supplications, every one on board +appearing to be in the greatest mental distress, making signs that their +vessel was going down. The men were working vigorously at the pumps at +imminent risk of being washed overboard, as the sea was breaking +completely over them. + +It was now 8 o'clock, and Captain Freeman gave orders for all hands to +remain on deck and to clear away the cutter. I then got into the boat +and asked who would go with me, when I got several volunteers, out of +whom I took five,--viz., Burland, Hill, Hendrickson, Hansen, and +Cummins. The boat was lowered very successfully, when we got clear of +the ship. The brig was about a quarter of a mile astern. Heading for the +ship, I pulled alongside and told them to give me a good line over their +quarter, long enough to veer and haul upon. I told the captain of the +brig to get his log-book and chronometer, with a few of his own personal +effects, but I would not take either bed or bag belonging to any one. I +then told them to stand by and to jump in their turns, one by one, as I +should direct. We then hauled the boat up with her bow alongside the +brig's quarter, taking care lest the stem of the boat should get knocked +out, getting one of them off at a time, dropping clear while the heavy +seas passed, then hauling up again. In this manner we succeeded in +getting them off, nine in all, in about forty minutes, making them lie +in the bottom of the boat as ballast till it was covered. We then pulled +to the ship. When we reached her, they had a block at the +spanker-boom-end, with a single line rove and bowline, into which the +men got and were hoisted one by one on deck. After they were all up, I +sent one of the boat's crew up, and then went alongside and hooked on +the boat, which was quickly run up. There was no other mishap than the +breaking of an oar in coming alongside. We had on board about three +hundred invalid soldiers and sailors from the Canton war at this time. + +I have the honor to be your obedient servant, + +A. E. Knights. + + + +Inscription on Telescope. + +Presented by the British Government + + To + + Mr. Arthur Knights + Second Officer of the "Northfleet" + In Acknowledgment of + His Gallant Conduct + In Rescuing the Master and Crew + Of the "Hebe" + In November, 1858. + + + + +The Ship "Bombay." + + +(November, 1858.) + +At the time that the ship "Northfleet" was rescuing the crew of the brig +"Hebe," the ship "Bombay," belonging to the same owner,--Mr. Duncan +Dunbar,--was on the side of the same storm, at about one hundred miles +distance, and had the wind from just the opposite direction, but with +much greater force, and came near being lost. + +The "Bombay" had embarked some troops in Portsmouth for the Indian +Mutiny, and was ordered to proceed to Queenstown in Ireland to take on +board some two hundred more soldiers. + +When the vessel got near the entrance of the harbour it was nightfall, +and, the wind being unfavourable, when the pilot got on board, he +recommended the captain to make everything easy for the night and enter +the harbour next morning, when he expected the wind to be fair. But +during the night the wind increased and became a violent northeast gale, +and the vessel was blown out of the Irish Channel into the Atlantic +Ocean. For some days the wind blew with hurricane force. The ship lost +some sails, and was at last carrying only a close-reefed main topsail +and fore staysail. The sea was mountainous and lashing the ship from all +directions. Then late in the day, to the dismay of all on board, the lee +main topsail-sheet gave way, and the sail was flapping like thunder and +lashing the mast and rigging most furiously. The ship, now having +nothing to steady her, was helplessly rolling in the trough of the sea, +at the mercy of the waves, which threatened to engulf her, as they were +breaking on board from every direction. The deck-houses were washed away +and the decks were filled with water, which began to find an entrance to +the 'tween-decks, where the poor soldiers were battened down. In this +plight it was necessary to get the remnant of the topsail secure, and if +possible get a new sail in its place, so as to steady the ship. The +second officer was ordered to get the sailors and do this, but he soon +reported that the sailors, many of whom were foreigners, would not go +aloft. The chief officer then went forward and called for men, and asked +if there were any British sailors among them. If there were, for God's +sake, to go aloft with him. He led, the way, followed by seventeen +British sailors. They had nearly completed the work of securing the sail +when the ship gave a tremendous roll on the top of a very heavy wave and +the mast went by the board, carrying with it the chief mate and his +seventeen followers, and not a soul could be saved. Oh, to think of the +horrors of that dark and fearful night! + +Now came the trial for Captain John Flamanek and the remaining portion +of his crew. The broken mast and yards, still held by the broken +rigging, was lashing against the ship, threatening to break in her side +and send all to the bottom. It was necessary to cut away this wreckage +as soon as possible so as to free the ship, but before this could be +accomplished daylight had set in. Then the captain asked the officer +commanding the soldiers to let some of his men give assistance. This he +refused to do, and made complaint that his men's food was not being +prepared for them as it should be. The men cried shame of their +commander, and volunteered to do whatever they could to assist the +captain.[*] The weather moderated, and some sails were set on the +vessel, which finally unassisted reached Falmouth. Two steam men-of-war +had been sent in search of her, but missed her. + + + +[*] For his dastardly conduct the military commanding officer was later +dismissed from the army, and was never allowed to enter Her Majesty's +service again. + + + + +Is There a Fatality Attaching to Men or Inanimate Things? + + +In another part of this book I have mentioned the ship "Northfleet." In +regard to that vessel the above question might almost be answered in the +affirmative. The vessel was launched at the place from which she took +her name in 1852. She made her first voyage to New Zealand, thence to +China, and from there to San Francisco, and back to China and London. +Then she went trooping for the Crimean War; then for some years ran +between London and China carrying tea, for which she was originally +built. + +This ship never made a voyage without some one being drowned from her, +and finally she was run into and sunk by a steamer, which was afterwards +proved to be the Spanish vessel "Murillo." By this collision upwards of +three hundred people were drowned. The "Northfleet" was carrying railway +workmen to New Zealand, and when coming down the English Channel the +weather was stormy and the pilot recommended the captain to anchor under +a point called Dungeness. This was done, and the night came on very +dark. At some time after midnight a steamer came in under the Point, +apparently for the purpose of anchoring, as was afterwards reported by +the crew of the tugboat which was at anchor. They saw the steamer moving +about for some time. Then a crash was heard, followed by most +heartrending cries. The steamer went out to sea, and did not heed the +signal rockets which were sent up by the "Northfleet." The little +tugboat had only four men and a small boat, which was at once launched, +and the mate and the engineer, with one sailor, went to the rescue. When +they arrived all that could be found was the captain's wife and an +ordinary seaman. All the others had perished, through the dastardly act +of the Spaniard in running away. + +Captain Knowles of the "Northfleet" was newly married to a very +beautiful lady, who was later on by command presented to Queen Victoria, +who, after hearing her story, condoled with her, and later gave her a +pension of fifty pounds a year as long as she remained a widow. + +Some three years after this the widow was again married, to Captain +Cawes, of the ship "Coriolanus." This ship came to Hankow to load tea +and I had the pleasure to meet Mrs. Cawes, who had been saved from my +old ship in which I had served for years. + +The steamer that run down the "Northfleet" was twice arrested, but +nothing definite could be proved until some two years later, when one of +her officers was near dying, and he confessed that it was the steamer +"Murillo," which was later proved to be true, and the vessel was +confiscated. + + + + +Chinese Politeness. + + +Whilst running to Hankow with the steamer "Neimen" I had as sailors +Malays. The firemen were seedy boys, or Nubians. The steward was a Goa +Portuguese. The servants were Chinese, and the cook a Chinese who +claimed to be an American, he having been trained by Captain John +Parrott, of San Francisco, "a number one American man," who had taught +him to swear quite neatly. + +Well, on Christmas Day, 1862, we had a very hard gale and snowstorm, and +early in the evening we had to anchor. Then we sat down to dinner, which +we hoped to enjoy. There were several passengers on board, and when the +soup was served and tasted each looked at the other, and I looked at the +steward and asked him what kind of soup it was. He said it was plain +soup. I asked why some meat had not been used in its making, and he +replied that the cook must have eaten the meat, as he was given plenty. + +The cook was sent for, and when he was confronted with the steward he +began to use the refined language taught him by Captain Parrott. I +ordered the steward to put all the soup back into the tureen. Then I +invited the cook to take a seat at the table and consume the soup, which +he did. When he had taken it he rose and, bowing most politely, tucked +the tureen under his arm like an admiral with his cocked hat, and said, +"Excusey, my sir; all hab finishee," and backed out of the saloon most +politely. + + + + +A Brazilian Slaver. + + +In the year 1851 I was on a voyage to Melbourne, Australia, on the +sailing ship "Severn." This was shortly after the opening of the gold +mines. We left Southampton with about one hundred passengers, and had a +very fine run with fair weather. There was no incident to mar the +enjoyment of the trip until we neared the coast of Brazil, when one +morning we saw a smart-looking brig hove to, waiting for us to come up, +and when we came near our passengers became very much excited, as we +could see there was an unusual number of men on her deck; the idea was +that it was a pirate vessel. + +When we came very near to her, a boat was put off from her, and an +officer brought a letter from her captain asking for provisions and +water, saying that the vessel was bound for the port of Santos, and had +been blown off the coast in a pampero. Neither the officer nor the +boat's crew could or would speak English. They could only ask in Spanish +for "tabac." Some of our sailors protested that they were either British +or--Americans. Well, they were supplied with salt beef and pork, canned +meats, water, etc. Several trips were made by the boat, and when all was +finished, and the boat was at some distance from us, these marauders +stood up and gave us three rousing cheers in good plain English, and +called out "Good-bye boys, and good luck to you for feeding the +blackbirds." The brig was full of slaves. + +This "slave" business was then near its end in Brazil, and, probably +this vessel had been chased off the coast by a British war-vessel, as +every possible effort was being made by the British Government to +suppress the slave trade. + + + + +Mary Ann Gander. + + +On this voyage we had a Mr. and Mrs. Gander and their eight children. +Poor Mrs. Gander used to suffer terribly from seasickness, and was +totally unfitted to do anything but scold, whilst poor unfortunate +Gander used to promenade the deck with a child on each arm and a couple +of others tagging on to his coat-tails. He was a wonderfully +good-natured fellow, was Gander; otherwise I do believe he would have +jumped overboard, for whenever he came near to where Mrs. Gander was, +she used to call to him to go to the captain and tell him to put her on +shore immediately; she would not go any further in that ship,--no, that +she wouldn't. "Now, Mary Ann, what's the use your talking that way; you +know that we are a thousand miles from any land and the captain cannot +put you on shore." "Now, Gander, don't you talk to me. How dare you? You +just go to the captain at once. Oh! you catch me going to sea again. No, +that you won't. When I go home I'll go overland, if I have to walk every +step of the way." Poor Gander! Mary Ann and the children all survived +the trials of the voyage and arrived safe in Melbourne, where Gander was +very fortunate, and in three years made sufficient money to enable him +to retire, and as the English Mail Steamer Company, or the P. & O. +Company had put on a line from Ceylon to Australia in 1852, the Gander +family were enabled to go home by the overland route, as Mrs. Gander had +wished to go. + + + + +Hard Times. + + +In June, 1854, I left Melbourne on the barque "Junior," bound to Callao, +in Peru. We had a fine voyage, and on arrival, being free, I went to +Lima, the capital. I found this was a very interesting old city, with +beautiful surrounding country, which I enjoyed very much, and spent +nearly a month there. Then I had a week in Callao, which was a pretty +wild place. I used to sail around the bay, and in sailing near the shore +I could look down, at the bottom of the sea, on the houses of old +Callao, which was swallowed by an earthquake in the latter part of the +last century. And, strange to say, when the town disappeared an island +came up out in the bay. This island is very high and is called "San +Lorenzo," after a lone fisherman who had been out in his boat fishing on +the night when the earthquake took place, and in the morning poor old +Lorenzo found himself in a boat about a thousand feet up on a mountain +and no town in sight. + +Well, I joined the barque "Tropic," loaded with guano, bound for Cork, +in Ireland. This vessel was a very rotten old thing, and in getting +round Cape Horn we all had a very hard time, and did not know how soon +the vessel would sink with us; but we got round the Cape and into the +South Atlantic, where we had better weather and proceeded pretty well +till in the North Atlantic, when provisions began to get short. When we +were off the Azores, watching the beautiful shores and harbours of St. +Michael, we came near a Dutch brig from Brazil loaded with coffee. The +captain hailed us and asked us for some biscuits. A boat was sent to us +bringing us a half-bag of coffee. We had less than a hundred pounds of +biscuits. Our captain consulted with us about giving any of it away. It +was finally agreed that we would divide with the brig. This was done, +and we had to be very careful with so little bread among twelve people. +We had plenty of salt beef and pork, and a half-barrel of flour, but no +beans or peas or sugar. + +We had a fair run till we saw Cape Clear, at the south end of Ireland, +on the 30th of January, 1855. We all were in high hopes that a few hours +more would see us at anchor in Queenstown; but that night came on an +easterly gale, and we were driven out into the Atlantic, where for weeks +we were buffeted about, and to our dismay our last fresh-water cask we +found had leaked and was empty. We were surrounded with many other +vessels in the same plight--short of provisions. We had plenty of snow, +with which we could make coffee, but were reduced to salt meat only, +which is pretty hard fare. The hardest part was, that the captain had +his wife and two children on board, and for the youngest child a goat +had been provided to supply milk. This became a scarce article as there +was no food for the goat. So every day the carpenter used to plane up a +piece of wood to make shavings for the goat to eat. It got along as well +or better than any of us. + +Finally, on the 10th of March, in the morning early, we had reached near +to the Old Head of Kinsale, and near to Cork, when we saw a boat pulling +off to us. This proved to be a pilot-boat. The pilot got on board, and +told us that ours was the first vessel that could be boarded in six +weeks, the weather having been so bad, and that only a few days before +the mail-carrier between Clonakilty and Cork had been frozen to death on +his journey. The pilot brought us a few potatoes, which gave us one each +and two for the captain's wife, and the next morning we got safely into +Queenstown, where we were able to get a good supply of milk, bread, +butter, and eggs, of which we all made pretty free use, and with a few +days' rest we forgot all our late cares, as sailors usually do. + +After being in port a few days we all left the "Tropic," and I spent a +couple of weeks in seeing Cork and the beautiful country where the +people are so genial and hospitable. After seeing all I wanted to see, I +took steamer from Cork for Bristol, spent one day there, and then left +by train for London. The train left in the evening, and here a rather +amusing incident occurred. I had taken a second-class ticket, and after +taking my seat, it being cold weather, I prepared to make myself +comfortable for the night. In my valise I had a rough sealskin or +Esquimau jacket with a hood to it. I put this on and was nice and warm, +sitting in the corner of the carriage. Shortly afterwards a man in +livery came in and sat in the corner opposite to me. Then came an old +lady and her husband, an Irish army officer returning to India. The old +lady was helped in by the gentleman, but as soon as she saw me she cried +out, "O Lord!" and fell back. Then the old gentleman boosted her in +again, saying, "Go in, you old stupid!" and after the second attempt she +gave it up, saying she wouldn't travel in a menagerie. She had taken me +for a bear, and the man in livery for my keeper. The old gentleman got +in, and she remained on the platform until I assured her that there was +no danger. Then she came in very reluctantly and sat as far away as +possible until we reached Bath, where the man in livery alighted. After +that the old lady, her husband, and I became good friends for the +remainder of the journey. + + + + +Memory For Voices. + + +After the bear incident I spent some time in London, then joined the +emigrant ship "Oriental," bound to Adelaide, South Australia. I was +third officer. We took on board about one hundred families of +excellently selected farm labourers, shepherds, and ploughmen, and after +having made a good voyage arrived safely in Adelaide. The Immigration +Commissioners came on board and inspected the passengers. The result was +most satisfactory. There was no complaint of ill-treatment or deficiency +in supplies, and in less than thirty-six hours every family was engaged +and sent into the country. And the Commissioners awarded to our doctor +fifty pounds sterling, the chief officer fifty pounds for his +supervision, and myself fifty pounds for the supervision of the +commissariat department. + +After a short stay in Adelaide, we sailed for Madras, in India, and +after a good voyage we arrived and anchored in the evening when it was +quite dark. There was quite a number of native business men came off in +catamarans and "mussulah," or surf-boats. Among the number was one +noble-looking man, who stepped up near to our captain and, addressing +him, said, "How do you do, Captain Mackintosh?" + +"How do you know my name is Mackintosh?" + +"By your voice, sahib. When you were here in the 'Lady Mary Harrison,' +eighteen years ago, I was your dubash." + +This was quite correct. This man recognized the captain's voice after +all these years. + +In 1879 I had a similar experience in my own case. I was travelling in +Scotland, and in Edinburgh I met some friends and inquired for an old +lady whom I had known as a child. I found that she was living at a place +called Aberladye, on the seacoast. I decided to go to see her, and was +directed to take the train to Dreme Station, and there I should find a +conveyance to take me to Aberladye. When I arrived the conveyance was +filled with local travellers and I started to walk three and a half +miles to my friend. After I had gone about half a mile I passed by a +magnificent entrance to a fine estate. Soon after this I heard a +carriage coming, and when it caught up to me the gentleman who was +driving in the dog-cart pulled up and asked if I was going to Aberladye +and invited me to take a lift. I thanked him and mounted beside him. He +asked where I wanted to go. I told him to Rose Cottage, when we entered +into general conversation. He learned that I was from China, so we had +quite a pleasant time, and, arriving opposite to Rose Cottage, he pulled +up and graciously pointed to the house, bade me good-bye, and hoped we +might meet again. + +I went up to the door and rang the bell, and the old lady herself +answered it all in a flutter, as she had seen me set down from the trap, +which was driven by Lord Rosebery himself. Well, I asked if Mrs. +McKippen lived there. She replied, "Yes; I am she." I said, "Perhaps +you don't remember me?" She said, "No; but I know your voice." I told +her that I was Arthur Knights. "Aye, laddie," she cried, "I heard that +you was drowned at sea twenty-five years ago." Well, I need hardly say +that I was welcome to her and her husband, who was a retired business +man. Poor old gentleman, he cried as a child when she told him of my +taking the trouble to come and see her, and how when I was a small boy +at a juvenile party I was sore distressed by my dancing slippers being +too big and that they kept slipping off. Then she came to the rescue and +took me to one side and stitched them to the heel of my stocking to +enable me to have a good time. + +I spent a couple of days with my friends and then went on my way, and I +have often wondered whether that lady could possibly have connected my +manhood voice with that of my childhood. + + + + +An Incident of the Great Taiping Rebellion. + + +In the latter part of 1862 I left Shanghai on my usual voyage to Hankow. +This port is six hundred miles up the Yangtse River. After we had got +about sixty miles up the river, which is here about ten miles wide, our +attention was drawn to a number of human bodies floating down the river, +most of them mutilated. This lasted about thirty hours. As we steamed +along near the shore, the farmers, with their families, were for miles +gathered here and there, gesticulating, prostrating themselves, and +praying for us to take them on board. The poor creatures were between +the Imperialist soldiers and the rebels, or Taipings. Both of these +parties were ravaging, devastating, and destroying all before them, and +the poor peasants had a very hard time. We could not help these poor +creatures, and had to pass on our way. + +On the third day we passed a city called Taiping Foo, "foo" meaning +"city" in Chinese. We afterwards learned that for some months the +inhabitants of the city had withstood a siege from both belligerents, +and one day the Imperialist general conferred with the Taotai, or mayor, +and said that it was well known that the inhabitants had been very good +and had not favored the rebels, and now if they would open their gates +to the Imperial soldiers, he would promise them kind treatment; and the +people were weak enough to believe him and opened the city gates, and in +a few hours nearly the whole population was butchered and thrown into +the river, and those were they whom we had seen floating in clusters a +few days before. + + + + +Conclusion. + + +In the course of my journey through life I have been in many strange +places, and have met many strange people. I have seen many strange +sights--some grave, some gay. For many years I was on +passenger-carrying ships, and have carried many travellers, amongst whom +some strong and enduring attachments have been made. + +Although I have been in some bad places, and met some "hard characters," +yet was I never molested in any country in which I have been. I have +seen some misfortunes, but was never depressed by them. I could always +see around me others who stood in need of help. I have spent a long life +in foreign lands, and happily I can now look back upon the past and say +that I have found much good in all the lands which Almighty God has +permitted me to visit. + +My motto has always been, Never despair; persevere, and never give up +hope. + +And now with the most happy memories of the past I can look back without +a moment's regret and ask God to bless all those who have been good to +me. And who has not been good? + + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life, by +Arthur E. 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Knights +</TITLE> + +<STYLE TYPE="text/css"> +BODY { color: Black; + background: White; + margin-right: 10%; + margin-left: 10%; + font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; + text-align: justify } + +P {text-indent: 4% } + +P.noindent {text-indent: 0% } + +P.poem {text-indent: 0%; + margin-left: 10%; + font-size: small } + +P.letter {text-indent: 0%; + font-size: small ; + margin-left: 10% ; + margin-right: 10% } + +P.footnote {font-size: 80% ; + text-indent: 0% ; + margin-left: 10% ; + margin-right: 10% } + +P.transnote {font-size: small ; + text-indent: 0% ; + margin-left: 0% ; + margin-right: 0% } + +P.intro {font-size: medium ; + text-indent: -5% ; + margin-left: 5% ; + margin-right: 0% } + +P.finis { font-size: larger ; + text-align: center ; + text-indent: 0% ; + margin-left: 0% ; + margin-right: 0% } + +</STYLE> + +</HEAD> + +<BODY> + + +<pre> + +Project Gutenberg's Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life, by Arthur E. Knights + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life + +Author: Arthur E. Knights + +Posting Date: August 24, 2009 [EBook #4673] +Release Date: November, 2003 +First Posted: February 26, 2002 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOTES IN A SAILOR'S LIFE *** + + + + +Produced by David Schwan. HTML version by Al Haines. + + + + + +</pre> + + +<BR><BR> + +<H1 ALIGN="center"> +Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life +</H1> + +<BR> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +By +</H3> + +<H2 ALIGN="center"> +Captain Arthur E. Knights +</H2> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +Introduction. +</H3> + +<P> +In 1898 I was in Hongkong on a business affair which gave me much +leisure, when Murray Bain, editor of the China Mail, whom I had long +known, asked why I did not send him a letter occasionally. This led to +my venturing to give him "Some Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life." +</P> + +<P> +These Notes, I considered, could only be of interest locally. But some +of my friends have urged me to overcome my diffidence and put them in +pamphlet form, which I now do for distribution among my friends, +trusting that they will treat leniently the literary efforts of one who +is a sailor and not a cleric. +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +A.E.K. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<H2 ALIGN="center"> +Contents. +</H2> + +<H4> + <A HREF="#passage">A Quick Passage</A><BR> + <A HREF="#long">A Record Long Passage</A><BR> + <A HREF="#voyage">A Voyage of Misfortune</A><BR> + <A HREF="#german">Beginning of the German Navy</A><BR> + <A HREF="#hongkong">An Incident in Hongkong Harbour</A><BR> + <A HREF="#meeting">A Singular Meeting</A><BR> + <A HREF="#railway">A Little Railway Experience</A><BR> + <A HREF="#record">A Good Record in Life-Saving</A><BR> + <A HREF="#telescope">Presentation of a Telescope by the British Government</A><BR> + <A HREF="#bombay">The Ship "Bombay"</A><BR> + <A HREF="#fatality">Is There a Fatality Attaching to Men or Inanimate Things?</A><BR> + <A HREF="#chinese">Chinese Politeness</A><BR> + <A HREF="#slaver">A Brazilian Slaver</A><BR> + <A HREF="#gander">Mary Ann Gander</A><BR> + <A HREF="#times">Hard Times</A><BR> + <A HREF="#memory">Memory For Voices</A><BR> + <A HREF="#taiping">An Incident of the Great Taiping Rebellion</A><BR> + <A HREF="#conclusion">Conclusion</A><BR> +</H4> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="passage"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +A Quick Passage. +</H3> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +To the editor of the "China Mail." +</P> + +<P> +Dear Sir:—I have just read with much pleasure the report of the quick +passage made by the sailing-ship "Muskoka" from Cardiff to this port in +ninety-two days. This is really a good trip and the captain and his +officers may be complimented on having done so well, for, as you know, +the ship is of large tonnage and the complement of men is small. I +congratulate the captain and his officers, and wish they may be as +successful in all their future voyages. +</P> + +<P> +Mr. Editor, no doubt you remember the ship "Northfleet." I was second +officer of her, as you know, in the year 1857. In the spring of that +year, we loaded government stores, guns, mortars, and general war +materials, with two companies of Royal Artillery, for the war at Canton, +in which the French and the British were allies. We sailed from Woolwich +on the river Thames, and stopped at Gravesend twelve hours, then made +our final start for Hongkong, in which port we anchored in the +wonderfully short time of eighty-eight days from Woolwich, which is at +least three days' sail farther than Cardiff. +</P> + +<P> +On the following voyage we did the same in eighty-eight days and a half. +These two were record voyages made in the glorious days of +"teaclippers." +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +A. E. Knights. +<BR> +Hong Kong, June, 1898. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="long"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +A Record Long Passage. +</H3> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +First Cotton From China to America. +</P> + +<P> +During the palmy days after the opening of the River Yangtse—when +freights were taels 22 per ton from Hankow to Shanghai, a distance of +six hundred miles—I was in command of the "Neimen," an auxiliary +ship-rigged vessel, engaged in this trade until near the end of 1863, +and saw some of the exciting times of the Taiping Rebellion in that part +of China. By the end of 1862 the steamers "Huquang" and "Firecracker" +had come from New York round the Cape of Good Hope, and later the +"Chekiang," "Kiu-kiang," and other paddle steamers were put on the +river, and the freights were reduced to taels 4 1/2 per ton. Then we had +to clear out. +</P> + +<P> +My employers ordered me to Hongkong to meet new boilers for the +"Neimen." Later I received instructions to sell the "Jedda," belonging +to the same owners, which was done. Then I had an offer from Mr. Paul +Forbes to buy the "Neimen." This arrangement was completed, and I agreed +with the new owners (Russell & Co.) to take the engines out of the +vessel, and to change the rig from ship to barque, with the object of +loading cotton for New York—the first from China to America. After +completing our alterations, and after painting the ship in Whampoa, we +came to Hongkong to load at the beginning of May, 1864. The weather and +water being warm and the paint new gave a favorable opportunity for the +barnacles to attach themselves to the vessel, and by the time we started +the barnacles were like coarse gravel on her sides. +</P> + +<P> +On the 24th of May, 1864, we sailed from Hongkong, and when we got out +into the China Sea we had no monsoon, but met with a continuance of +calms and squalls. The ship was unable to stand up under her canvas, +having no ballast, and being, as it were, stuffed with cotton. Well, at +last we reached Anjer, eighty-four days from Hongkong. The ship was one +mass of barnacles as large as "egg-cups." I sent overland to Batavia to +buy some garden spades, to be fitted on to long poles, so as to try to +chop off some of the shells, which we did, and after five days' delay we +sailed again. From Sunda Straits we had a good run till near the Cape. +Here we had calms again, and the grass and barnacles grew very fast. +Indeed, the ship's bottom was like a half-tide rock, and when the water +washed up the sides, as she rolled, the noise made by the barnacles was +like the surf on a sea-beach. We were followed for several days by a +shoal of dolphins, which we caught in great numbers night and morning. +Finally we got round the Cape, and to St. Helena, where we stayed four +days, and employed men to assist us in chopping off grass and barnacles +as far as we could reach. Then we proceeded on our way once more. +</P> + +<P> +We had a wearisome time in the "doldrums" about the equator, only +enlivened by catching dolphins and watching crabs, which would leave the +grass for a swim and then return to the ship. After getting clear of the +calm belt, we had a very good run to Bermuda, where we encountered a +heavy gale, with tremendous heavy seas. +</P> + +<P> +When the weather moderated we found to our dismay that the rudder was +adrift, the pintles having been broken by the heavy seas. I was now +compelled to put before the wind and run for St. Thomas, in the West +Indies, and when near the entrance of the port a passenger, Captain +George Adams, "went off his head," and thus gave no little addition to +my anxieties. Finally we arrived safely in port. Here more troubles +began. I was advised to do many things, some of which would have been +much to the benefit of some of my advisers. One thing was to land and +store the cargo.[*] This I positively refused to do. But after all I +found that there was only one European blacksmith in the place, and he +had but a small shop. This man contracted to do the repairs, and after I +had got the rudder to his shop he coolly asked me if I had a good +carpenter or other handy man to help him, as the job was too heavy for +his negro assistant to weld. I proposed to him another plan. So at last +the work was done satisfactorily, and we went on our way with partly a +new negro crew, some of the old crew having left. We made very good +progress and were nearly off New York when we got into a violent +snowstorm, which greatly amused the negro sailors, who had never seen +"white rain" before, but unfortunately for three of them, they got +frostbitten and lost their legs. We got into New York at last on the +25th of January, 1865, eight months from Hongkong! +</P> + +<P> +Although the voyage was so long, I believe the venture turned out to be +a good one financially. Gold was at a very high premium,—about two +dollars and eighty cents at this time,—and our cotton sold for one +dollar and fifty cents per pound. The "Neimen" went into dock, and +people came in hundreds to see the strange sight. She was covered with +shells like a rook. Some of these shells were sent out to China, and +Messrs. Russell & Co. (the owners) had them mounted in silver as +inkstands. +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +28th June, 1898. +</P> + +<BR> + +<P CLASS="footnote"> +[*] To land and store cargo should never be done by a shipmaster without +authority from the owners. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="voyage"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +A Voyage of Misfortune. +</H3> + +<P> +After the last voyage which I gave you an account of I accepted an offer +made me by my late employers, and became superintendent of a business +under their management in New York. Unfortunately, at the close of the +war, this business was temporarily suspended and my contract was +annulled. I then tried two or three different things on my own account, +and finally settled as agent for a paper-mill; and all things were going +on fairly well until in an unguarded moment I read an advertisement in +the New York Herald. It ran as follows: "A gentleman with experience +requires a partner with capital, in a safe business, with no risks." The +bait took, and I had an interview with "the gentleman," and saw the +persons to whom he referred me, and we joined, with the result that in +less than seven months we had changed places. I had the experience and +he had the capital, as well as the stock, and had vanished to where the +woodbine twineth. His friends told me that this was his usual way of +doing business. This was pretty cool. In a short time the same gentleman +was seeking another victim in Chicago. My advice to sailors is to "stick +to the ship." +</P> + +<P> +Well, sir, the next thing I thought of was to get a ship before the +landsharks took all I had from me; and, with the assistance of Mr. Paul +Forbes, I was soon in command of the ship "Royal Saxon," owned jointly +by R. W. Cameron, of New York, and R. Towns, of Sydney. We sailed from +New York for Melbourne, and arrived there safely, though in running down +our easting about 42° south latitude we had continuous fogs. +</P> + +<P> +Now, sir, to the point. The above firm despatched from New York each +alternate week one vessel for Melbourne and one for Sydney. The week +before I left, the ship "Eastward Ho," Captain Byrne, was despatched for +Sydney, and apparently all went well until she got into latitude 37° or +38° south, and a little to the eastward of the Cape of Good Hope, when +suddenly one night, when running before a strong gale, she came crushing +into ice. The shock was so severe that her fore and main topmasts and +mizzen-topgallant masts went by the board, and the foremast-head sprung. +The hull was considerably shattered, and the main covering-board split +up from forward as far aft as the main gangway. +</P> + +<P> +After this, the captain thought he had better try to reach Simon's Bay +or the Cape. For some days they were working through field-ice, getting +a little to the north. Patching the vessel with canvas, and rigging +jury-masts and sails, finally they got clear of ice, and with fine +weather it was decided to stand to the eastward, with the hope of being +overtaken by some other vessel (which never came). After many +vicissitudes,—taking to the boats, then returning to the ship twice,—it +was decided that the ship was the safest place, and she ultimately +reached Sydney. +</P> + +<P> +In passing through Bass's Straits, the "Eastward Ho" had been passed at +a short distance by a steamer from New Zealand, and reported in +Melbourne, but could give no name. This gave great offence to the people +of Melbourne for passing a vessel in such a state and not finding her +name or her wants, if any. +</P> + +<P> +The "Eastward Ho" was repaired and loaded coals in Sydney for Hongkong, +and misfortune again overtook her. In coming through the Eastern seas, +her crew mutinied, and the vessel narrowly escaped wreck on one of the +islands. Then, later, she got into a typhoon, and was very badly +strained, but escaped for what might have been a worse fate—fire. Her +cargo of coals caught fire, and after some days of hard work, the fire +was extinguished; but when the vessel reached Hongkong and her cargo was +discharged, it was found that the hull was a mere shell. Her frames and +planking in many places were burnt nearly through. +</P> + +<P> +The vessel was condemned, the crew were paid off, and the captain left +Hongkong for New York and Syracuse, where was his home. When he had +nearly reached his house he met an old friend who conveyed to him the +sad news of his wife's death and of the funeral from which he was just +returning. A sailor's life is not always a happy one. Is there a +fatality attaching to certain men or things? +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="german"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +Beginning of the German Navy. +</H3> + +<P> +In the beginning of the year 1862 I was chief officer of the ship +"Ballaarat," with Captain Henry Jones, of Far East fame. We loaded in +the East India Docks, London, a full cargo of piece goods for Shanghai +and for Taku Bar. We arrived at Shanghai, and, as the war was finished, +we were ordered to proceed to Taku to discharge our cargo for Tientsin. +In due time we reached Taku Bar, where we found several of the British +warships anchored, and the South Forts occupied by British troops. +</P> + +<P> +We anchored in the forenoon very near to a vessel flying the Prussian +flag, and when we had furled sails and cleared up decks it was +tiffin-time. To our surprise, a boat came from the Prussian, bringing +the captain. I met him at the gangway, and reported him to our captain, +with the result that he stayed to tiffin with us. And then he stated his +business on board our ship. He said he wanted to buy provisions and +stores of any kind, sailors' clothing, boots, or anything we could sell, +which our captain laughingly agreed to do. +</P> + +<P> +The following conversation then took place: "What is the name of the +vessel you command?" +</P> + +<P> +"She is now the 'Hertha,' and was the British sailing-sloop 'Thetis.' +The British Government had her converted into a screw vessel, and +presented her to us to bring our Minister, Count von Eulenberg, to +negotiate a treaty with China as soon as the war should be ended, and +that is why we are here; and the barque with the American flag flying +near to us carries extra coals for our use." +</P> + +<P> +"But," said our captain, "you are not a German. How is it that you are +in command of that ship?" +</P> + +<P> +"No," said he; "I am an ex-Danish naval officer, and all my officers are +Danes, and we have German cadets. There being no German navy, there are +no officers yet trained." +</P> + +<P> +Business then began, and the transfer of provisions and stores of almost +every kind was made from one ship to the other. After this we used to +have daily friendly intercourse for about three weeks, and one fine +morning the "Hertha" left her anchorage. A fresh easterly breeze was +blowing, and the "Hertha" was working under sail against the wind, which +was increasing, and a nasty, short sea rising. After a couple of hours +we saw her yards squared, and the vessel put back and she anchored near +to us. In the afternoon, the wind having moderated, an officer from her +came to buy a grindstone. +</P> + +<P> +This caused some little merriment. Then the officer explained that in +the forenoon, when beating down the gulf, in one of the plunges, the +grindstone had been washed off the forecastle-head, where the men had +been employed in grinding their cutlasses. +</P> + +<P> +They were expecting to hear news of a rupture between France and +Germany, and they were on the way to Hongkong for shelter. +</P> + +<P> +It is highly creditable to the Germans that from so humble a beginning +they have raised such a fine fleet as they now possess. +</P> + +<P> +After our return to Shanghai from Taku I was permitted to leave the +"Ballaarat" and take command of the "Neimen" on the Yangtse. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="hongkong"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +An Incident in Hongkong Harbour. +</H3> + +<P> +The following incident regarding Captain Keppel may be of some interest +to sailors, and perhaps is remembered by some residents of Hongkong who +may have been there at the time of the last war with China. +</P> + +<P> +Sir Harry Keppel was every inch a sailor, and sometimes did some very +strange things, which would annoy his superiors; but the very oddity of +his actions gained the hearts and confidence of those who served under +him, and he could rely on every one acting as one machine when he +commanded. +</P> + +<P> +One day, for some reason, the Admiral, Sir Michael Seymour, who was then +on the flagship "Calcutta," gave orders for the "Raleigh" to proceed to +sea in face of a very strong southwest monsoon. The "Raleigh" was to go +out by the Lyemoon and return by Green Island. The ship was got under +way, and went out in the ordinary way by the Lyemoon, and beat round the +island. After some hours she came back by way of Green Island, with all +plain sails and all studding-sails set. At first this called for no +special attention, except for the grand sight of a man-of-war under full +sail. +</P> + +<P> +At this time, the harbour was full of sailing-ships of all nations, and +as the "Raleigh" came near and threaded her way among them, the crews of +the various ships became interested. When the "Raleigh" came near to her +anchorage, the order was quietly passed, and then, as if by magic, in +came all studding-sails; then, in the same manner, all plain sails; +after that "Let go the anchor," and a running moor was made. Then came +cheers from every sailor who had witnessed the maneuvre, cheers that +could be heard all over Hongkong as it was then. +</P> + +<P> +Well, sir, the Admiral was not pleased with this piece of skill in +seamanship, and for coming through a crowded harbour under all sail. The +"Raleigh" was ordered out for a twenty-four hours' cruise, and to come +in in a shipshape way the next time. Well, she went out again, and as +she came in past Green Island, she had all sail as before, and when +nearing the shipping, greatly to the astonishment of every one, in came +all plain sail and furled, leaving only the studding-sails; and under +these she went through the shipping to her anchorage, and then, "In all +studding-sails," and a running moor was made as before. And, if +possible, the cheers were more vehement than before. +</P> + +<P> +Now, sir, what do you think was the effect? Why, nearly half the sailors +in the merchant ships wanted to join the "Raleigh." They could not be +accommodated, but many were engaged and put on board the "Sibyl." +</P> + +<P> +It may also be remembered that when the "Raleigh" struck a rock near +Macao, a French man-of-war was in sight. The French flag was hoisted and +saluted by the "Raleigh." After the salute, the order was given to +abandon ship, and all this was done with as much coolness as if going to +a church parade. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="meeting"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +A Singular Meeting. +</H3> + +<P> +A few years ago I had with me as chief mate a man who had left his home +when quite a boy to come to China. After arrival in Shanghai, he got a +position as quartermaster, and worked his way up to chief mate. +</P> + +<P> +After about eighteen years' absence from his home, an older brother of +his came to Shanghai in command of a sailing-ship, and the two brothers +met. The captain and I were introduced to each other, and I invited him +to spend all the time he could with his young brother on board the +steamer. Later the captain asked me to use my influence to get his +brother to go home with him to see his mother, who was a very old lady, +and always yearning to see her child "Sam." +</P> + +<P> +After some trouble, I persuaded him, as a matter of duty, to go home, +and obtained for him a year's leave of absence. He left Shanghai in his +brother's ship, and went to Iloilo, where the vessel loaded and sailed +for America. When the vessel was well on her way towards the Cape of +Good Hope, they had one very calm day, and a short distance from them +was another vessel showing the American flag. The two brothers agreed to +have a boat lowered and to pull over to the stranger for a short visit. +This was done, and to their great surprise, when they got on board, they +found that the captain was their own older brother. +</P> + +<P> +The two captains had been employed in different ports and on different +voyages, and had not met each other in fifteen years, and the oldest and +the youngest had never met before. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="railway"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +A Little Railway Experience. +</H3> + +<P> +By way of a change, I will tell you of a little railway experience I +once had. During the Civil War in America, I had occasion to go from New +York to Boston on important business, and I was there some days. When my +business was ended I decided on leaving Boston by the midnight train. +</P> + +<P> +Each hotel had its coach to convey guests to the depot or railway +station. I took my seat in the coach, and was joined by a gentleman also +going to New York. We each got our railway tickets, and sat side by side +in the same carriage, or "car," and after some little time we got into +conversation, and when my companion found that I was a "seafaring man," +no one could have been more astonished than he was. +</P> + +<P> +He looked at me and said, "My dear sir, you look to be an intelligent +sort of man, and you tell me that you go to sea." +</P> + +<P> +I said, "Yes, and why not?" +</P> + +<P> +"Well," said he, "I don't see how any man possessed with any common +sense and reason could ever be such a fool as to go to sea." +</P> + +<P> +I said that possibly that was the reason for my going to sea—just +simply a want of good sense on my part. But it suited me very well, and +I should like to know what objections he had against a sea life. +</P> + +<P> +"Why, sir, supposing you are in a gale and a fire breaks out on board, +what are you going to do? You have no back door to escape through?" +</P> + +<P> +"Well, we may be able to leave in the boats." +</P> + +<P> +"But you can't do it in a terrible storm." +</P> + +<P> +"Well, then, we will do the best we can, and do as sailors often are +compelled to do, trust in Providence. But for my part, I don't see that +we run more risks in a gale at sea than you do in the cities or than we +do now on the rail. What is to prevent us from having a smash-up before +morning?" +</P> + +<P> +"Well, now, my good sir, I beg of you don't go to sea any more, but just +come out to Iowa and buy a nice farm and settle down ashore. You can buy +a nice farm with all improvements at from three thousand to five +thousand dollars." +</P> + +<P> +I asked him what was the matter with the other man, that he wanted to +sell his farm and all improvements. I did not get any satisfactory +answer to this, as we had something more serious to attend to. Just at +this time I felt a peculiar motion in the car, like a horse cantering. I +clapped my hand on my friend and said, "Sit still," and in a few moments +I felt my heels grinding on some one—and the next thing was, that we +were landed bottom up down twenty-five feet of embankment, and terrible +shrieks on all sides. +</P> + +<P> +Three cars were capsized. One in front of us went down on its side, +endways. Ours went a side-somersault, and the next one endways, on its +wheels. En route we had gathered a number of soldiers who had been +drafted and were on their way South. The cars were jammed full. +</P> + +<P> +The furnace in our car did great damage to some, and altogether about +seventy were more or less hurt. The accident was caused by a rail +breaking, owing to severe frost. +</P> + +<P> +After this I tried to persuade my friend to go to Iowa, sell his store, +and come to sea with me, where he would be safe from any more tricks of +this sort. He still seemed inclined to hold on to the rail. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="record"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +A Good Record in Life-Saving. +</H3> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +[From the Shanghai Mercury, April 13, 1887.] +</P> + +<P> +The steamship "Kiang-yu," Captain Knights, left the Kin-lee-yuen Wharf +for Hankow, at 2 o'clock on the morning of the 1st instant. On account +of the fog prevailing, she anchored at Halfway Point till 6 A. M., when +she got under way and ran as far as Lin-ho Point, where she anchored +again until 11 o'clock. The wind had been fresh from the south, but at +noon it changed in a squall to north, and continued very strong all day. +At 4 P. M., when about 75 miles up the Yangtse, a junk that had been +capsized was seen. A boat was lowered and six men, two women, and two +children were taken off, who were all got safely on board the +"Kiang-yu." A change of clothes was raised for them among the Chinese +passengers, and over thirty dollars were subscribed for the +unfortunates, who were landed at Kiang-yin. Their home was about five +miles lower down the river. They had left there in the morning, and were +capsized in the sudden change of wind. The poor creatures appeared to be +very grateful for their rescue. +</P> + +<P> +This is not the first time that Captain Knights has been instrumental in +saving life. During the last six years, he has picked up over thirty +people on the Yangtse, and in November, 1858, when second officer of the +tea-clipper "Northfleet," he performed a gallant action in going in +charge of a boat during a cyclone to the rescue of the crew of the brig +"Hebe." This happened about four hundred and fifty miles southwest of +the Scilly Islands, Land's End. The "Northfleet" was bound for +Portsmouth with some four hundred and fifty soldiers and sailors, +invalids from Hongkong, and twenty-four saloon passengers, mostly naval +and military officers. The "Hebe" was laden with grain from Alexandria, +and was in a sinking condition. +</P> + +<P> +The following testimonial, signed by several of the military and naval +officers on board the "Northfleet," who witnessed the rescue, and by the +captain and mate of the "Hebe," speaks for itself: +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +Ship "Northfleet" (at sea), +<BR> +November 18th, 1858. +</P> + +<P> +We take much pleasure in awarding to Mr. Knights, 2nd officer of this +ship, this unsolicited testimonial, expressive of our high sense of the +coolness, judgment and courage he displayed on the morning of November +the 13th, 1858, when, under circumstances of great difficulty and +imminent danger, when in charge of the cutter, with five men, in a gale +of wind and high tumultuous sea running, he was, by the interposition of +Divine Providence, mercifully allowed to be the means of rescuing the +master, mate, and crew (9 in all) of the brig "Hebe," of Southampton, +reported to be in a sinking state. +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> + J. R. Fittock, Master, R. N.<BR> + W. J. Stuart, Lieutenant, R. N.<BR> + H. J. Tribe, Captain, R. N.<BR> + R. Picken, M. D., R. N.<BR> + H. Ward, Captain, R. N.<BR> + James Driver, Engineer, R. N.<BR> + G eo. A. F. Day, 2nd Master, R. N.<BR> + Wm. Donnelly, F. W., R. N.<BR> + A. W. Stratton (late Master and Owner of brig "Hebe").<BR> + Chas. Clarke, Mate.<BR> +</P> + +<P> +The first signature to the testimonial is that of Mr. J. B. Fittock, +Master, R. N., father of Mr. Consul Fittock, well known in China. The +following letter on the subject was also written to the London Times by +the master of the "Hebe":— +</P> + +<BR> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +Heroism at Sea. +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +To the Editor of "The Times." +</P> + +<P> +Sir: I wish to acknowledge, through the medium of your journal, my +sincere thanks to Captain B. Freeman, of the ship "Northfleet," of +London, for having rescued myself and eight men, the crew of the brig +"Hebe," of Southampton, when in a sinking state, and at the same time +blowing a gale of wind, with a high sea, in latitude 48° 80' N. and +longitude 12° 20' W. At the same time, I cannot pass by the courage +displayed by Mr. Knights, second mate, and five of the crew of the +"Northfleet," in the management of the boat which took us off. Yours +respectfully, +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +A. W. Stratton, Master. +<BR> +12 Wood Street, Ryde, Isle of Wight, Nov. 30. +</P> + +<BR> + +<P> +The Board of Trade recognized Captain Knights's gallantry by presenting +him with a telescope (by Troughton & Sons, London) and recording the +fact on his certificate in the following terms:— +</P> + +<P> +"Certified that a telescope was presented by the British Government to +Arthur E. Knights for gallantry in saving life at sea." +</P> + +<P> +Recently, Captain Knights received from his old chief, Captain Freeman, +who was master of the "Northfleet" when the rescue of the crew of the +"Hebe" took place, a large oil-painting descriptive of the scene, +accompanied by a letter, from which we take the following extract: +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +South Hackney, Feb. 25th, 1887. +</P> + +<P> +I have sent you (by favour of Mr. W. Howell, the chief officer of the +"Glenroy") the painting that Captain Stratton gave me of the +"Northfleet" rescuing the crew of the brig "Hebe," of Southampton, and I +beg your acceptance of it. I am sure you will like to have it, as you +were the principal actor in the scene—and I have a copy of it done by +the same artist. I well remember (as if it was only yesterday) how +anxious I was during the time you were away on the job, and how my heart +was frequently in my mouth (as the saying goes) when the old ship gave +an extra heavy lurch, and you and the dear old cutter were out of sight +for a few seconds in the trough of the sea; and I often think now what a +wonderful and merciful thing it was that we got that boat up without +accident,—but you see we had so many willing hands on board that they +ran away with her as soon as she was hooked on. +</P> + +<P> +The painting represents the "Northfleet" in a storm under close-reefed +topsails, fore staysail, and main trysail, and the "Hebe" under +close-reefed topsails, with heavy seas breaking over her, her boats and +house washed away, her stern-post (struck by a heavy sea) started, and +the brig in a sinking condition. The cutter, manned by a crew of five, +with Captain Knights in charge, and with the rescued crew of the "Hebe" +in her, appears under the stern of the "Northfleet," one man of the +"Hebe's" crew being hoisted on board by a bowline running from the +spanker-boom. The whole of the "Hebe's" crew were got on board the +"Northfleet" in the same way,—the cutter, containing Captain Knights +and the crew from the "Northfleet" being then hooked on and run up +without accident. +</P> + +<P> +It may be mentioned that the "Northfleet" was the ill-fated vessel which +some years afterwards was run down, while at anchor under Dungeness, by +the Spanish steamer "Murillo," when over three hundred lives were lost. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="telescope"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +Presentation of a Telescope by the British Government. +</H3> + +<P> +In the early part of the year 1859 I received a letter from the Board of +Trade, notifying me that the British Government had been pleased to +award me a telescope in acknowledgment of my service in rescuing the +master and crew of the brig "Hebe," and requesting me to write a +statement, of what took place before and after the rescue, and hand it +to the President of the Local Marine Board, on a day named, and to be +then presented with a telescope. +</P> + +<P> +I appeared at the place and time appointed, and the President rose from +his seat and read my statement to the gentlemen of the Board. He then +asked me if I had rendered any previous service to British or foreign +subjects in distress; if so, had I received any reward or remuneration +for the same. If not, then the Board would make application and obtain +whatever might be due for such service. Or, did I wish for any further +reward for the present service from any Society in Great Britain, +application should be made. +</P> + +<P> +I replied that I had not rendered any previous service to any others in +distress, and that what I had done on this occasion was voluntary and +spontaneous, without thought of reward. I considered it only as a duty +to my fellow-man; and since the Government had been pleased to +acknowledge the service, I was truly grateful. I was then complimented +by the gentlemen of the Board, and was presented with the telescope. The +inscription on it is my greatest pride to this day, as is also the +honorary testimonial, stamped on my Government certificate of competency +by the recommendation of the Local Marine Board. +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +To the President and Gentleman of the Local Marine Board, London. +</P> + +<P> +In latitude 48° 30' N., longitude 12° 20' E., on the morning of the 13th +of November, 1858, at 7 A. M., it being then just break of day, I saw +the brig "Hebe" about three miles on our lee-bow, having the signal of +distress flying. I immediately reported it to Captain Freeman, who came +on deck and gave orders to bear down upon her and see what was wanted. +When near enough we hove to and hailed the brig, asking what they were +in want of, and they answered, saying "For God's sake, send us a boat, +as we are sinking." Captain Freeman then asked if they wanted to abandon +their vessel, and they repeated their supplications, every one on board +appearing to be in the greatest mental distress, making signs that their +vessel was going down. The men were working vigorously at the pumps at +imminent risk of being washed overboard, as the sea was breaking +completely over them. +</P> + +<P> +It was now 8 o'clock, and Captain Freeman gave orders for all hands to +remain on deck and to clear away the cutter. I then got into the boat +and asked who would go with me, when I got several volunteers, out of +whom I took five,—viz., Burland, Hill, Hendrickson, Hansen, and +Cummins. The boat was lowered very successfully, when we got clear of +the ship. The brig was about a quarter of a mile astern. Heading for the +ship, I pulled alongside and told them to give me a good line over their +quarter, long enough to veer and haul upon. I told the captain of the +brig to get his log-book and chronometer, with a few of his own personal +effects, but I would not take either bed or bag belonging to any one. I +then told them to stand by and to jump in their turns, one by one, as I +should direct. We then hauled the boat up with her bow alongside the +brig's quarter, taking care lest the stem of the boat should get knocked +out, getting one of them off at a time, dropping clear while the heavy +seas passed, then hauling up again. In this manner we succeeded in +getting them off, nine in all, in about forty minutes, making them lie +in the bottom of the boat as ballast till it was covered. We then pulled +to the ship. When we reached her, they had a block at the +spanker-boom-end, with a single line rove and bowline, into which the +men got and were hoisted one by one on deck. After they were all up, I +sent one of the boat's crew up, and then went alongside and hooked on +the boat, which was quickly run up. There was no other mishap than the +breaking of an oar in coming alongside. We had on board about three +hundred invalid soldiers and sailors from the Canton war at this time. +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +I have the honor to be your obedient servant, +<BR> +A. E. Knights. +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +Inscription on Telescope. +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +Presented by the British Government +<BR> + To<BR> +<BR> + Mr. Arthur Knights<BR> + Second Officer of the "Northfleet"<BR> + In Acknowledgment of<BR> + His Gallant Conduct<BR> + In Rescuing the Master and Crew<BR> + Of the "Hebe"<BR> + In November, 1858.<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="bombay"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +The Ship "Bombay." +</H3> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +(November, 1858.) +</P> + +<P> +At the time that the ship "Northfleet" was rescuing the crew of the brig +"Hebe," the ship "Bombay," belonging to the same owner,—Mr. Duncan +Dunbar,—was on the side of the same storm, at about one hundred miles +distance, and had the wind from just the opposite direction, but with +much greater force, and came near being lost. +</P> + +<P> +The "Bombay" had embarked some troops in Portsmouth for the Indian +Mutiny, and was ordered to proceed to Queenstown in Ireland to take on +board some two hundred more soldiers. +</P> + +<P> +When the vessel got near the entrance of the harbour it was nightfall, +and, the wind being unfavourable, when the pilot got on board, he +recommended the captain to make everything easy for the night and enter +the harbour next morning, when he expected the wind to be fair. But +during the night the wind increased and became a violent northeast gale, +and the vessel was blown out of the Irish Channel into the Atlantic +Ocean. For some days the wind blew with hurricane force. The ship lost +some sails, and was at last carrying only a close-reefed main topsail +and fore staysail. The sea was mountainous and lashing the ship from all +directions. Then late in the day, to the dismay of all on board, the lee +main topsail-sheet gave way, and the sail was flapping like thunder and +lashing the mast and rigging most furiously. The ship, now having +nothing to steady her, was helplessly rolling in the trough of the sea, +at the mercy of the waves, which threatened to engulf her, as they were +breaking on board from every direction. The deck-houses were washed away +and the decks were filled with water, which began to find an entrance to +the 'tween-decks, where the poor soldiers were battened down. In this +plight it was necessary to get the remnant of the topsail secure, and if +possible get a new sail in its place, so as to steady the ship. The +second officer was ordered to get the sailors and do this, but he soon +reported that the sailors, many of whom were foreigners, would not go +aloft. The chief officer then went forward and called for men, and asked +if there were any British sailors among them. If there were, for God's +sake, to go aloft with him. He led, the way, followed by seventeen +British sailors. They had nearly completed the work of securing the sail +when the ship gave a tremendous roll on the top of a very heavy wave and +the mast went by the board, carrying with it the chief mate and his +seventeen followers, and not a soul could be saved. Oh, to think of the +horrors of that dark and fearful night! +</P> + +<P> +Now came the trial for Captain John Flamanek and the remaining portion +of his crew. The broken mast and yards, still held by the broken +rigging, was lashing against the ship, threatening to break in her side +and send all to the bottom. It was necessary to cut away this wreckage +as soon as possible so as to free the ship, but before this could be +accomplished daylight had set in. Then the captain asked the officer +commanding the soldiers to let some of his men give assistance. This he +refused to do, and made complaint that his men's food was not being +prepared for them as it should be. The men cried shame of their +commander, and volunteered to do whatever they could to assist the +captain.[*] The weather moderated, and some sails were set on the +vessel, which finally unassisted reached Falmouth. Two steam men-of-war +had been sent in search of her, but missed her. +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="footnote"> +[*] For his dastardly conduct the military commanding officer was later +dismissed from the army, and was never allowed to enter Her Majesty's +service again. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="fatality"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +Is There a Fatality Attaching to Men or Inanimate Things? +</H3> + +<P> +In another part of this book I have mentioned the ship "Northfleet." In +regard to that vessel the above question might almost be answered in the +affirmative. The vessel was launched at the place from which she took +her name in 1852. She made her first voyage to New Zealand, thence to +China, and from there to San Francisco, and back to China and London. +Then she went trooping for the Crimean War; then for some years ran +between London and China carrying tea, for which she was originally +built. +</P> + +<P> +This ship never made a voyage without some one being drowned from her, +and finally she was run into and sunk by a steamer, which was afterwards +proved to be the Spanish vessel "Murillo." By this collision upwards of +three hundred people were drowned. The "Northfleet" was carrying railway +workmen to New Zealand, and when coming down the English Channel the +weather was stormy and the pilot recommended the captain to anchor under +a point called Dungeness. This was done, and the night came on very +dark. At some time after midnight a steamer came in under the Point, +apparently for the purpose of anchoring, as was afterwards reported by +the crew of the tugboat which was at anchor. They saw the steamer moving +about for some time. Then a crash was heard, followed by most +heartrending cries. The steamer went out to sea, and did not heed the +signal rockets which were sent up by the "Northfleet." The little +tugboat had only four men and a small boat, which was at once launched, +and the mate and the engineer, with one sailor, went to the rescue. When +they arrived all that could be found was the captain's wife and an +ordinary seaman. All the others had perished, through the dastardly act +of the Spaniard in running away. +</P> + +<P> +Captain Knowles of the "Northfleet" was newly married to a very +beautiful lady, who was later on by command presented to Queen Victoria, +who, after hearing her story, condoled with her, and later gave her a +pension of fifty pounds a year as long as she remained a widow. +</P> + +<P> +Some three years after this the widow was again married, to Captain +Cawes, of the ship "Coriolanus." This ship came to Hankow to load tea +and I had the pleasure to meet Mrs. Cawes, who had been saved from my +old ship in which I had served for years. +</P> + +<P> +The steamer that run down the "Northfleet" was twice arrested, but +nothing definite could be proved until some two years later, when one of +her officers was near dying, and he confessed that it was the steamer +"Murillo," which was later proved to be true, and the vessel was +confiscated. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chinese"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +Chinese Politeness. +</H3> + +<P> +Whilst running to Hankow with the steamer "Neimen" I had as sailors +Malays. The firemen were seedy boys, or Nubians. The steward was a Goa +Portuguese. The servants were Chinese, and the cook a Chinese who +claimed to be an American, he having been trained by Captain John +Parrott, of San Francisco, "a number one American man," who had taught +him to swear quite neatly. +</P> + +<P> +Well, on Christmas Day, 1862, we had a very hard gale and snowstorm, and +early in the evening we had to anchor. Then we sat down to dinner, which +we hoped to enjoy. There were several passengers on board, and when the +soup was served and tasted each looked at the other, and I looked at the +steward and asked him what kind of soup it was. He said it was plain +soup. I asked why some meat had not been used in its making, and he +replied that the cook must have eaten the meat, as he was given plenty. +</P> + +<P> +The cook was sent for, and when he was confronted with the steward he +began to use the refined language taught him by Captain Parrott. I +ordered the steward to put all the soup back into the tureen. Then I +invited the cook to take a seat at the table and consume the soup, which +he did. When he had taken it he rose and, bowing most politely, tucked +the tureen under his arm like an admiral with his cocked hat, and said, +"Excusey, my sir; all hab finishee," and backed out of the saloon most +politely. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="slaver"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +A Brazilian Slaver. +</H3> + +<P> +In the year 1851 I was on a voyage to Melbourne, Australia, on the +sailing ship "Severn." This was shortly after the opening of the gold +mines. We left Southampton with about one hundred passengers, and had a +very fine run with fair weather. There was no incident to mar the +enjoyment of the trip until we neared the coast of Brazil, when one +morning we saw a smart-looking brig hove to, waiting for us to come up, +and when we came near our passengers became very much excited, as we +could see there was an unusual number of men on her deck; the idea was +that it was a pirate vessel. +</P> + +<P> +When we came very near to her, a boat was put off from her, and an +officer brought a letter from her captain asking for provisions and +water, saying that the vessel was bound for the port of Santos, and had +been blown off the coast in a pampero. Neither the officer nor the +boat's crew could or would speak English. They could only ask in Spanish +for "tabac." Some of our sailors protested that they were either British +or—Americans. Well, they were supplied with salt beef and pork, canned +meats, water, etc. Several trips were made by the boat, and when all was +finished, and the boat was at some distance from us, these marauders +stood up and gave us three rousing cheers in good plain English, and +called out "Good-bye boys, and good luck to you for feeding the +blackbirds." The brig was full of slaves. +</P> + +<P> +This "slave" business was then near its end in Brazil, and, probably +this vessel had been chased off the coast by a British war-vessel, as +every possible effort was being made by the British Government to +suppress the slave trade. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="gander"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +Mary Ann Gander. +</H3> + +<P> +On this voyage we had a Mr. and Mrs. Gander and their eight children. +Poor Mrs. Gander used to suffer terribly from seasickness, and was +totally unfitted to do anything but scold, whilst poor unfortunate +Gander used to promenade the deck with a child on each arm and a couple +of others tagging on to his coat-tails. He was a wonderfully +good-natured fellow, was Gander; otherwise I do believe he would have +jumped overboard, for whenever he came near to where Mrs. Gander was, +she used to call to him to go to the captain and tell him to put her on +shore immediately; she would not go any further in that ship,—no, that +she wouldn't. "Now, Mary Ann, what's the use your talking that way; you +know that we are a thousand miles from any land and the captain cannot +put you on shore." "Now, Gander, don't you talk to me. How dare you? You +just go to the captain at once. Oh! you catch me going to sea again. No, +that you won't. When I go home I'll go overland, if I have to walk every +step of the way." Poor Gander! Mary Ann and the children all survived +the trials of the voyage and arrived safe in Melbourne, where Gander was +very fortunate, and in three years made sufficient money to enable him +to retire, and as the English Mail Steamer Company, or the P. & O. +Company had put on a line from Ceylon to Australia in 1852, the Gander +family were enabled to go home by the overland route, as Mrs. Gander had +wished to go. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="times"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +Hard Times. +</H3> + +<P> +In June, 1854, I left Melbourne on the barque "Junior," bound to Callao, +in Peru. We had a fine voyage, and on arrival, being free, I went to +Lima, the capital. I found this was a very interesting old city, with +beautiful surrounding country, which I enjoyed very much, and spent +nearly a month there. Then I had a week in Callao, which was a pretty +wild place. I used to sail around the bay, and in sailing near the shore +I could look down, at the bottom of the sea, on the houses of old +Callao, which was swallowed by an earthquake in the latter part of the +last century. And, strange to say, when the town disappeared an island +came up out in the bay. This island is very high and is called "San +Lorenzo," after a lone fisherman who had been out in his boat fishing on +the night when the earthquake took place, and in the morning poor old +Lorenzo found himself in a boat about a thousand feet up on a mountain +and no town in sight. +</P> + +<P> +Well, I joined the barque "Tropic," loaded with guano, bound for Cork, +in Ireland. This vessel was a very rotten old thing, and in getting +round Cape Horn we all had a very hard time, and did not know how soon +the vessel would sink with us; but we got round the Cape and into the +South Atlantic, where we had better weather and proceeded pretty well +till in the North Atlantic, when provisions began to get short. When we +were off the Azores, watching the beautiful shores and harbours of St. +Michael, we came near a Dutch brig from Brazil loaded with coffee. The +captain hailed us and asked us for some biscuits. A boat was sent to us +bringing us a half-bag of coffee. We had less than a hundred pounds of +biscuits. Our captain consulted with us about giving any of it away. It +was finally agreed that we would divide with the brig. This was done, +and we had to be very careful with so little bread among twelve people. +We had plenty of salt beef and pork, and a half-barrel of flour, but no +beans or peas or sugar. +</P> + +<P> +We had a fair run till we saw Cape Clear, at the south end of Ireland, +on the 30th of January, 1855. We all were in high hopes that a few hours +more would see us at anchor in Queenstown; but that night came on an +easterly gale, and we were driven out into the Atlantic, where for weeks +we were buffeted about, and to our dismay our last fresh-water cask we +found had leaked and was empty. We were surrounded with many other +vessels in the same plight—short of provisions. We had plenty of snow, +with which we could make coffee, but were reduced to salt meat only, +which is pretty hard fare. The hardest part was, that the captain had +his wife and two children on board, and for the youngest child a goat +had been provided to supply milk. This became a scarce article as there +was no food for the goat. So every day the carpenter used to plane up a +piece of wood to make shavings for the goat to eat. It got along as well +or better than any of us. +</P> + +<P> +Finally, on the 10th of March, in the morning early, we had reached near +to the Old Head of Kinsale, and near to Cork, when we saw a boat pulling +off to us. This proved to be a pilot-boat. The pilot got on board, and +told us that ours was the first vessel that could be boarded in six +weeks, the weather having been so bad, and that only a few days before +the mail-carrier between Clonakilty and Cork had been frozen to death on +his journey. The pilot brought us a few potatoes, which gave us one each +and two for the captain's wife, and the next morning we got safely into +Queenstown, where we were able to get a good supply of milk, bread, +butter, and eggs, of which we all made pretty free use, and with a few +days' rest we forgot all our late cares, as sailors usually do. +</P> + +<P> +After being in port a few days we all left the "Tropic," and I spent a +couple of weeks in seeing Cork and the beautiful country where the +people are so genial and hospitable. After seeing all I wanted to see, I +took steamer from Cork for Bristol, spent one day there, and then left +by train for London. The train left in the evening, and here a rather +amusing incident occurred. I had taken a second-class ticket, and after +taking my seat, it being cold weather, I prepared to make myself +comfortable for the night. In my valise I had a rough sealskin or +Esquimau jacket with a hood to it. I put this on and was nice and warm, +sitting in the corner of the carriage. Shortly afterwards a man in +livery came in and sat in the corner opposite to me. Then came an old +lady and her husband, an Irish army officer returning to India. The old +lady was helped in by the gentleman, but as soon as she saw me she cried +out, "O Lord!" and fell back. Then the old gentleman boosted her in +again, saying, "Go in, you old stupid!" and after the second attempt she +gave it up, saying she wouldn't travel in a menagerie. She had taken me +for a bear, and the man in livery for my keeper. The old gentleman got +in, and she remained on the platform until I assured her that there was +no danger. Then she came in very reluctantly and sat as far away as +possible until we reached Bath, where the man in livery alighted. After +that the old lady, her husband, and I became good friends for the +remainder of the journey. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="memory"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +Memory For Voices. +</H3> + +<P> +After the bear incident I spent some time in London, then joined the +emigrant ship "Oriental," bound to Adelaide, South Australia. I was +third officer. We took on board about one hundred families of +excellently selected farm labourers, shepherds, and ploughmen, and after +having made a good voyage arrived safely in Adelaide. The Immigration +Commissioners came on board and inspected the passengers. The result was +most satisfactory. There was no complaint of ill-treatment or deficiency +in supplies, and in less than thirty-six hours every family was engaged +and sent into the country. And the Commissioners awarded to our doctor +fifty pounds sterling, the chief officer fifty pounds for his +supervision, and myself fifty pounds for the supervision of the +commissariat department. +</P> + +<P> +After a short stay in Adelaide, we sailed for Madras, in India, and +after a good voyage we arrived and anchored in the evening when it was +quite dark. There was quite a number of native business men came off in +catamarans and "mussulah," or surf-boats. Among the number was one +noble-looking man, who stepped up near to our captain and, addressing +him, said, "How do you do, Captain Mackintosh?" +</P> + +<P> +"How do you know my name is Mackintosh?" +</P> + +<P> +"By your voice, sahib. When you were here in the 'Lady Mary Harrison,' +eighteen years ago, I was your dubash." +</P> + +<P> +This was quite correct. This man recognized the captain's voice after +all these years. +</P> + +<P> +In 1879 I had a similar experience in my own case. I was travelling in +Scotland, and in Edinburgh I met some friends and inquired for an old +lady whom I had known as a child. I found that she was living at a place +called Aberladye, on the seacoast. I decided to go to see her, and was +directed to take the train to Dreme Station, and there I should find a +conveyance to take me to Aberladye. When I arrived the conveyance was +filled with local travellers and I started to walk three and a half +miles to my friend. After I had gone about half a mile I passed by a +magnificent entrance to a fine estate. Soon after this I heard a +carriage coming, and when it caught up to me the gentleman who was +driving in the dog-cart pulled up and asked if I was going to Aberladye +and invited me to take a lift. I thanked him and mounted beside him. He +asked where I wanted to go. I told him to Rose Cottage, when we entered +into general conversation. He learned that I was from China, so we had +quite a pleasant time, and, arriving opposite to Rose Cottage, he pulled +up and graciously pointed to the house, bade me good-bye, and hoped we +might meet again. +</P> + +<P> +I went up to the door and rang the bell, and the old lady herself +answered it all in a flutter, as she had seen me set down from the trap, +which was driven by Lord Rosebery himself. Well, I asked if Mrs. +McKippen lived there. She replied, "Yes; I am she." I said, "Perhaps +you don't remember me?" She said, "No; but I know your voice." I told +her that I was Arthur Knights. "Aye, laddie," she cried, "I heard that +you was drowned at sea twenty-five years ago." Well, I need hardly say +that I was welcome to her and her husband, who was a retired business +man. Poor old gentleman, he cried as a child when she told him of my +taking the trouble to come and see her, and how when I was a small boy +at a juvenile party I was sore distressed by my dancing slippers being +too big and that they kept slipping off. Then she came to the rescue and +took me to one side and stitched them to the heel of my stocking to +enable me to have a good time. +</P> + +<P> +I spent a couple of days with my friends and then went on my way, and I +have often wondered whether that lady could possibly have connected my +manhood voice with that of my childhood. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="taiping"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +An Incident of the Great Taiping Rebellion. +</H3> + +<P> +In the latter part of 1862 I left Shanghai on my usual voyage to Hankow. +This port is six hundred miles up the Yangtse River. After we had got +about sixty miles up the river, which is here about ten miles wide, our +attention was drawn to a number of human bodies floating down the river, +most of them mutilated. This lasted about thirty hours. As we steamed +along near the shore, the farmers, with their families, were for miles +gathered here and there, gesticulating, prostrating themselves, and +praying for us to take them on board. The poor creatures were between +the Imperialist soldiers and the rebels, or Taipings. Both of these +parties were ravaging, devastating, and destroying all before them, and +the poor peasants had a very hard time. We could not help these poor +creatures, and had to pass on our way. +</P> + +<P> +On the third day we passed a city called Taiping Foo, "foo" meaning +"city" in Chinese. We afterwards learned that for some months the +inhabitants of the city had withstood a siege from both belligerents, +and one day the Imperialist general conferred with the Taotai, or mayor, +and said that it was well known that the inhabitants had been very good +and had not favored the rebels, and now if they would open their gates +to the Imperial soldiers, he would promise them kind treatment; and the +people were weak enough to believe him and opened the city gates, and in +a few hours nearly the whole population was butchered and thrown into +the river, and those were they whom we had seen floating in clusters a +few days before. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="conclusion"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +Conclusion. +</H3> + +<P> +In the course of my journey through life I have been in many strange +places, and have met many strange people. I have seen many strange +sights—some grave, some gay. For many years I was on +passenger-carrying ships, and have carried many travellers, amongst whom +some strong and enduring attachments have been made. +</P> + +<P> +Although I have been in some bad places, and met some "hard characters," +yet was I never molested in any country in which I have been. I have +seen some misfortunes, but was never depressed by them. I could always +see around me others who stood in need of help. I have spent a long life +in foreign lands, and happily I can now look back upon the past and say +that I have found much good in all the lands which Almighty God has +permitted me to visit. +</P> + +<P> +My motto has always been, Never despair; persevere, and never give up +hope. +</P> + +<P> +And now with the most happy memories of the past I can look back without +a moment's regret and ask God to bless all those who have been good to +me. And who has not been good? +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR><BR> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life, by +Arthur E. Knights + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOTES IN A SAILOR'S LIFE *** + +***** This file should be named 4673-h.htm or 4673-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/4/6/7/4673/ + +Produced by David Schwan. HTML version by Al Haines. + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life + +Author: Arthur E. Knights + +Posting Date: August 24, 2009 [EBook #4673] +Release Date: November, 2003 +First Posted: February 26, 2002 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOTES IN A SAILOR'S LIFE *** + + + + +Produced by David Schwan. HTML version by Al Haines. + + + + + + + + + +Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life + + +By + +Captain Arthur E. Knights + + + + +Introduction. + +In 1898 I was in Hongkong on a business affair which gave me much +leisure, when Murray Bain, editor of the China Mail, whom I had long +known, asked why I did not send him a letter occasionally. This led to +my venturing to give him "Some Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life." + +These Notes, I considered, could only be of interest locally. But some +of my friends have urged me to overcome my diffidence and put them in +pamphlet form, which I now do for distribution among my friends, +trusting that they will treat leniently the literary efforts of one who +is a sailor and not a cleric. + +A.E.K. + + + + +Contents. + + A Quick Passage + A Record Long Passage + A Voyage of Misfortune + Beginning of the German Navy + An Incident in Hongkong Harbour + A Singular Meeting + A Little Railway Experience + A Good Record in Life-Saving + Presentation of a Telescope by the British Government + The Ship "Bombay" + Is There a Fatality Attaching to Men or Inanimate Things? + Chinese Politeness + A Brazilian Slaver + Mary Ann Gander. + Hard Times + Memory For Voices + An Incident of the Great Taiping Rebellion + Conclusion + + + + +A Quick Passage. + + +To the editor of the "China Mail." + +Dear Sir:--I have just read with much pleasure the report of the quick +passage made by the sailing-ship "Muskoka" from Cardiff to this port in +ninety-two days. This is really a good trip and the captain and his +officers may be complimented on having done so well, for, as you know, +the ship is of large tonnage and the complement of men is small. I +congratulate the captain and his officers, and wish they may be as +successful in all their future voyages. + +Mr. Editor, no doubt you remember the ship "Northfleet." I was second +officer of her, as you know, in the year 1857. In the spring of that +year, we loaded government stores, guns, mortars, and general war +materials, with two companies of Royal Artillery, for the war at Canton, +in which the French and the British were allies. We sailed from Woolwich +on the river Thames, and stopped at Gravesend twelve hours, then made +our final start for Hongkong, in which port we anchored in the +wonderfully short time of eighty-eight days from Woolwich, which is at +least three days' sail farther than Cardiff. + +On the following voyage we did the same in eighty-eight days and a half. +These two were record voyages made in the glorious days of +"teaclippers." + +A. E. Knights. + +Hong Kong, June, 1898. + + + + +A Record Long Passage. + + +First Cotton From China to America. + +During the palmy days after the opening of the River Yangtse--when +freights were taels 22 per ton from Hankow to Shanghai, a distance of +six hundred miles--I was in command of the "Neimen," an auxiliary +ship-rigged vessel, engaged in this trade until near the end of 1863, +and saw some of the exciting times of the Taiping Rebellion in that part +of China. By the end of 1862 the steamers "Huquang" and "Firecracker" +had come from New York round the Cape of Good Hope, and later the +"Chekiang," "Kiu-kiang," and other paddle steamers were put on the +river, and the freights were reduced to taels 4 1/2 per ton. Then we had +to clear out. + +My employers ordered me to Hongkong to meet new boilers for the +"Neimen." Later I received instructions to sell the "Jedda," belonging +to the same owners, which was done. Then I had an offer from Mr. Paul +Forbes to buy the "Neimen." This arrangement was completed, and I agreed +with the new owners (Russell & Co.) to take the engines out of the +vessel, and to change the rig from ship to barque, with the object of +loading cotton for New York--the first from China to America. After +completing our alterations, and after painting the ship in Whampoa, we +came to Hongkong to load at the beginning of May, 1864. The weather and +water being warm and the paint new gave a favorable opportunity for the +barnacles to attach themselves to the vessel, and by the time we started +the barnacles were like coarse gravel on her sides. + +On the 24th of May, 1864, we sailed from Hongkong, and when we got out +into the China Sea we had no monsoon, but met with a continuance of +calms and squalls. The ship was unable to stand up under her canvas, +having no ballast, and being, as it were, stuffed with cotton. Well, at +last we reached Anjer, eighty-four days from Hongkong. The ship was one +mass of barnacles as large as "egg-cups." I sent overland to Batavia to +buy some garden spades, to be fitted on to long poles, so as to try to +chop off some of the shells, which we did, and after five days' delay we +sailed again. From Sunda Straits we had a good run till near the Cape. +Here we had calms again, and the grass and barnacles grew very fast. +Indeed, the ship's bottom was like a half-tide rock, and when the water +washed up the sides, as she rolled, the noise made by the barnacles was +like the surf on a sea-beach. We were followed for several days by a +shoal of dolphins, which we caught in great numbers night and morning. +Finally we got round the Cape, and to St. Helena, where we stayed four +days, and employed men to assist us in chopping off grass and barnacles +as far as we could reach. Then we proceeded on our way once more. + +We had a wearisome time in the "doldrums" about the equator, only +enlivened by catching dolphins and watching crabs, which would leave the +grass for a swim and then return to the ship. After getting clear of the +calm belt, we had a very good run to Bermuda, where we encountered a +heavy gale, with tremendous heavy seas. + +When the weather moderated we found to our dismay that the rudder was +adrift, the pintles having been broken by the heavy seas. I was now +compelled to put before the wind and run for St. Thomas, in the West +Indies, and when near the entrance of the port a passenger, Captain +George Adams, "went off his head," and thus gave no little addition to +my anxieties. Finally we arrived safely in port. Here more troubles +began. I was advised to do many things, some of which would have been +much to the benefit of some of my advisers. One thing was to land and +store the cargo.[*] This I positively refused to do. But after all I +found that there was only one European blacksmith in the place, and he +had but a small shop. This man contracted to do the repairs, and after I +had got the rudder to his shop he coolly asked me if I had a good +carpenter or other handy man to help him, as the job was too heavy for +his negro assistant to weld. I proposed to him another plan. So at last +the work was done satisfactorily, and we went on our way with partly a +new negro crew, some of the old crew having left. We made very good +progress and were nearly off New York when we got into a violent +snowstorm, which greatly amused the negro sailors, who had never seen +"white rain" before, but unfortunately for three of them, they got +frostbitten and lost their legs. We got into New York at last on the +25th of January, 1865, eight months from Hongkong! + +Although the voyage was so long, I believe the venture turned out to be +a good one financially. Gold was at a very high premium,--about two +dollars and eighty cents at this time,--and our cotton sold for one +dollar and fifty cents per pound. The "Neimen" went into dock, and +people came in hundreds to see the strange sight. She was covered with +shells like a rook. Some of these shells were sent out to China, and +Messrs. Russell & Co. (the owners) had them mounted in silver as +inkstands. + +28th June, 1898. + + + +[*] To land and store cargo should never be done by a shipmaster without +authority from the owners. + + + + +A Voyage of Misfortune. + + +After the last voyage which I gave you an account of I accepted an offer +made me by my late employers, and became superintendent of a business +under their management in New York. Unfortunately, at the close of the +war, this business was temporarily suspended and my contract was +annulled. I then tried two or three different things on my own account, +and finally settled as agent for a paper-mill; and all things were going +on fairly well until in an unguarded moment I read an advertisement in +the New York Herald. It ran as follows: "A gentleman with experience +requires a partner with capital, in a safe business, with no risks." The +bait took, and I had an interview with "the gentleman," and saw the +persons to whom he referred me, and we joined, with the result that in +less than seven months we had changed places. I had the experience and +he had the capital, as well as the stock, and had vanished to where the +woodbine twineth. His friends told me that this was his usual way of +doing business. This was pretty cool. In a short time the same gentleman +was seeking another victim in Chicago. My advice to sailors is to "stick +to the ship." + +Well, sir, the next thing I thought of was to get a ship before the +landsharks took all I had from me; and, with the assistance of Mr. Paul +Forbes, I was soon in command of the ship "Royal Saxon," owned jointly +by R. W. Cameron, of New York, and R. Towns, of Sydney. We sailed from +New York for Melbourne, and arrived there safely, though in running down +our easting about 42 deg. south latitude we had continuous fogs. + +Now, sir, to the point. The above firm despatched from New York each +alternate week one vessel for Melbourne and one for Sydney. The week +before I left, the ship "Eastward Ho," Captain Byrne, was despatched for +Sydney, and apparently all went well until she got into latitude 37 deg. +or 38 deg. south, and a little to the eastward of the Cape of Good Hope, +when suddenly one night, when running before a strong gale, she came +crushing into ice. The shock was so severe that her fore and main +topmasts and mizzen-topgallant masts went by the board, and the +foremast-head sprung. The hull was considerably shattered, and the main +covering-board split up from forward as far aft as the main gangway. + +After this, the captain thought he had better try to reach Simon's Bay +or the Cape. For some days they were working through field-ice, getting +a little to the north. Patching the vessel with canvas, and rigging +jury-masts and sails, finally they got clear of ice, and with fine +weather it was decided to stand to the eastward, with the hope of being +overtaken by some other vessel (which never came). After many +vicissitudes,--taking to the boats, then returning to the ship twice,--it +was decided that the ship was the safest place, and she ultimately +reached Sydney. + +In passing through Bass's Straits, the "Eastward Ho" had been passed at +a short distance by a steamer from New Zealand, and reported in +Melbourne, but could give no name. This gave great offence to the people +of Melbourne for passing a vessel in such a state and not finding her +name or her wants, if any. + +The "Eastward Ho" was repaired and loaded coals in Sydney for Hongkong, +and misfortune again overtook her. In coming through the Eastern seas, +her crew mutinied, and the vessel narrowly escaped wreck on one of the +islands. Then, later, she got into a typhoon, and was very badly +strained, but escaped for what might have been a worse fate--fire. Her +cargo of coals caught fire, and after some days of hard work, the fire +was extinguished; but when the vessel reached Hongkong and her cargo was +discharged, it was found that the hull was a mere shell. Her frames and +planking in many places were burnt nearly through. + +The vessel was condemned, the crew were paid off, and the captain left +Hongkong for New York and Syracuse, where was his home. When he had +nearly reached his house he met an old friend who conveyed to him the +sad news of his wife's death and of the funeral from which he was just +returning. A sailor's life is not always a happy one. Is there a +fatality attaching to certain men or things? + + + + +Beginning of the German Navy. + + +In the beginning of the year 1862 I was chief officer of the ship +"Ballaarat," with Captain Henry Jones, of Far East fame. We loaded in +the East India Docks, London, a full cargo of piece goods for Shanghai +and for Taku Bar. We arrived at Shanghai, and, as the war was finished, +we were ordered to proceed to Taku to discharge our cargo for Tientsin. +In due time we reached Taku Bar, where we found several of the British +warships anchored, and the South Forts occupied by British troops. + +We anchored in the forenoon very near to a vessel flying the Prussian +flag, and when we had furled sails and cleared up decks it was +tiffin-time. To our surprise, a boat came from the Prussian, bringing +the captain. I met him at the gangway, and reported him to our captain, +with the result that he stayed to tiffin with us. And then he stated his +business on board our ship. He said he wanted to buy provisions and +stores of any kind, sailors' clothing, boots, or anything we could sell, +which our captain laughingly agreed to do. + +The following conversation then took place: "What is the name of the +vessel you command?" + +"She is now the 'Hertha,' and was the British sailing-sloop 'Thetis.' +The British Government had her converted into a screw vessel, and +presented her to us to bring our Minister, Count von Eulenberg, to +negotiate a treaty with China as soon as the war should be ended, and +that is why we are here; and the barque with the American flag flying +near to us carries extra coals for our use." + +"But," said our captain, "you are not a German. How is it that you are +in command of that ship?" + +"No," said he; "I am an ex-Danish naval officer, and all my officers are +Danes, and we have German cadets. There being no German navy, there are +no officers yet trained." + +Business then began, and the transfer of provisions and stores of almost +every kind was made from one ship to the other. After this we used to +have daily friendly intercourse for about three weeks, and one fine +morning the "Hertha" left her anchorage. A fresh easterly breeze was +blowing, and the "Hertha" was working under sail against the wind, which +was increasing, and a nasty, short sea rising. After a couple of hours +we saw her yards squared, and the vessel put back and she anchored near +to us. In the afternoon, the wind having moderated, an officer from her +came to buy a grindstone. + +This caused some little merriment. Then the officer explained that in +the forenoon, when beating down the gulf, in one of the plunges, the +grindstone had been washed off the forecastle-head, where the men had +been employed in grinding their cutlasses. + +They were expecting to hear news of a rupture between France and +Germany, and they were on the way to Hongkong for shelter. + +It is highly creditable to the Germans that from so humble a beginning +they have raised such a fine fleet as they now possess. + +After our return to Shanghai from Taku I was permitted to leave the +"Ballaarat" and take command of the "Neimen" on the Yangtse. + + + + +An Incident in Hongkong Harbour. + + +The following incident regarding Captain Keppel may be of some interest +to sailors, and perhaps is remembered by some residents of Hongkong who +may have been there at the time of the last war with China. + +Sir Harry Keppel was every inch a sailor, and sometimes did some very +strange things, which would annoy his superiors; but the very oddity of +his actions gained the hearts and confidence of those who served under +him, and he could rely on every one acting as one machine when he +commanded. + +One day, for some reason, the Admiral, Sir Michael Seymour, who was then +on the flagship "Calcutta," gave orders for the "Raleigh" to proceed to +sea in face of a very strong southwest monsoon. The "Raleigh" was to go +out by the Lyemoon and return by Green Island. The ship was got under +way, and went out in the ordinary way by the Lyemoon, and beat round the +island. After some hours she came back by way of Green Island, with all +plain sails and all studding-sails set. At first this called for no +special attention, except for the grand sight of a man-of-war under full +sail. + +At this time, the harbour was full of sailing-ships of all nations, and +as the "Raleigh" came near and threaded her way among them, the crews of +the various ships became interested. When the "Raleigh" came near to her +anchorage, the order was quietly passed, and then, as if by magic, in +came all studding-sails; then, in the same manner, all plain sails; +after that "Let go the anchor," and a running moor was made. Then came +cheers from every sailor who had witnessed the maneuvre, cheers that +could be heard all over Hongkong as it was then. + +Well, sir, the Admiral was not pleased with this piece of skill in +seamanship, and for coming through a crowded harbour under all sail. The +"Raleigh" was ordered out for a twenty-four hours' cruise, and to come +in in a shipshape way the next time. Well, she went out again, and as +she came in past Green Island, she had all sail as before, and when +nearing the shipping, greatly to the astonishment of every one, in came +all plain sail and furled, leaving only the studding-sails; and under +these she went through the shipping to her anchorage, and then, "In all +studding-sails," and a running moor was made as before. And, if +possible, the cheers were more vehement than before. + +Now, sir, what do you think was the effect? Why, nearly half the sailors +in the merchant ships wanted to join the "Raleigh." They could not be +accommodated, but many were engaged and put on board the "Sibyl." + +It may also be remembered that when the "Raleigh" struck a rock near +Macao, a French man-of-war was in sight. The French flag was hoisted and +saluted by the "Raleigh." After the salute, the order was given to +abandon ship, and all this was done with as much coolness as if going to +a church parade. + + + + +A Singular Meeting. + + +A few years ago I had with me as chief mate a man who had left his home +when quite a boy to come to China. After arrival in Shanghai, he got a +position as quartermaster, and worked his way up to chief mate. + +After about eighteen years' absence from his home, an older brother of +his came to Shanghai in command of a sailing-ship, and the two brothers +met. The captain and I were introduced to each other, and I invited him +to spend all the time he could with his young brother on board the +steamer. Later the captain asked me to use my influence to get his +brother to go home with him to see his mother, who was a very old lady, +and always yearning to see her child "Sam." + +After some trouble, I persuaded him, as a matter of duty, to go home, +and obtained for him a year's leave of absence. He left Shanghai in his +brother's ship, and went to Iloilo, where the vessel loaded and sailed +for America. When the vessel was well on her way towards the Cape of +Good Hope, they had one very calm day, and a short distance from them +was another vessel showing the American flag. The two brothers agreed to +have a boat lowered and to pull over to the stranger for a short visit. +This was done, and to their great surprise, when they got on board, they +found that the captain was their own older brother. + +The two captains had been employed in different ports and on different +voyages, and had not met each other in fifteen years, and the oldest and +the youngest had never met before. + + + + +A Little Railway Experience. + + +By way of a change, I will tell you of a little railway experience I +once had. During the Civil War in America, I had occasion to go from New +York to Boston on important business, and I was there some days. When my +business was ended I decided on leaving Boston by the midnight train. + +Each hotel had its coach to convey guests to the depot or railway +station. I took my seat in the coach, and was joined by a gentleman also +going to New York. We each got our railway tickets, and sat side by side +in the same carriage, or "car," and after some little time we got into +conversation, and when my companion found that I was a "seafaring man," +no one could have been more astonished than he was. + +He looked at me and said, "My dear sir, you look to be an intelligent +sort of man, and you tell me that you go to sea." + +I said, "Yes, and why not?" + +"Well," said he, "I don't see how any man possessed with any common +sense and reason could ever be such a fool as to go to sea." + +I said that possibly that was the reason for my going to sea--just +simply a want of good sense on my part. But it suited me very well, and +I should like to know what objections he had against a sea life. + +"Why, sir, supposing you are in a gale and a fire breaks out on board, +what are you going to do? You have no back door to escape through?" + +"Well, we may be able to leave in the boats." + +"But you can't do it in a terrible storm." + +"Well, then, we will do the best we can, and do as sailors often are +compelled to do, trust in Providence. But for my part, I don't see that +we run more risks in a gale at sea than you do in the cities or than we +do now on the rail. What is to prevent us from having a smash-up before +morning?" + +"Well, now, my good sir, I beg of you don't go to sea any more, but just +come out to Iowa and buy a nice farm and settle down ashore. You can buy +a nice farm with all improvements at from three thousand to five +thousand dollars." + +I asked him what was the matter with the other man, that he wanted to +sell his farm and all improvements. I did not get any satisfactory +answer to this, as we had something more serious to attend to. Just at +this time I felt a peculiar motion in the car, like a horse cantering. I +clapped my hand on my friend and said, "Sit still," and in a few moments +I felt my heels grinding on some one--and the next thing was, that we +were landed bottom up down twenty-five feet of embankment, and terrible +shrieks on all sides. + +Three cars were capsized. One in front of us went down on its side, +endways. Ours went a side-somersault, and the next one endways, on its +wheels. En route we had gathered a number of soldiers who had been +drafted and were on their way South. The cars were jammed full. + +The furnace in our car did great damage to some, and altogether about +seventy were more or less hurt. The accident was caused by a rail +breaking, owing to severe frost. + +After this I tried to persuade my friend to go to Iowa, sell his store, +and come to sea with me, where he would be safe from any more tricks of +this sort. He still seemed inclined to hold on to the rail. + + + + +A Good Record in Life-Saving. + + +[From the Shanghai Mercury, April 13, 1887.] + +The steamship "Kiang-yu," Captain Knights, left the Kin-lee-yuen Wharf +for Hankow, at 2 o'clock on the morning of the 1st instant. On account +of the fog prevailing, she anchored at Halfway Point till 6 A. M., when +she got under way and ran as far as Lin-ho Point, where she anchored +again until 11 o'clock. The wind had been fresh from the south, but at +noon it changed in a squall to north, and continued very strong all day. +At 4 P. M., when about 75 miles up the Yangtse, a junk that had been +capsized was seen. A boat was lowered and six men, two women, and two +children were taken off, who were all got safely on board the +"Kiang-yu." A change of clothes was raised for them among the Chinese +passengers, and over thirty dollars were subscribed for the +unfortunates, who were landed at Kiang-yin. Their home was about five +miles lower down the river. They had left there in the morning, and were +capsized in the sudden change of wind. The poor creatures appeared to be +very grateful for their rescue. + +This is not the first time that Captain Knights has been instrumental in +saving life. During the last six years, he has picked up over thirty +people on the Yangtse, and in November, 1858, when second officer of the +tea-clipper "Northfleet," he performed a gallant action in going in +charge of a boat during a cyclone to the rescue of the crew of the brig +"Hebe." This happened about four hundred and fifty miles southwest of +the Scilly Islands, Land's End. The "Northfleet" was bound for +Portsmouth with some four hundred and fifty soldiers and sailors, +invalids from Hongkong, and twenty-four saloon passengers, mostly naval +and military officers. The "Hebe" was laden with grain from Alexandria, +and was in a sinking condition. + +The following testimonial, signed by several of the military and naval +officers on board the "Northfleet," who witnessed the rescue, and by the +captain and mate of the "Hebe," speaks for itself: + +Ship "Northfleet" (at sea), + +November 18th, 1858. + +We take much pleasure in awarding to Mr. Knights, 2nd officer of this +ship, this unsolicited testimonial, expressive of our high sense of the +coolness, judgment and courage he displayed on the morning of November +the 13th, 1858, when, under circumstances of great difficulty and +imminent danger, when in charge of the cutter, with five men, in a gale +of wind and high tumultuous sea running, he was, by the interposition of +Divine Providence, mercifully allowed to be the means of rescuing the +master, mate, and crew (9 in all) of the brig "Hebe," of Southampton, +reported to be in a sinking state. + + J. R. Fittock, Master, R. N. + W. J. Stuart, Lieutenant, R. N. + H. J. Tribe, Captain, R. N. + R. Picken, M. D., R. N. + H. Ward, Captain, R. N. + James Driver, Engineer, R. N. + G eo. A. F. Day, 2nd Master, R. N. + Wm. Donnelly, F. W., R. N. + A. W. Stratton (late Master and Owner of brig "Hebe"). + Chas. Clarke, Mate. + +The first signature to the testimonial is that of Mr. J. B. Fittock, +Master, R. N., father of Mr. Consul Fittock, well known in China. The +following letter on the subject was also written to the London Times by +the master of the "Hebe":-- + + +Heroism at Sea. + +To the Editor of "The Times." + +Sir: I wish to acknowledge, through the medium of your journal, my +sincere thanks to Captain B. Freeman, of the ship "Northfleet," of +London, for having rescued myself and eight men, the crew of the brig +"Hebe," of Southampton, when in a sinking state, and at the same time +blowing a gale of wind, with a high sea, in latitude 48 deg. 80' N. and +longitude 12 deg. 20' W. At the same time, I cannot pass by the courage +displayed by Mr. Knights, second mate, and five of the crew of the +"Northfleet," in the management of the boat which took us off. Yours +respectfully, + +A. W. Stratton, Master. + +12 Wood Street, Ryde, Isle of Wight, Nov. 30. + + +The Board of Trade recognized Captain Knights's gallantry by presenting +him with a telescope (by Troughton & Sons, London) and recording the +fact on his certificate in the following terms:-- + +"Certified that a telescope was presented by the British Government to +Arthur E. Knights for gallantry in saving life at sea." + +Recently, Captain Knights received from his old chief, Captain Freeman, +who was master of the "Northfleet" when the rescue of the crew of the +"Hebe" took place, a large oil-painting descriptive of the scene, +accompanied by a letter, from which we take the following extract: + +South Hackney, Feb. 25th, 1887. + +I have sent you (by favour of Mr. W. Howell, the chief officer of the +"Glenroy") the painting that Captain Stratton gave me of the +"Northfleet" rescuing the crew of the brig "Hebe," of Southampton, and I +beg your acceptance of it. I am sure you will like to have it, as you +were the principal actor in the scene--and I have a copy of it done by +the same artist. I well remember (as if it was only yesterday) how +anxious I was during the time you were away on the job, and how my heart +was frequently in my mouth (as the saying goes) when the old ship gave +an extra heavy lurch, and you and the dear old cutter were out of sight +for a few seconds in the trough of the sea; and I often think now what a +wonderful and merciful thing it was that we got that boat up without +accident,--but you see we had so many willing hands on board that they +ran away with her as soon as she was hooked on. + +The painting represents the "Northfleet" in a storm under close-reefed +topsails, fore staysail, and main trysail, and the "Hebe" under +close-reefed topsails, with heavy seas breaking over her, her boats and +house washed away, her stern-post (struck by a heavy sea) started, and +the brig in a sinking condition. The cutter, manned by a crew of five, +with Captain Knights in charge, and with the rescued crew of the "Hebe" +in her, appears under the stern of the "Northfleet," one man of the +"Hebe's" crew being hoisted on board by a bowline running from the +spanker-boom. The whole of the "Hebe's" crew were got on board the +"Northfleet" in the same way,--the cutter, containing Captain Knights +and the crew from the "Northfleet" being then hooked on and run up +without accident. + +It may be mentioned that the "Northfleet" was the ill-fated vessel which +some years afterwards was run down, while at anchor under Dungeness, by +the Spanish steamer "Murillo," when over three hundred lives were lost. + + + + +Presentation of a Telescope by the British Government. + + +In the early part of the year 1859 I received a letter from the Board of +Trade, notifying me that the British Government had been pleased to +award me a telescope in acknowledgment of my service in rescuing the +master and crew of the brig "Hebe," and requesting me to write a +statement, of what took place before and after the rescue, and hand it +to the President of the Local Marine Board, on a day named, and to be +then presented with a telescope. + +I appeared at the place and time appointed, and the President rose from +his seat and read my statement to the gentlemen of the Board. He then +asked me if I had rendered any previous service to British or foreign +subjects in distress; if so, had I received any reward or remuneration +for the same. If not, then the Board would make application and obtain +whatever might be due for such service. Or, did I wish for any further +reward for the present service from any Society in Great Britain, +application should be made. + +I replied that I had not rendered any previous service to any others in +distress, and that what I had done on this occasion was voluntary and +spontaneous, without thought of reward. I considered it only as a duty +to my fellow-man; and since the Government had been pleased to +acknowledge the service, I was truly grateful. I was then complimented +by the gentlemen of the Board, and was presented with the telescope. The +inscription on it is my greatest pride to this day, as is also the +honorary testimonial, stamped on my Government certificate of competency +by the recommendation of the Local Marine Board. + +To the President and Gentleman of the Local Marine Board, London. + +In latitude 48 deg. 30' N., longitude 12 deg. 20' E., on the morning of +the 13th of November, 1858, at 7 A. M., it being then just break of day, +I saw the brig "Hebe" about three miles on our lee-bow, having the signal +of distress flying. I immediately reported it to Captain Freeman, who +came on deck and gave orders to bear down upon her and see what was +wanted. When near enough we hove to and hailed the brig, asking what +they were in want of, and they answered, saying "For God's sake, send us +a boat, as we are sinking." Captain Freeman then asked if they wanted to +abandon their vessel, and they repeated their supplications, every one on +board appearing to be in the greatest mental distress, making signs that +their vessel was going down. The men were working vigorously at the pumps +at imminent risk of being washed overboard, as the sea was breaking +completely over them. + +It was now 8 o'clock, and Captain Freeman gave orders for all hands to +remain on deck and to clear away the cutter. I then got into the boat +and asked who would go with me, when I got several volunteers, out of +whom I took five,--viz., Burland, Hill, Hendrickson, Hansen, and +Cummins. The boat was lowered very successfully, when we got clear of +the ship. The brig was about a quarter of a mile astern. Heading for the +ship, I pulled alongside and told them to give me a good line over their +quarter, long enough to veer and haul upon. I told the captain of the +brig to get his log-book and chronometer, with a few of his own personal +effects, but I would not take either bed or bag belonging to any one. I +then told them to stand by and to jump in their turns, one by one, as I +should direct. We then hauled the boat up with her bow alongside the +brig's quarter, taking care lest the stem of the boat should get knocked +out, getting one of them off at a time, dropping clear while the heavy +seas passed, then hauling up again. In this manner we succeeded in +getting them off, nine in all, in about forty minutes, making them lie +in the bottom of the boat as ballast till it was covered. We then pulled +to the ship. When we reached her, they had a block at the +spanker-boom-end, with a single line rove and bowline, into which the +men got and were hoisted one by one on deck. After they were all up, I +sent one of the boat's crew up, and then went alongside and hooked on +the boat, which was quickly run up. There was no other mishap than the +breaking of an oar in coming alongside. We had on board about three +hundred invalid soldiers and sailors from the Canton war at this time. + +I have the honor to be your obedient servant, + +A. E. Knights. + + + +Inscription on Telescope. + +Presented by the British Government + + To + + Mr. Arthur Knights + Second Officer of the "Northfleet" + In Acknowledgment of + His Gallant Conduct + In Rescuing the Master and Crew + Of the "Hebe" + In November, 1858. + + + + +The Ship "Bombay." + + +(November, 1858.) + +At the time that the ship "Northfleet" was rescuing the crew of the brig +"Hebe," the ship "Bombay," belonging to the same owner,--Mr. Duncan +Dunbar,--was on the side of the same storm, at about one hundred miles +distance, and had the wind from just the opposite direction, but with +much greater force, and came near being lost. + +The "Bombay" had embarked some troops in Portsmouth for the Indian +Mutiny, and was ordered to proceed to Queenstown in Ireland to take on +board some two hundred more soldiers. + +When the vessel got near the entrance of the harbour it was nightfall, +and, the wind being unfavourable, when the pilot got on board, he +recommended the captain to make everything easy for the night and enter +the harbour next morning, when he expected the wind to be fair. But +during the night the wind increased and became a violent northeast gale, +and the vessel was blown out of the Irish Channel into the Atlantic +Ocean. For some days the wind blew with hurricane force. The ship lost +some sails, and was at last carrying only a close-reefed main topsail +and fore staysail. The sea was mountainous and lashing the ship from all +directions. Then late in the day, to the dismay of all on board, the lee +main topsail-sheet gave way, and the sail was flapping like thunder and +lashing the mast and rigging most furiously. The ship, now having +nothing to steady her, was helplessly rolling in the trough of the sea, +at the mercy of the waves, which threatened to engulf her, as they were +breaking on board from every direction. The deck-houses were washed away +and the decks were filled with water, which began to find an entrance to +the 'tween-decks, where the poor soldiers were battened down. In this +plight it was necessary to get the remnant of the topsail secure, and if +possible get a new sail in its place, so as to steady the ship. The +second officer was ordered to get the sailors and do this, but he soon +reported that the sailors, many of whom were foreigners, would not go +aloft. The chief officer then went forward and called for men, and asked +if there were any British sailors among them. If there were, for God's +sake, to go aloft with him. He led, the way, followed by seventeen +British sailors. They had nearly completed the work of securing the sail +when the ship gave a tremendous roll on the top of a very heavy wave and +the mast went by the board, carrying with it the chief mate and his +seventeen followers, and not a soul could be saved. Oh, to think of the +horrors of that dark and fearful night! + +Now came the trial for Captain John Flamanek and the remaining portion +of his crew. The broken mast and yards, still held by the broken +rigging, was lashing against the ship, threatening to break in her side +and send all to the bottom. It was necessary to cut away this wreckage +as soon as possible so as to free the ship, but before this could be +accomplished daylight had set in. Then the captain asked the officer +commanding the soldiers to let some of his men give assistance. This he +refused to do, and made complaint that his men's food was not being +prepared for them as it should be. The men cried shame of their +commander, and volunteered to do whatever they could to assist the +captain.[*] The weather moderated, and some sails were set on the +vessel, which finally unassisted reached Falmouth. Two steam men-of-war +had been sent in search of her, but missed her. + + + +[*] For his dastardly conduct the military commanding officer was later +dismissed from the army, and was never allowed to enter Her Majesty's +service again. + + + + +Is There a Fatality Attaching to Men or Inanimate Things? + + +In another part of this book I have mentioned the ship "Northfleet." In +regard to that vessel the above question might almost be answered in the +affirmative. The vessel was launched at the place from which she took +her name in 1852. She made her first voyage to New Zealand, thence to +China, and from there to San Francisco, and back to China and London. +Then she went trooping for the Crimean War; then for some years ran +between London and China carrying tea, for which she was originally +built. + +This ship never made a voyage without some one being drowned from her, +and finally she was run into and sunk by a steamer, which was afterwards +proved to be the Spanish vessel "Murillo." By this collision upwards of +three hundred people were drowned. The "Northfleet" was carrying railway +workmen to New Zealand, and when coming down the English Channel the +weather was stormy and the pilot recommended the captain to anchor under +a point called Dungeness. This was done, and the night came on very +dark. At some time after midnight a steamer came in under the Point, +apparently for the purpose of anchoring, as was afterwards reported by +the crew of the tugboat which was at anchor. They saw the steamer moving +about for some time. Then a crash was heard, followed by most +heartrending cries. The steamer went out to sea, and did not heed the +signal rockets which were sent up by the "Northfleet." The little +tugboat had only four men and a small boat, which was at once launched, +and the mate and the engineer, with one sailor, went to the rescue. When +they arrived all that could be found was the captain's wife and an +ordinary seaman. All the others had perished, through the dastardly act +of the Spaniard in running away. + +Captain Knowles of the "Northfleet" was newly married to a very +beautiful lady, who was later on by command presented to Queen Victoria, +who, after hearing her story, condoled with her, and later gave her a +pension of fifty pounds a year as long as she remained a widow. + +Some three years after this the widow was again married, to Captain +Cawes, of the ship "Coriolanus." This ship came to Hankow to load tea +and I had the pleasure to meet Mrs. Cawes, who had been saved from my +old ship in which I had served for years. + +The steamer that run down the "Northfleet" was twice arrested, but +nothing definite could be proved until some two years later, when one of +her officers was near dying, and he confessed that it was the steamer +"Murillo," which was later proved to be true, and the vessel was +confiscated. + + + + +Chinese Politeness. + + +Whilst running to Hankow with the steamer "Neimen" I had as sailors +Malays. The firemen were seedy boys, or Nubians. The steward was a Goa +Portuguese. The servants were Chinese, and the cook a Chinese who +claimed to be an American, he having been trained by Captain John +Parrott, of San Francisco, "a number one American man," who had taught +him to swear quite neatly. + +Well, on Christmas Day, 1862, we had a very hard gale and snowstorm, and +early in the evening we had to anchor. Then we sat down to dinner, which +we hoped to enjoy. There were several passengers on board, and when the +soup was served and tasted each looked at the other, and I looked at the +steward and asked him what kind of soup it was. He said it was plain +soup. I asked why some meat had not been used in its making, and he +replied that the cook must have eaten the meat, as he was given plenty. + +The cook was sent for, and when he was confronted with the steward he +began to use the refined language taught him by Captain Parrott. I +ordered the steward to put all the soup back into the tureen. Then I +invited the cook to take a seat at the table and consume the soup, which +he did. When he had taken it he rose and, bowing most politely, tucked +the tureen under his arm like an admiral with his cocked hat, and said, +"Excusey, my sir; all hab finishee," and backed out of the saloon most +politely. + + + + +A Brazilian Slaver. + + +In the year 1851 I was on a voyage to Melbourne, Australia, on the +sailing ship "Severn." This was shortly after the opening of the gold +mines. We left Southampton with about one hundred passengers, and had a +very fine run with fair weather. There was no incident to mar the +enjoyment of the trip until we neared the coast of Brazil, when one +morning we saw a smart-looking brig hove to, waiting for us to come up, +and when we came near our passengers became very much excited, as we +could see there was an unusual number of men on her deck; the idea was +that it was a pirate vessel. + +When we came very near to her, a boat was put off from her, and an +officer brought a letter from her captain asking for provisions and +water, saying that the vessel was bound for the port of Santos, and had +been blown off the coast in a pampero. Neither the officer nor the +boat's crew could or would speak English. They could only ask in Spanish +for "tabac." Some of our sailors protested that they were either British +or--Americans. Well, they were supplied with salt beef and pork, canned +meats, water, etc. Several trips were made by the boat, and when all was +finished, and the boat was at some distance from us, these marauders +stood up and gave us three rousing cheers in good plain English, and +called out "Good-bye boys, and good luck to you for feeding the +blackbirds." The brig was full of slaves. + +This "slave" business was then near its end in Brazil, and, probably +this vessel had been chased off the coast by a British war-vessel, as +every possible effort was being made by the British Government to +suppress the slave trade. + + + + +Mary Ann Gander. + + +On this voyage we had a Mr. and Mrs. Gander and their eight children. +Poor Mrs. Gander used to suffer terribly from seasickness, and was +totally unfitted to do anything but scold, whilst poor unfortunate +Gander used to promenade the deck with a child on each arm and a couple +of others tagging on to his coat-tails. He was a wonderfully +good-natured fellow, was Gander; otherwise I do believe he would have +jumped overboard, for whenever he came near to where Mrs. Gander was, +she used to call to him to go to the captain and tell him to put her on +shore immediately; she would not go any further in that ship,--no, that +she wouldn't. "Now, Mary Ann, what's the use your talking that way; you +know that we are a thousand miles from any land and the captain cannot +put you on shore." "Now, Gander, don't you talk to me. How dare you? You +just go to the captain at once. Oh! you catch me going to sea again. No, +that you won't. When I go home I'll go overland, if I have to walk every +step of the way." Poor Gander! Mary Ann and the children all survived +the trials of the voyage and arrived safe in Melbourne, where Gander was +very fortunate, and in three years made sufficient money to enable him +to retire, and as the English Mail Steamer Company, or the P. & O. +Company had put on a line from Ceylon to Australia in 1852, the Gander +family were enabled to go home by the overland route, as Mrs. Gander had +wished to go. + + + + +Hard Times. + + +In June, 1854, I left Melbourne on the barque "Junior," bound to Callao, +in Peru. We had a fine voyage, and on arrival, being free, I went to +Lima, the capital. I found this was a very interesting old city, with +beautiful surrounding country, which I enjoyed very much, and spent +nearly a month there. Then I had a week in Callao, which was a pretty +wild place. I used to sail around the bay, and in sailing near the shore +I could look down, at the bottom of the sea, on the houses of old +Callao, which was swallowed by an earthquake in the latter part of the +last century. And, strange to say, when the town disappeared an island +came up out in the bay. This island is very high and is called "San +Lorenzo," after a lone fisherman who had been out in his boat fishing on +the night when the earthquake took place, and in the morning poor old +Lorenzo found himself in a boat about a thousand feet up on a mountain +and no town in sight. + +Well, I joined the barque "Tropic," loaded with guano, bound for Cork, +in Ireland. This vessel was a very rotten old thing, and in getting +round Cape Horn we all had a very hard time, and did not know how soon +the vessel would sink with us; but we got round the Cape and into the +South Atlantic, where we had better weather and proceeded pretty well +till in the North Atlantic, when provisions began to get short. When we +were off the Azores, watching the beautiful shores and harbours of St. +Michael, we came near a Dutch brig from Brazil loaded with coffee. The +captain hailed us and asked us for some biscuits. A boat was sent to us +bringing us a half-bag of coffee. We had less than a hundred pounds of +biscuits. Our captain consulted with us about giving any of it away. It +was finally agreed that we would divide with the brig. This was done, +and we had to be very careful with so little bread among twelve people. +We had plenty of salt beef and pork, and a half-barrel of flour, but no +beans or peas or sugar. + +We had a fair run till we saw Cape Clear, at the south end of Ireland, +on the 30th of January, 1855. We all were in high hopes that a few hours +more would see us at anchor in Queenstown; but that night came on an +easterly gale, and we were driven out into the Atlantic, where for weeks +we were buffeted about, and to our dismay our last fresh-water cask we +found had leaked and was empty. We were surrounded with many other +vessels in the same plight--short of provisions. We had plenty of snow, +with which we could make coffee, but were reduced to salt meat only, +which is pretty hard fare. The hardest part was, that the captain had +his wife and two children on board, and for the youngest child a goat +had been provided to supply milk. This became a scarce article as there +was no food for the goat. So every day the carpenter used to plane up a +piece of wood to make shavings for the goat to eat. It got along as well +or better than any of us. + +Finally, on the 10th of March, in the morning early, we had reached near +to the Old Head of Kinsale, and near to Cork, when we saw a boat pulling +off to us. This proved to be a pilot-boat. The pilot got on board, and +told us that ours was the first vessel that could be boarded in six +weeks, the weather having been so bad, and that only a few days before +the mail-carrier between Clonakilty and Cork had been frozen to death on +his journey. The pilot brought us a few potatoes, which gave us one each +and two for the captain's wife, and the next morning we got safely into +Queenstown, where we were able to get a good supply of milk, bread, +butter, and eggs, of which we all made pretty free use, and with a few +days' rest we forgot all our late cares, as sailors usually do. + +After being in port a few days we all left the "Tropic," and I spent a +couple of weeks in seeing Cork and the beautiful country where the +people are so genial and hospitable. After seeing all I wanted to see, I +took steamer from Cork for Bristol, spent one day there, and then left +by train for London. The train left in the evening, and here a rather +amusing incident occurred. I had taken a second-class ticket, and after +taking my seat, it being cold weather, I prepared to make myself +comfortable for the night. In my valise I had a rough sealskin or +Esquimau jacket with a hood to it. I put this on and was nice and warm, +sitting in the corner of the carriage. Shortly afterwards a man in +livery came in and sat in the corner opposite to me. Then came an old +lady and her husband, an Irish army officer returning to India. The old +lady was helped in by the gentleman, but as soon as she saw me she cried +out, "O Lord!" and fell back. Then the old gentleman boosted her in +again, saying, "Go in, you old stupid!" and after the second attempt she +gave it up, saying she wouldn't travel in a menagerie. She had taken me +for a bear, and the man in livery for my keeper. The old gentleman got +in, and she remained on the platform until I assured her that there was +no danger. Then she came in very reluctantly and sat as far away as +possible until we reached Bath, where the man in livery alighted. After +that the old lady, her husband, and I became good friends for the +remainder of the journey. + + + + +Memory For Voices. + + +After the bear incident I spent some time in London, then joined the +emigrant ship "Oriental," bound to Adelaide, South Australia. I was +third officer. We took on board about one hundred families of +excellently selected farm labourers, shepherds, and ploughmen, and after +having made a good voyage arrived safely in Adelaide. The Immigration +Commissioners came on board and inspected the passengers. The result was +most satisfactory. There was no complaint of ill-treatment or deficiency +in supplies, and in less than thirty-six hours every family was engaged +and sent into the country. And the Commissioners awarded to our doctor +fifty pounds sterling, the chief officer fifty pounds for his +supervision, and myself fifty pounds for the supervision of the +commissariat department. + +After a short stay in Adelaide, we sailed for Madras, in India, and +after a good voyage we arrived and anchored in the evening when it was +quite dark. There was quite a number of native business men came off in +catamarans and "mussulah," or surf-boats. Among the number was one +noble-looking man, who stepped up near to our captain and, addressing +him, said, "How do you do, Captain Mackintosh?" + +"How do you know my name is Mackintosh?" + +"By your voice, sahib. When you were here in the 'Lady Mary Harrison,' +eighteen years ago, I was your dubash." + +This was quite correct. This man recognized the captain's voice after +all these years. + +In 1879 I had a similar experience in my own case. I was travelling in +Scotland, and in Edinburgh I met some friends and inquired for an old +lady whom I had known as a child. I found that she was living at a place +called Aberladye, on the seacoast. I decided to go to see her, and was +directed to take the train to Dreme Station, and there I should find a +conveyance to take me to Aberladye. When I arrived the conveyance was +filled with local travellers and I started to walk three and a half +miles to my friend. After I had gone about half a mile I passed by a +magnificent entrance to a fine estate. Soon after this I heard a +carriage coming, and when it caught up to me the gentleman who was +driving in the dog-cart pulled up and asked if I was going to Aberladye +and invited me to take a lift. I thanked him and mounted beside him. He +asked where I wanted to go. I told him to Rose Cottage, when we entered +into general conversation. He learned that I was from China, so we had +quite a pleasant time, and, arriving opposite to Rose Cottage, he pulled +up and graciously pointed to the house, bade me good-bye, and hoped we +might meet again. + +I went up to the door and rang the bell, and the old lady herself +answered it all in a flutter, as she had seen me set down from the trap, +which was driven by Lord Rosebery himself. Well, I asked if Mrs. +McKippen lived there. She replied, "Yes; I am she." I said, "Perhaps +you don't remember me?" She said, "No; but I know your voice." I told +her that I was Arthur Knights. "Aye, laddie," she cried, "I heard that +you was drowned at sea twenty-five years ago." Well, I need hardly say +that I was welcome to her and her husband, who was a retired business +man. Poor old gentleman, he cried as a child when she told him of my +taking the trouble to come and see her, and how when I was a small boy +at a juvenile party I was sore distressed by my dancing slippers being +too big and that they kept slipping off. Then she came to the rescue and +took me to one side and stitched them to the heel of my stocking to +enable me to have a good time. + +I spent a couple of days with my friends and then went on my way, and I +have often wondered whether that lady could possibly have connected my +manhood voice with that of my childhood. + + + + +An Incident of the Great Taiping Rebellion. + + +In the latter part of 1862 I left Shanghai on my usual voyage to Hankow. +This port is six hundred miles up the Yangtse River. After we had got +about sixty miles up the river, which is here about ten miles wide, our +attention was drawn to a number of human bodies floating down the river, +most of them mutilated. This lasted about thirty hours. As we steamed +along near the shore, the farmers, with their families, were for miles +gathered here and there, gesticulating, prostrating themselves, and +praying for us to take them on board. The poor creatures were between +the Imperialist soldiers and the rebels, or Taipings. Both of these +parties were ravaging, devastating, and destroying all before them, and +the poor peasants had a very hard time. We could not help these poor +creatures, and had to pass on our way. + +On the third day we passed a city called Taiping Foo, "foo" meaning +"city" in Chinese. We afterwards learned that for some months the +inhabitants of the city had withstood a siege from both belligerents, +and one day the Imperialist general conferred with the Taotai, or mayor, +and said that it was well known that the inhabitants had been very good +and had not favored the rebels, and now if they would open their gates +to the Imperial soldiers, he would promise them kind treatment; and the +people were weak enough to believe him and opened the city gates, and in +a few hours nearly the whole population was butchered and thrown into +the river, and those were they whom we had seen floating in clusters a +few days before. + + + + +Conclusion. + + +In the course of my journey through life I have been in many strange +places, and have met many strange people. I have seen many strange +sights--some grave, some gay. For many years I was on +passenger-carrying ships, and have carried many travellers, amongst whom +some strong and enduring attachments have been made. + +Although I have been in some bad places, and met some "hard characters," +yet was I never molested in any country in which I have been. I have +seen some misfortunes, but was never depressed by them. I could always +see around me others who stood in need of help. I have spent a long life +in foreign lands, and happily I can now look back upon the past and say +that I have found much good in all the lands which Almighty God has +permitted me to visit. + +My motto has always been, Never despair; persevere, and never give up +hope. + +And now with the most happy memories of the past I can look back without +a moment's regret and ask God to bless all those who have been good to +me. And who has not been good? + + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life, by +Arthur E. 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Knights + +Release Date: November, 2003 [Etext #4673] +[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] +[This file was first posted on February 26, 2002] + +Edition: 10 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +The Project Gutenberg Etext of Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life +by Arthur E. Knights +******This file should be named nwasl10.txt or nwasl10.zip****** + +Corrected EDITIONS of our etexts get a new NUMBER, nwasl11.txt +VERSIONS based on separate sources get new LETTER, nwasl10a.txt + +Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we usually do not +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +The "legal small print" and other information about this book +may now be found at the end of this file. Please read this +important information, as it gives you specific rights and +tells you about restrictions in how the file may be used. + +*** +This etext was produced by David Schwan <davidsch@earthlink.net>. + +Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life + + + +By +Captain Arthur E. Knights + + + +Introduction. + +In 1898 I was in Hongkong on a business affair which gave me much +leisure, when Murray Bain, editor of the China Mail, whom I had long +known, asked why I did not send him a letter occasionally. This led to +my venturing to give him "Some Notes by the Way in A Sailor's Life." + +These Notes, I considered, could only be of interest locally. But some +of my friends have urged me to overcome my diffidence and put them in +pamphlet form, which I now do for distribution among my friends, +trusting that they will treat leniently the literary efforts of one who +is a sailor and not a cleric. + +A.E.K. + + + +Contents. + +A Quick Passage +A Record Long Passage +A Voyage of Misfortune +Beginning of the German Navy +An Incident in Hongkong Harbour +A Singular Meeting +A Little Railway Experience +A Good Record in Life-Saving +Presentation of a Telescope by the British Government +The Ship "Bombay" +Is There a Fatality Attaching to Men or Inanimate Things? +Chinese Politeness +A Brazilian Slaver +Hard Times +Memory For Voices +An Incident of the Great Taiping Rebellion +Conclusion + + + +A Quick Passage. + + + +To the editor of the "China Mail." + +Dear Sir: - I have just read with much pleasure the report of the quick +passage made by the sailing-ship "Muskoka" from Cardiff to this port in +ninety-two days. This is really a good trip and the captain and his +officers may be complimented on having done so well, for, as you know, +the ship is of large tonnage and the complement of men is small. I +congratulate the captain and his officers, and wish they may be as +successful in all their future voyages. + +Mr. Editor, no doubt you remember the ship "Northfleet." I was second +officer of her, as you know, in the year 1857. In the spring of that +year, we loaded government stores, guns, mortars, and general war +materials, with two companies of Royal Artillery, for the war at Canton, +in which the French and the British were allies. We sailed from Woolwich +on the river Thames, and stopped at Gravesend twelve hours, then made +our final start for Hongkong, in which port we anchored in the +wonderfully short time of eighty-eight days from Woolwich, which is at +least three days' sail farther than Cardiff. + +On the following voyage we did the same in eighty-eight days and a half. +These two were record voyages made in the glorious days of +"teaclippers." + +A. E. Knights. + +Hong Kong, June, 1898. + + + +A Record Long Passage. + + + +First Cotton From China to America. + +During the palmy days after the opening of the River Yangtse - when +freights were taels 22 per ton from Hankow to Shanghai, a distance of +six hundred miles - I was in command of the "Neimen," an auxiliary +ship-rigged vessel, engaged in this trade until near the end of 1863, +and saw some of the exciting times of the Taiping Rebellion in that part +of China. By the end of 1862 the steamers "Huquang" and "Firecracker" +had come from New York round the Cape of Good Hope, and later the +"Chekiang," "Kiu-kiang," and other paddle steamers were put on the +river, and the freights were reduced to taels 4 1/2 per ton. Then we had +to clear out. + +My employers ordered me to Hongkong to meet new boilers for the +"Neimen." Later I received instructions to sell the "Jedda," belonging +to the same owners, which was done. Then I had an offer from Mr. Paul +Forbes to buy the "Neimen." This arrangement was completed, and I agreed +with the new owners (Russell & Co.) to take the engines out of the +vessel, and to change the rig from ship to barque, with the object of +loading cotton for New York - the first from China to America. After +completing our alterations, and after painting the ship in Whampoa, we +came to Hongkong to load at the beginning of May, 1864. The weather and +water being warm and the paint new gave a favorable opportunity for the +barnacles to attach themselves to the vessel, and by the time we started +the barnacles were like coarse gravel on her sides. + +On the 24th of May, 1864, we sailed from Hongkong, and when we got out +into the China Sea we had no monsoon, but met with a continuance of +calms and squalls. The ship was unable to stand up under her canvas, +having no ballast, and being, as it were, stuffed with cotton. Well, at +last we reached Anjer, eighty-four days from Hongkong. The ship was one +mass of barnacles as large as "egg-cups." I sent overland to Batavia to +buy some garden spades, to be fitted on to long poles, so as to try to +chop off some of the shells, which we did, and after five days' delay we +sailed again. From Sunda Straits we had a good run till near the Cape. +Here we had calms again, and the grass and barnacles grew very fast. +Indeed, the ship's bottom was like a half-tide rock, and when the water +washed up the sides, as she rolled, the noise made by the barnacles was +like the surf on a sea-beach. We were followed for several days by a +shoal of dolphins, which we caught in great numbers night and morning. +Finally we got round the Cape, and to St. Helena, where we stayed four +days, and employed men to assist us in chopping off grass and barnacles +as far as we could reach. Then we proceeded on our way once more. + +We had a wearisome time in the "doldrums" about the equator, only +enlivened by catching dolphins and watching crabs, which would leave the +grass for a swim and then return to the ship. After getting clear of the +calm belt, we had a very good run to Bermuda, where we encountered a +heavy gale, with tremendous heavy seas. + +When the weather moderated we found to our dismay that the rudder was +adrift, the pintles having been broken by the heavy seas. I was now +compelled to put before the wind and run for St. Thomas, in the West +Indies, and when near the entrance of the port a passenger, Captain +George Adams, "went off his head," and thus gave no little addition to +my anxieties. Finally we arrived safely in port. Here more troubles +began. I was advised to do many things, some of which would have been +much to the benefit of some of my advisers. One thing was to land and +store the cargo.[*] This I positively refused to do. But after all I +found that there was only one European blacksmith in the place, and he +had but a small shop. This man contracted to do the repairs, and after I +had got the rudder to his shop he coolly asked me if I had a good +carpenter or other handy man to help him, as the job was too heavy for +his negro assistant to weld. I proposed to him another plan. So at last +the work was done satisfactorily, and we went on our way with partly a +new negro crew, some of the old crew having left. We made very good +progress and were nearly off New York when we got into a violent +snowstorm, which greatly amused the negro sailors, who had never seen +"white rain" before, but unfortunately for three of them, they got +frostbitten and lost their legs. We got into New York at last on the +25th of January, 1865, eight months from Hongkong! + +Although the voyage was so long, I believe the venture turned out to be +a good one financially. Gold was at a very high premium, - about two +dollars and eighty cents at this time, - and our cotton sold for one +dollar and fifty cents per pound. The "Neimen" went into dock, and +people came in hundreds to see the strange sight. She was covered with +shells like a rook. Some of these shells were sent out to China, and +Messrs. Russell & Co. (the owners) had them mounted in silver as +inkstands. + +28th June, 1898. + + + +[*] To land and store cargo should never be done by a shipmaster without +authority from the owners. + + + +A Voyage of Misfortune. + + + +After the last voyage which I gave you an account of I accepted an offer +made me by my late employers, and became superintendent of a business +under their management in New York. Unfortunately, at the close of the +war, this business was temporarily suspended and my contract was +annulled. I then tried two or three different things on my own account, +and finally settled as agent for a paper-mill; and all things were going +on fairly well until in an unguarded moment I read an advertisement in +the New York Herald. It ran as follows: "A gentleman with experience +requires a partner with capital, in a safe business, with no risks." The +bait took, and I had an interview with "the gentleman," and saw the +persons to whom he referred me, and we joined, with the result that in +less than seven months we had changed places. I had the experience and +he had the capital, as well as the stock, and had vanished to where the +woodbine twineth. His friends told me that this was his usual way of +doing business. This was pretty cool. In a short time the same gentleman +was seeking another victim in Chicago. My advice to sailors is to "stick +to the ship." + +Well, sir, the next thing I thought of was to get a ship before the +landsharks took all I had from me; and, with the assistance of Mr. Paul +Forbes, I was soon in command of the ship "Royal Saxon," owned jointly +by R. W. Cameron, of New York, and R. Towns, of Sydney. We sailed from +New York for Melbourne, and arrived there safely, though in running down +our easting about 42° south latitude we had continuous fogs. + +Now, sir, to the point. The above firm despatched from New York each +alternate week one vessel for Melbourne and one for Sydney. The week +before I left, the ship "Eastward Ho," Captain Byrne, was despatched for +Sydney, and apparently all went well until she got into latitude 37° or +38° south, and a little to the eastward of the Cape of Good Hope, when +suddenly one night, when running before a strong gale, she came crushing +into ice. The shock was so severe that her fore and main topmasts and +mizzen-topgallant masts went by the board, and the foremast-head sprung. +The hull was considerably shattered, and the main covering-board split +up from forward as far aft as the main gangway. + +After this, the captain thought he had better try to reach Simon's Bay +or the Cape. For some days they were working through field-ice, getting +a little to the north. Patching the vessel with canvas, and rigging +jury-masts and sails, finally they got clear of ice, and with fine +weather it was decided to stand to the eastward, with the hope of being +overtaken by some other vessel (which never came). After many +vicissitudes, - taking to the boats, then returning to the ship twice, - +it was decided that the ship was the safest place, and she ultimately +reached Sydney. + +In passing through Bass's Straits, the "Eastward Ho" had been passed at +a short distance by a steamer from New Zealand, and reported in +Melbourne, but could give no name. This gave great offence to the people +of Melbourne for passing a vessel in such a state and not finding her +name or her wants, if any. + +The "Eastward Ho" was repaired and loaded coals in Sydney for Hongkong, +and misfortune again overtook her. In coming through the Eastern seas, +her crew mutinied, and the vessel narrowly escaped wreck on one of the +islands. Then, later, she got into a typhoon, and was very badly +strained, but escaped for what might have been a worse fate - fire. Her +cargo of coals caught fire, and after some days of hard work, the fire +was extinguished; but when the vessel reached Hongkong and her cargo was +discharged, it was found that the hull was a mere shell. Her frames and +planking in many places were burnt nearly through. + +The vessel was condemned, the crew were paid off, and the captain left +Hongkong for New York and Syracuse, where was his home. When he had +nearly reached his house he met an old friend who conveyed to him the +sad news of his wife's death and of the funeral from which he was just +returning. A sailor's life is not always a happy one. Is there a +fatality attaching to certain men or things? + + + +Beginning of the German Navy. + + + +In the beginning of the year 1862 I was chief officer of the ship +"Ballaarat," with Captain Henry Jones, of Far East fame. We loaded in +the East India Docks, London, a full cargo of piece goods for Shanghai +and for Taku Bar. We arrived at Shanghai, and, as the war was finished, +we were ordered to proceed to Taku to discharge our cargo for Tientsin. +In due time we reached Taku Bar, where we found several of the British +warships anchored, and the South Forts occupied by British troops. + +We anchored in the forenoon very near to a vessel flying the Prussian +flag, and when we had furled sails and cleared up decks it was +tiffin-time. To our surprise, a boat came from the Prussian, bringing +the captain. I met him at the gangway, and reported him to our captain, +with the result that he stayed to tiffin with us. And then he stated his +business on board our ship. He said he wanted to buy provisions and +stores of any kind, sailors' clothing, boots, or anything we could sell, +which our captain laughingly agreed to do. + +The following conversation then took place: "What is the name of the +vessel you command?" + +"She is now the 'Hertha,' and was the British sailing-sloop 'Thetis.' +The British Government had her converted into a screw vessel, and +presented her to us to bring our Minister, Count von Eulenberg, to +negotiate a treaty with China as soon as the war should be ended, and +that is why we are here; and the barque with the American flag flying +near to us carries extra coals for our use." + +"But," said our captain, "you are not a German. How is it that you are +in command of that ship?" + +"No," said he; "I am an ex-Danish naval officer, and all my officers are +Danes, and we have German cadets. There being no German navy, there are +no officers yet trained." + +Business then began, and the transfer of provisions and stores of almost +every kind was made from one ship to the other. After this we used to +have daily friendly intercourse for about three weeks, and one fine +morning the "Hertha" left her anchorage. A fresh easterly breeze was +blowing, and the "Hertha" was working under sail against the wind, which +was increasing, and a nasty, short sea rising. After a couple of hours +we saw her yards squared, and the vessel put back and she anchored near +to us. In the afternoon, the wind having moderated, an officer from her +came to buy a grindstone. + +This caused some little merriment. Then the officer explained that in +the forenoon, when beating down the gulf, in one of the plunges, the +grindstone had been washed off the forecastle-head, where the men had +been employed in grinding their cutlasses. + +They were expecting to hear news of a rupture between France and +Germany, and they were on the way to Hongkong for shelter. + +It is highly creditable to the Germans that from so humble a beginning +they have raised such a fine fleet as they now possess. + +After our return to Shanghai from Taku I was permitted to leave the +"Ballaarat" and take command of the "Neimen" on the Yangtse. + + + +An Incident in Hongkong Harbour. + + + +The following incident regarding Captain Keppel may be of some interest +to sailors, and perhaps is remembered by some residents of Hongkong who +may have been there at the time of the last war with China. + +Sir Harry Keppel was every inch a sailor, and sometimes did some very +strange things, which would annoy his superiors; but the very oddity of +his actions gained the hearts and confidence of those who served under +him, and he could rely on every one acting as one machine when he +commanded. + +One day, for some reason, the Admiral, Sir Michael Seymour, who was then +on the flagship "Calcutta," gave orders for the "Raleigh" to proceed to +sea in face of a very strong southwest monsoon. The "Raleigh" was to go +out by the Lyemoon and return by Green Island. The ship was got under +way, and went out in the ordinary way by the Lyemoon, and beat round the +island. After some hours she came back by way of Green Island, with all +plain sails and all studding-sails set. At first this called for no +special attention, except for the grand sight of a man-of-war under full +sail. + +At this time, the harbour was full of sailing-ships of all nations, and +as the "Raleigh" came near and threaded her way among them, the crews of +the various ships became interested. When the "Raleigh" came near to her +anchorage, the order was quietly passed, and then, as if by magic, in +came all studding-sails; then, in the same manner, all plain sails; +after that "Let go the anchor," and a running moor was made. Then came +cheers from every sailor who had witnessed the maneuvre, cheers that +could be heard all over Hongkong as it was then. + +Well, sir, the Admiral was not pleased with this piece of skill in +seamanship, and for coming through a crowded harbour under all sail. The +"Raleigh" was ordered out for a twenty-four hours' cruise, and to come +in in a shipshape way the next time. Well, she went out again, and as +she came in past Green Island, she had all sail as before, and when +nearing the shipping, greatly to the astonishment of every one, in came +all plain sail and furled, leaving only the studding-sails; and under +these she went through the shipping to her anchorage, and then, "In all +studding-sails," and a running moor was made as before. And, if +possible, the cheers were more vehement than before. + +Now, sir, what do you think was the effect? Why, nearly half the sailors +in the merchant ships wanted to join the "Raleigh." They could not be +accommodated, but many were engaged and put on board the "Sibyl." + +It may also be remembered that when the "Raleigh" struck a rock near +Macao, a French man-of-war was in sight. The French flag was hoisted and +saluted by the "Raleigh." After the salute, the order was given to +abandon ship, and all this was done with as much coolness as if going to +a church parade. + + + +A Singular Meeting. + + + +A few years ago I had with me as chief mate a man who had left his home +when quite a boy to come to China. After arrival in Shanghai, he got a +position as quartermaster, and worked his way up to chief mate. + +After about eighteen years' absence from his home, an older brother of +his came to Shanghai in command of a sailing-ship, and the two brothers +met. The captain and I were introduced to each other, and I invited him +to spend all the time he could with his young brother on board the +steamer. Later the captain asked me to use my influence to get his +brother to go home with him to see his mother, who was a very old lady, +and always yearning to see her child "Sam." + +After some trouble, I persuaded him, as a matter of duty, to go home, +and obtained for him a year's leave of absence. He left Shanghai in his +brother's ship, and went to Iloilo, where the vessel loaded and sailed +for America. When the vessel was well on her way towards the Cape of +Good Hope, they had one very calm day, and a short distance from them +was another vessel showing the American flag. The two brothers agreed to +have a boat lowered and to pull over to the stranger for a short visit. +This was done, and to their great surprise, when they got on board, they +found that the captain was their own older brother. + +The two captains had been employed in different ports and on different +voyages, and had not met each other in fifteen years, and the oldest and +the youngest had never met before. + + + +A Little Railway Experience. + + + +By way of a change, I will tell you of a little railway experience I +once had. During the Civil War in America, I had occasion to go from New +York to Boston on important business, and I was there some days. When my +business was ended I decided on leaving Boston by the midnight train. + +Each hotel had its coach to convey guests to the depot or railway +station. I took my seat in the coach, and was joined by a gentleman also +going to New York. We each got our railway tickets, and sat side by side +in the same carriage, or "car," and after some little time we got into +conversation, and when my companion found that I was a "seafaring man," +no one could have been more astonished than he was. + +He looked at me and said, "My dear sir, you look to be an intelligent +sort of man, and you tell me that you go to sea." + +I said, "Yes, and why not?" + +"Well," said he, "I don't see how any man possessed with any common +sense and reason could ever be such a fool as to go to sea." + +I said that possibly that was the reason for my going to sea - just +simply a want of good sense on my part. But it suited me very well, and +I should like to know what objections he had against a sea life. + +"Why, sir, supposing you are in a gale and a fire breaks out on board, +what are you going to do? You have no back door to escape through?" + +"Well, we may be able to leave in the boats." + +"But you can't do it in a terrible storm." + +"Well, then, we will do the best we can, and do as sailors often are +compelled to do, trust in Providence. But for my part, I don't see that +we run more risks in a gale at sea than you do in the cities or than we +do now on the rail. What is to prevent us from having a smash-up before +morning?" + +"Well, now, my good sir, I beg of you don't go to sea any more, but just +come out to Iowa and buy a nice farm and settle down ashore. You can buy +a nice farm with all improvements at from three thousand to five +thousand dollars." + +I asked him what was the matter with the other man, that he wanted to +sell his farm and all improvements. I did not get any satisfactory +answer to this, as we had something more serious to attend to. Just at +this time I felt a peculiar motion in the car, like a horse cantering. I +clapped my hand on my friend and said, "Sit still," and in a few moments +I felt my heels grinding on some one - and the next thing was, that we +were landed bottom up down twenty-five feet of embankment, and terrible +shrieks on all sides. + +Three cars were capsized. One in front of us went down on its side, +endways. Ours went a side-somersault, and the next one endways, on its +wheels. En route we had gathered a number of soldiers who had been +drafted and were on their way South. The cars were jammed full. + +The furnace in our car did great damage to some, and altogether about +seventy were more or less hurt. The accident was caused by a rail +breaking, owing to severe frost. + +After this I tried to persuade my friend to go to Iowa, sell his store, +and come to sea with me, where he would be safe from any more tricks of +this sort. He still seemed inclined to hold on to the rail. + + + +A Good Record in Life-Saving. + + + +[From the Shanghai Mercury, April 13, 1887.] + +The steamship "Kiang-yu," Captain Knights, left the Kin-lee-yuen Wharf +for Hankow, at 2 o'clock on the morning of the 1st instant. On account +of the fog prevailing, she anchored at Halfway Point till 6 A. M., when +she got under way and ran as far as Lin-ho Point, where she anchored +again until 11 o'clock. The wind had been fresh from the south, but at +noon it changed in a squall to north, and continued very strong all day. +At 4 P. M., when about 75 miles up the Yangtse, a junk that had been +capsized was seen. A boat was lowered and six men, two women, and two +children were taken off, who were all got safely on board the +"Kiang-yu." A change of clothes was raised for them among the Chinese +passengers, and over thirty dollars were subscribed for the +unfortunates, who were landed at Kiang-yin. Their home was about five +miles lower down the river. They had left there in the morning, and were +capsized in the sudden change of wind. The poor creatures appeared to be +very grateful for their rescue. + +This is not the first time that Captain Knights has been instrumental in +saving life. During the last six years, he has picked up over thirty +people on the Yangtse, and in November, 1858, when second officer of the +tea-clipper "Northfleet," he performed a gallant action in going in +charge of a boat during a cyclone to the rescue of the crew of the brig +"Hebe." This happened about four hundred and fifty miles southwest of +the Scilly Islands, Land's End. The "Northfleet" was bound for +Portsmouth with some four hundred and fifty soldiers and sailors, +invalids from Hongkong, and twenty-four saloon passengers, mostly naval +and military officers. The "Hebe" was laden with grain from Alexandria, +and was in a sinking condition. + +The following testimonial, signed by several of the military and naval +officers on board the "Northfleet," who witnessed the rescue, and by the +captain and mate of the "Hebe," speaks for itself: + +Ship "Northfleet" (at sea), + +November 18th, 1858. + +We take much pleasure in awarding to Mr. Knights, 2nd officer of this +ship, this unsolicited testimonial, expressive of our high sense of the +coolness, judgment and courage he displayed on the morning of November +the 13th, 1858, when, under circumstances of great difficulty and +imminent danger, when in charge of the cutter, with five men, in a gale +of wind and high tumultuous sea running, he was, by the interposition of +Divine Providence, mercifully allowed to be the means of rescuing the +master, mate, and crew (9 in all) of the brig "Hebe," of Southampton, +reported to be in a sinking state. + +J. R. Fittock, Master, R. N. +W. J. Stuart, Lieutenant, R. N. +H. J. Tribe, Captain, R. N. +R. Picken, M. D., R. N. +H. Ward, Captain, R. N. +James Driver, Engineer, R. N. +Geo. A. F. Day, 2nd Master, R. N. +Wm. Donnelly, F. W., R. N. +A. W. Stratton (late Master and Owner of brig "Hebe"). +Chas. Clarke, Mate. + +The first signature to the testimonial is that of Mr. J. B. Fittock, +Master, R. N., father of Mr. Consul Fittock, well known in China. The +following letter on the subject was also written to the London Times by +the master of the "Hebe": - + +Heroism at Sea. + +To the Editor of "The Times." + +Sir: I wish to acknowledge, through the medium of your journal, my +sincere thanks to Captain B. Freeman, of the ship "Northfleet," of +London, for having rescued myself and eight men, the crew of the brig +"Hebe," of Southampton, when in a sinking state, and at the same time +blowing a gale of wind, with a high sea, in latitude 48° 80' N. and +longitude 12° 20' W. At the same time, I cannot pass by the courage +displayed by Mr. Knights, second mate, and five of the crew of the +"Northfleet," in the management of the boat which took us off. Yours +respectfully, + +A. W. Stratton, Master. + +12 Wood Street, Ryde, Isle of Wight, Nov. 30. + +The Board of Trade recognized Captain Knights's gallantry by presenting +him with a telescope (by Troughton & Sons, London) and recording the +fact on his certificate in the following terms: - + +"Certified that a telescope was presented by the British Government to +Arthur E. Knights for gallantry in saving life at sea." + +Recently, Captain Knights received from his old chief, Captain Freeman, +who was master of the "Northfleet" when the rescue of the crew of the +"Hebe" took place, a large oil-painting descriptive of the scene, +accompanied by a letter, from which we take the following extract: + +South Hackney, Feb. 25th, 1887. + +I have sent you (by favour of Mr. W. Howell, the chief officer of the +"Glenroy") the painting that Captain Stratton gave me of the +"Northfleet" rescuing the crew of the brig "Hebe," of Southampton, and I +beg your acceptance of it. I am sure you will like to have it, as you +were the principal actor in the scene - and I have a copy of it done by +the same artist. I well remember (as if it was only yesterday) how +anxious I was during the time you were away on the job, and how my heart +was frequently in my mouth (as the saying goes) when the old ship gave +an extra heavy lurch, and you and the dear old cutter were out of sight +for a few seconds in the trough of the sea; and I often think now what a +wonderful and merciful thing it was that we got that boat up without +accident, - but you see we had so many willing hands on board that they +ran away with her as soon as she was hooked on. + +The painting represents the "Northfleet" in a storm under close-reefed +topsails, fore staysail, and main trysail, and the "Hebe" under +close-reefed topsails, with heavy seas breaking over her, her boats and +house washed away, her stern-post (struck by a heavy sea) started, and +the brig in a sinking condition. The cutter, manned by a crew of five, +with Captain Knights in charge, and with the rescued crew of the "Hebe" +in her, appears under the stern of the "Northfleet," one man of the +"Hebe's" crew being hoisted on board by a bowline running from the +spanker-boom. The whole of the "Hebe's" crew were got on board the +"Northfleet" in the same way, - the cutter, containing Captain Knights +and the crew from the "Northfleet" being then hooked on and run up +without accident. + +It may be mentioned that the "Northfleet" was the ill-fated vessel which +some years afterwards was run down, while at anchor under Dungeness, by +the Spanish steamer "Murillo," when over three hundred lives were lost. + + + +Presentation of a Telescope by the British Government. + + + +In the early part of the year 1859 I received a letter from the Board of +Trade, notifying me that the British Government had been pleased to +award me a telescope in acknowledgment of my service in rescuing the +master and crew of the brig "Hebe," and requesting me to write a +statement, of what took place before and after the rescue, and hand it +to the President of the Local Marine Board, on a day named, and to be +then presented with a telescope. + +I appeared at the place and time appointed, and the President rose from +his seat and read my statement to the gentlemen of the Board. He then +asked me if I had rendered any previous service to British or foreign +subjects in distress; if so, had I received any reward or remuneration +for the same. If not, then the Board would make application and obtain +whatever might be due for such service. Or, did I wish for any further +reward for the present service from any Society in Great Britain, +application should be made. + +I replied that I had not rendered any previous service to any others in +distress, and that what I had done on this occasion was voluntary and +spontaneous, without thought of reward. I considered it only as a duty +to my fellow-man; and since the Government had been pleased to +acknowledge the service, I was truly grateful. I was then complimented +by the gentlemen of the Board, and was presented with the telescope. The +inscription on it is my greatest pride to this day, as is also the +honorary testimonial, stamped on my Government certificate of competency +by the recommendation of the Local Marine Board. + +To the President and Gentleman of the Local Marine Board, London. + +In latitude 48° 30' N., longitude 12° 20' E., on the morning of the 13th +of November, 1858, at 7 A. M., it being then just break of day, I saw +the brig "Hebe" about three miles on our lee-bow, having the signal of +distress flying. I immediately reported it to Captain Freeman, who came +on deck and gave orders to bear down upon her and see what was wanted. +When near enough we hove to and hailed the brig, asking what they were +in want of, and they answered, saying "For God's sake, send us a boat, +as we are sinking." Captain Freeman then asked if they wanted to abandon +their vessel, and they repeated their supplications, every one on board +appearing to be in the greatest mental distress, making signs that their +vessel was going down. The men were working vigorously at the pumps at +imminent risk of being washed overboard, as the sea was breaking +completely over them. + +It was now 8 o'clock, and Captain Freeman gave orders for all hands to +remain on deck and to clear away the cutter. I then got into the boat +and asked who would go with me, when I got several volunteers, out of +whom I took five, - viz., Burland, Hill, Hendrickson, Hansen, and +Cummins. The boat was lowered very successfully, when we got clear of +the ship. The brig was about a quarter of a mile astern. Heading for the +ship, I pulled alongside and told them to give me a good line over their +quarter, long enough to veer and haul upon. I told the captain of the +brig to get his log-book and chronometer, with a few of his own personal +effects, but I would not take either bed or bag belonging to any one. I +then told them to stand by and to jump in their turns, one by one, as I +should direct. We then hauled the boat up with her bow alongside the +brig's quarter, taking care lest the stem of the boat should get knocked +out, getting one of them off at a time, dropping clear while the heavy +seas passed, then hauling up again. In this manner we succeeded in +getting them off, nine in all, in about forty minutes, making them lie +in the bottom of the boat as ballast till it was covered. We then pulled +to the ship. When we reached her, they had a block at the +spanker-boom-end, with a single line rove and bowline, into which the +men got and were hoisted one by one on deck. After they were all up, I +sent one of the boat's crew up, and then went alongside and hooked on +the boat, which was quickly run up. There was no other mishap than the +breaking of an oar in coming alongside. We had on board about three +hundred invalid soldiers and sailors from the Canton war at this time. + +I have the honor to be your obedient servant, + +A. E. Knights. + + + +Inscription on Telescope. + +Presented by the British Government + +To + +Mr. Arthur Knights +Second Officer of the "Northfleet" +In Acknowledgment of +His Gallant Conduct +In Rescuing the Master and Crew +Of the "Hebe" +In November, 1858. + + + +The Ship "Bombay." + + + +(November, 1858.) + + + +At the time that the ship "Northfleet" was rescuing the crew of the brig +"Hebe," the ship "Bombay," belonging to the same owner, - Mr. Duncan +Dunbar, - was on the side of the same storm, at about one hundred miles +distance, and had the wind from just the opposite direction, but with +much greater force, and came near being lost. + +The "Bombay" had embarked some troops in Portsmouth for the Indian +Mutiny, and was ordered to proceed to Queenstown in Ireland to take on +board some two hundred more soldiers. + +When the vessel got near the entrance of the harbour it was nightfall, +and, the wind being unfavourable, when the pilot got on board, he +recommended the captain to make everything easy for the night and enter +the harbour next morning, when he expected the wind to be fair. But +during the night the wind increased and became a violent northeast gale, +and the vessel was blown out of the Irish Channel into the Atlantic +Ocean. For some days the wind blew with hurricane force. The ship lost +some sails, and was at last carrying only a close-reefed main topsail +and fore staysail. The sea was mountainous and lashing the ship from all +directions. Then late in the day, to the dismay of all on board, the lee +main topsail-sheet gave way, and the sail was flapping like thunder and +lashing the mast and rigging most furiously. The ship, now having +nothing to steady her, was helplessly rolling in the trough of the sea, +at the mercy of the waves, which threatened to engulf her, as they were +breaking on board from every direction. The deck-houses were washed away +and the decks were filled with water, which began to find an entrance to +the 'tween-decks, where the poor soldiers were battened down. In this +plight it was necessary to get the remnant of the topsail secure, and if +possible get a new sail in its place, so as to steady the ship. The +second officer was ordered to get the sailors and do this, but he soon +reported that the sailors, many of whom were foreigners, would not go +aloft. The chief officer then went forward and called for men, and asked +if there were any British sailors among them. If there were, for God's +sake, to go aloft with him. He led, the way, followed by seventeen +British sailors. They had nearly completed the work of securing the sail +when the ship gave a tremendous roll on the top of a very heavy wave and +the mast went by the board, carrying with it the chief mate and his +seventeen followers, and not a soul could be saved. Oh, to think of the +horrors of that dark and fearful night! + +Now came the trial for Captain John Flamanek and the remaining portion +of his crew. The broken mast and yards, still held by the broken +rigging, was lashing against the ship, threatening to break in her side +and send all to the bottom. It was necessary to cut away this wreckage +as soon as possible so as to free the ship, but before this could be +accomplished daylight had set in. Then the captain asked the officer +commanding the soldiers to let some of his men give assistance. This he +refused to do, and made complaint that his men's food was not being +prepared for them as it should be. The men cried shame of their +commander, and volunteered to do whatever they could to assist the +captain.[*] The weather moderated, and some sails were set on the +vessel, which finally unassisted reached Falmouth. Two steam men-of-war +had been sent in search of her, but missed her. + + + +[*] For his dastardly conduct the military commanding officer was later +dismissed from the army, and was never allowed to enter Her Majesty's +service again. + + + +Is There a Fatality Attaching to Men or Inanimate Things? + + + +In another part of this book I have mentioned the ship "Northfleet." In +regard to that vessel the above question might almost be answered in the +affirmative. The vessel was launched at the place from which she took +her name in 1852. She made her first voyage to New Zealand, thence to +China, and from there to San Francisco, and back to China and London. +Then she went trooping for the Crimean War; then for some years ran +between London and China carrying tea, for which she was originally +built. + +This ship never made a voyage without some one being drowned from her, +and finally she was run into and sunk by a steamer, which was afterwards +proved to be the Spanish vessel "Murillo." By this collision upwards of +three hundred people were drowned. The "Northfleet" was carrying railway +workmen to New Zealand, and when coming down the English Channel the +weather was stormy and the pilot recommended the captain to anchor under +a point called Dungeness. This was done, and the night came on very +dark. At some time after midnight a steamer came in under the Point, +apparently for the purpose of anchoring, as was afterwards reported by +the crew of the tugboat which was at anchor. They saw the steamer moving +about for some time. Then a crash was heard, followed by most +heartrending cries. The steamer went out to sea, and did not heed the +signal rockets which were sent up by the "Northfleet." The little +tugboat had only four men and a small boat, which was at once launched, +and the mate and the engineer, with one sailor, went to the rescue. When +they arrived all that could be found was the captain's wife and an +ordinary seaman. All the others had perished, through the dastardly act +of the Spaniard in running away. + +Captain Knowles of the "Northfleet" was newly married to a very +beautiful lady, who was later on by command presented to Queen Victoria, +who, after hearing her story, condoled with her, and later gave her a +pension of fifty pounds a year as long as she remained a widow. + +Some three years after this the widow was again married, to Captain +Cawes, of the ship "Coriolanus." This ship came to Hankow to load tea +and I had the pleasure to meet Mrs. Cawes, who had been saved from my +old ship in which I had served for years. + +The steamer that run down the "Northfleet" was twice arrested, but +nothing definite could be proved until some two years later, when one of +her officers was near dying, and he confessed that it was the steamer +"Murillo," which was later proved to be true, and the vessel was +confiscated. + + + +Chinese Politeness. + + + +Whilst running to Hankow with the steamer "Neimen" I had as sailors +Malays. The firemen were seedy boys, or Nubians. The steward was a Goa +Portuguese. The servants were Chinese, and the cook a Chinese who +claimed to be an American, he having been trained by Captain John +Parrott, of San Francisco, "a number one American man," who had taught +him to swear quite neatly. + +Well, on Christmas Day, 1862, we had a very hard gale and snowstorm, and +early in the evening we had to anchor. Then we sat down to dinner, which +we hoped to enjoy. There were several passengers on board, and when the +soup was served and tasted each looked at the other, and I looked at the +steward and asked him what kind of soup it was. He said it was plain +soup. I asked why some meat had not been used in its making, and he +replied that the cook must have eaten the meat, as he was given plenty. + +The cook was sent for, and when he was confronted with the steward he +began to use the refined language taught him by Captain Parrott. I +ordered the steward to put all the soup back into the tureen. Then I +invited the cook to take a seat at the table and consume the soup, which +he did. When he had taken it he rose and, bowing most politely, tucked +the tureen under his arm like an admiral with his cocked hat, and said, +"Excusey, my sir; all hab finishee," and backed out of the saloon most +politely. + + + +A Brazilian Slaver. + + + +In the year 1851 I was on a voyage to Melbourne, Australia, on the +sailing ship "Severn." This was shortly after the opening of the gold +mines. We left Southampton with about one hundred passengers, and had a +very fine run with fair weather. There was no incident to mar the +enjoyment of the trip until we neared the coast of Brazil, when one +morning we saw a smart-looking brig hove to, waiting for us to come up, +and when we came near our passengers became very much excited, as we +could see there was an unusual number of men on her deck; the idea was +that it was a pirate vessel. + +When we came very near to her, a boat was put off from her, and an +officer brought a letter from her captain asking for provisions and +water, saying that the vessel was bound for the port of Santos, and had +been blown off the coast in a pampero. Neither the officer nor the +boat's crew could or would speak English. They could only ask in Spanish +for "tabac." Some of our sailors protested that they were either British +or - Americans. Well, they were supplied with salt beef and pork, canned +meats, water, etc. Several trips were made by the boat, and when all was +finished, and the boat was at some distance from us, these marauders +stood up and gave us three rousing cheers in good plain English, and +called out "Good-bye boys, and good luck to you for feeding the +blackbirds." The brig was full of slaves. + +This "slave" business was then near its end in Brazil, and, probably +this vessel had been chased off the coast by a British war-vessel, as +every possible effort was being made by the British Government to +suppress the slave trade. + + + +Mary Ann Gander. + +On this voyage we had a Mr. and Mrs. Gander and their eight children. +Poor Mrs. Gander used to suffer terribly from seasickness, and was +totally unfitted to do anything but scold, whilst poor unfortunate +Gander used to promenade the deck with a child on each arm and a couple +of others tagging on to his coat-tails. He was a wonderfully +good-natured fellow, was Gander; otherwise I do believe he would have +jumped overboard, for whenever he came near to where Mrs. Gander was, +she used to call to him to go to the captain and tell him to put her on +shore immediately; she would not go any further in that ship, - no, that +she wouldn't. "Now, Mary Ann, what's the use your talking that way; you +know that we are a thousand miles from any land and the captain cannot +put you on shore." "Now, Gander, don't you talk to me. How dare you? You +just go to the captain at once. Oh! you catch me going to sea again. No, +that you won't. When I go home I'll go overland, if I have to walk every +step of the way." Poor Gander! Mary Ann and the children all survived +the trials of the voyage and arrived safe in Melbourne, where Gander was +very fortunate, and in three years made sufficient money to enable him +to retire, and as the English Mail Steamer Company, or the P. & O. +Company had put on a line from Ceylon to Australia in 1852, the Gander +family were enabled to go home by the overland route, as Mrs. Gander had +wished to go. + + + +Hard Times. + + + +In June, 1854, I left Melbourne on the barque "Junior," bound to Callao, +in Peru. We had a fine voyage, and on arrival, being free, I went to +Lima, the capital. I found this was a very interesting old city, with +beautiful surrounding country, which I enjoyed very much, and spent +nearly a month there. Then I had a week in Callao, which was a pretty +wild place. I used to sail around the bay, and in sailing near the shore +I could look down, at the bottom of the sea, on the houses of old +Callao, which was swallowed by an earthquake in the latter part of the +last century. And, strange to say, when the town disappeared an island +came up out in the bay. This island is very high and is called "San +Lorenzo," after a lone fisherman who had been out in his boat fishing on +the night when the earthquake took place, and in the morning poor old +Lorenzo found himself in a boat about a thousand feet up on a mountain +and no town in sight. + +Well, I joined the barque "Tropic," loaded with guano, bound for Cork, +in Ireland. This vessel was a very rotten old thing, and in getting +round Cape Horn we all had a very hard time, and did not know how soon +the vessel would sink with us; but we got round the Cape and into the +South Atlantic, where we had better weather and proceeded pretty well +till in the North Atlantic, when provisions began to get short. When we +were off the Azores, watching the beautiful shores and harbours of St. +Michael, we came near a Dutch brig from Brazil loaded with coffee. The +captain hailed us and asked us for some biscuits. A boat was sent to us +bringing us a half-bag of coffee. We had less than a hundred pounds of +biscuits. Our captain consulted with us about giving any of it away. It +was finally agreed that we would divide with the brig. This was done, +and we had to be very careful with so little bread among twelve people. +We had plenty of salt beef and pork, and a half-barrel of flour, but no +beans or peas or sugar. + +We had a fair run till we saw Cape Clear, at the south end of Ireland, +on the 30th of January, 1855. We all were in high hopes that a few hours +more would see us at anchor in Queenstown; but that night came on an +easterly gale, and we were driven out into the Atlantic, where for weeks +we were buffeted about, and to our dismay our last fresh-water cask we +found had leaked and was empty. We were surrounded with many other +vessels in the same plight - short of provisions. We had plenty of snow, +with which we could make coffee, but were reduced to salt meat only, +which is pretty hard fare. The hardest part was, that the captain had +his wife and two children on board, and for the youngest child a goat +had been provided to supply milk. This became a scarce article as there +was no food for the goat. So every day the carpenter used to plane up a +piece of wood to make shavings for the goat to eat. It got along as well +or better than any of us. + +Finally, on the 10th of March, in the morning early, we had reached near +to the Old Head of Kinsale, and near to Cork, when we saw a boat pulling +off to us. This proved to be a pilot-boat. The pilot got on board, and +told us that ours was the first vessel that could be boarded in six +weeks, the weather having been so bad, and that only a few days before +the mail-carrier between Clonakilty and Cork had been frozen to death on +his journey. The pilot brought us a few potatoes, which gave us one each +and two for the captain's wife, and the next morning we got safely into +Queenstown, where we were able to get a good supply of milk, bread, +butter, and eggs, of which we all made pretty free use, and with a few +days' rest we forgot all our late cares, as sailors usually do. + +After being in port a few days we all left the "Tropic," and I spent a +couple of weeks in seeing Cork and the beautiful country where the +people are so genial and hospitable. After seeing all I wanted to see, I +took steamer from Cork for Bristol, spent one day there, and then left +by train for London. The train left in the evening, and here a rather +amusing incident occurred. I had taken a second-class ticket, and after +taking my seat, it being cold weather, I prepared to make myself +comfortable for the night. In my valise I had a rough sealskin or +Esquimau jacket with a hood to it. I put this on and was nice and warm, +sitting in the corner of the carriage. Shortly afterwards a man in +livery came in and sat in the corner opposite to me. Then came an old +lady and her husband, an Irish army officer returning to India. The old +lady was helped in by the gentleman, but as soon as she saw me she cried +out, "O Lord!" and fell back. Then the old gentleman boosted her in +again, saying, "Go in, you old stupid!" and after the second attempt she +gave it up, saying she wouldn't travel in a menagerie. She had taken me +for a bear, and the man in livery for my keeper. The old gentleman got +in, and she remained on the platform until I assured her that there was +no danger. Then she came in very reluctantly and sat as far away as +possible until we reached Bath, where the man in livery alighted. After +that the old lady, her husband, and I became good friends for the +remainder of the journey. + + + +Memory For Voices. + + + +After the bear incident I spent some time in London, then joined the +emigrant ship "Oriental," bound to Adelaide, South Australia. I was +third officer. We took on board about one hundred families of +excellently selected farm labourers, shepherds, and ploughmen, and after +having made a good voyage arrived safely in Adelaide. The Immigration +Commissioners came on board and inspected the passengers. The result was +most satisfactory. There was no complaint of ill-treatment or deficiency +in supplies, and in less than thirty-six hours every family was engaged +and sent into the country. And the Commissioners awarded to our doctor +fifty pounds sterling, the chief officer fifty pounds for his +supervision, and myself fifty pounds for the supervision of the +commissariat department. + +After a short stay in Adelaide, we sailed for Madras, in India, and +after a good voyage we arrived and anchored in the evening when it was +quite dark. There was quite a number of native business men came off in +catamarans and "mussulah," or surf-boats. Among the number was one +noble-looking man, who stepped up near to our captain and, addressing +him, said, "How do you do, Captain Mackintosh?" + +"How do you know my name is Mackintosh?" + +"By your voice, sahib. When you were here in the 'Lady Mary Harrison,' +eighteen years ago, I was your dubash." + +This was quite correct. This man recognized the captain's voice after +all these years. + +In 1879 I had a similar experience in my own case. I was travelling in +Scotland, and in Edinburgh I met some friends and inquired for an old +lady whom I had known as a child. I found that she was living at a place +called Aberladye, on the seacoast. I decided to go to see her, and was +directed to take the train to Dreme Station, and there I should find a +conveyance to take me to Aberladye. When I arrived the conveyance was +filled with local travellers and I started to walk three and a half +miles to my friend. After I had gone about half a mile I passed by a +magnificent entrance to a fine estate. Soon after this I heard a +carriage coming, and when it caught up to me the gentleman who was +driving in the dog-cart pulled up and asked if I was going to Aberladye +and invited me to take a lift. I thanked him and mounted beside him. He +asked where I wanted to go. I told him to Rose Cottage, when we entered +into general conversation. He learned that I was from China, so we had +quite a pleasant time, and, arriving opposite to Rose Cottage, he pulled +up and graciously pointed to the house, bade me good-bye, and hoped we +might meet again. + +I went up to the door and rang the bell, and the old lady herself +answered it all in a flutter, as she had seen me set down from the trap, +which was driven by Lord Rosebery himself. Well, I asked if Mrs. +McKippen lived there. She replied, "Yes; I am she." I said, "Perhaps +you don't remember me?" She said, "No; but I know your voice." I told +her that I was Arthur Knights. "Aye, laddie," she cried, "I heard that +you was drowned at sea twenty-five years ago." Well, I need hardly say +that I was welcome to her and her husband, who was a retired business +man. Poor old gentleman, he cried as a child when she told him of my +taking the trouble to come and see her, and how when I was a small boy +at a juvenile party I was sore distressed by my dancing slippers being +too big and that they kept slipping off. Then she came to the rescue and +took me to one side and stitched them to the heel of my stocking to +enable me to have a good time. + +I spent a couple of days with my friends and then went on my way, and I +have often wondered whether that lady could possibly have connected my +manhood voice with that of my childhood. + + + +An Incident of the Great Taiping Rebellion. + + + +In the latter part of 1862 I left Shanghai on my usual voyage to Hankow. +This port is six hundred miles up the Yangtse River. After we had got +about sixty miles up the river, which is here about ten miles wide, our +attention was drawn to a number of human bodies floating down the river, +most of them mutilated. This lasted about thirty hours. As we steamed +along near the shore, the farmers, with their families, were for miles +gathered here and there, gesticulating, prostrating themselves, and +praying for us to take them on board. The poor creatures were between +the Imperialist soldiers and the rebels, or Taipings. Both of these +parties were ravaging, devastating, and destroying all before them, and +the poor peasants had a very hard time. We could not help these poor +creatures, and had to pass on our way. + +On the third day we passed a city called Taiping Foo, "foo" meaning +"city" in Chinese. We afterwards learned that for some months the +inhabitants of the city had withstood a siege from both belligerents, +and one day the Imperialist general conferred with the Taotai, or mayor, +and said that it was well known that the inhabitants had been very good +and had not favored the rebels, and now if they would open their gates +to the Imperial soldiers, he would promise them kind treatment; and the +people were weak enough to believe him and opened the city gates, and in +a few hours nearly the whole population was butchered and thrown into +the river, and those were they whom we had seen floating in clusters a +few days before. + + + +Conclusion. + + + +In the course of my journey through life I have been in many strange +places, and have met many strange people. I have seen many strange +sights - some grave, some gay. For many years I was on +passenger-carrying ships, and have carried many travellers, amongst whom +some strong and enduring attachments have been made. + +Although I have been in some bad places, and met some "hard characters," +yet was I never molested in any country in which I have been. I have +seen some misfortunes, but was never depressed by them. I could always +see around me others who stood in need of help. I have spent a long life +in foreign lands, and happily I can now look back upon the past and say +that I have found much good in all the lands which Almighty God has +permitted me to visit. + +My motto has always been, Never despair; persevere, and never give up +hope. + +And now with the most happy memories of the past I can look back without +a moment's regret and ask God to bless all those who have been good to +me. And who has not been good? +
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