ACROSS THE ATLANTIC IN A TWENTY-FEET BOAT.

Dunstan Times, Issue 761, 17 November 1876, Page 3

ACROSS THE ATLANTIC IN A TWENTY-FEET BOAT.

The boat Centennial arrived at Liverpool on Monday morning, after a voyage across the Atlantic. She was sailed by a man named Alfred Johnson, a Dane, and left Gloucester, Massachusetts, on the 13th of June. Johnsert is in good health, bht suffers from want of Sleep, and his legs are stiff and weak owing t6 'the confinement of tho voyage. He is a smart, intelligent man of about 33. On arriving at new Brighton he was cheered ‘by fhh passengers on a ferryboat. He did not land at the landing stage, where a number of people bad assembled to meet him, but sailed up the river, and was ultimately met by the proprietors of the Rock Ferry Hotel, with whom he arranged to exhibit his boat in the grounds. The Centennial is a boat of that kind known in America as a dory. She is 20 feet long, partially flat bottomed, and has a centre board. She is deckel Over, is built in three Watertight compartments, and was supplied with provisions for DO days. She was bliilt expressly for the trip, and is of pine, extra timbered with oak. She carries one mast, and can set a mainsail, two jibs, find a squaresail. Johnson left Gloucester on the 13th of June, the people cheering him hea'rtily as he sailed away. The weather was fide at first, but it afterwards changed to fogs and head winds, which lasted until the 22nd, when She put into Shake harbour, her compaS being affected by his iron ballist. He started again on the 25th, and had a fine passage and fair winds imtil the 7th of July. When in latitude 41 deg. 50 min. N., longitude 54 deg. W., a heavy gale from the south-west sprang up, during which the boat shipped a heavy sea, which started the combing of the hatchway and the water got in and spoiled sonic of the provisions. At this time he spoke a barque bound from Mexico to Liverpool, and the captain invited Johnsen to go on feoard, saying he would drop him off Cape Clear, and not mention anything about it, hut Johnsen declined. The gaie passed away, and he had fine weather until the 16th of July, when a strong breeze came from tho south-west, and he made a good run until 'the 2nd of August, on which day, being then 300 miles from Cape Clear, he spoke the brig Maggie Lauder from New York to Swansea. After running for a couple of hours with the brig, which shortened sail to keep company with him, Johnsen hove his boat to, in order to ride out the gale, which had greatly increased. He unshipped the mast for this purpose. About half an hour after being hove to the boat got broadside on to a heavy sea and capsized • hut Johnsen got on the bottom and remained there for about twenty minutes, when another sea struck her, and he succeeded in righting her. This was about four o’clock in the afternoon. Just after getting into the boat again he saw a shark alongside, and its fins struck against the bottom of tho boat. He fastened a knife to an oar and cut at the shark, which then went away. The boat was half full of water, hut he pumped it out and weathered the gale, which lasted till next clay. Everything was wetted, and he lost his kerosene stove and his square sail by the upset. The weather continued rainy and foggy for four days, during which rime he could not dry anything. On Monday the 7th August, about 100 miles off Cape Clear, he spoke the brig Alfredon, front Liverpool to Baltimore, and got some bread and water, his own bread having been damaged by the salt water. Next day he got soundings to the south of Cape Clear, but it was foggy an 1 he could not see land. On the 9th he spoke tho ship Lombardo, which gave him the bearings of Wexford Head as 50 miles east by north. On tho 10th he sighted Milford, but the wind became contrary and he put into Abercastle. He sailed again on the 12th, and reached Holyhead last Friday, and Liverpool on Monday morning. Johnsen estimates that his average run during the voyage was 70 miles a day. Ho was provided with medicines before starting, and by taking them he maintained good health. When asked on Monday it he would care to repeat the voyage, Johnson replied that he “had had quite enough of it.”