Notes by the Way in A Sailors Life | Page 3

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,