JOHANSEN’S PLUCK.

Evening Star, Issue 15187, 19 May 1913, Page 1

JOHANSEN’S PLUCK.

BRINGS SHIP TO PORT. William Johansen went to sleep on the night of April 29 practically an unknown Norwegian fisherman; before the next day had closed he was master of a 1,300-ton barque; in seven days’ time ho was a hero. His feat is a remarkable one. He was picked up by a boat’s crew from the Norwegian barque Victor, and asked to navigate that craft to Fremantle, as .everyone on board was ignorant of navigation. Johansen knew that he would come in contact with some scourge of the deep sea. The captain, chief mate, and a seaman had died from some mysterious ailment, and other seamen were dying in their bunks. He must have been fully aware that with a decimated crew and bad weather looming up he stood a good chance of meeting disaster. Yet he blithely clambered aboard per manrope and assumed command. And he,, but an ordinary blue-sea fisherman, brought that craft safely to port in seven days. His pluck and enterprise has excited the admiration of everyone, and it is evident that he is due for a big reward as a salvor. Discussing the salvage of the barque, the chief harbor master at Fremantle, Captain Irvine, that the amount of salvage payable in respect to the piloting of a vessel was a question which would be settled either by agreement between, the owners of the vessel and the fisherman interested or by arbitration before the Judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court. He added that Joh&nsen’s action in boarding the ship after being told that several of the crew had died and that others were dying in their bunks was certainly to be commended. There was no doubt that his bringing her safely to Fremantle in such circumstances was deserving of a very substantial reward. —Sydney ‘ Sun.’