SHIPMASTER’S MEMORIES

Evening Star, Issue 18021, 15 July 1922, Page 2

SHIPMASTER’S MEMORIES

SHARK HUNTING AND WHALING. MAKOONED OH FLORIDA BEEFS. Some additional experiences of his adventurous life in many quarters of tho world were related) to a ‘Star’ reporter yesterday by Captain Christopher H. Welch, of Carey’s Bay. Captain Welch is ninety-three years of ago, and has sailed vessels of many rigs in every part of the world. Some taste of the quality of his experiences was given in these columns in May, SHARK-HUNTING-“I have been on shark-hunting, whaling, and other expeditions in ray time,” continued tho captain. “ When quite a young man I was trading across the Atlantic. I went ashore at a place called Mobile, on the American coast, and, scenting further adventure, went to New York. I bad in mind a shark-hunting expedition, and after arranging with a merchant to purchase the oil which I expected to collect, X bought a whaling cutter of about ten tons register, engaged another young man as my partner, and set sail for the Florida Reefs. Wo carried sufficient provisions to last several weeks, and also the staves of eight barrels and the necessary tools with which to put these together after reaching our destination. The place was swarming with sharks, mostly of the shovel nose and tiger species. We ran out a light endless chain between two reefs, whore tho sharks passed through in shoals. Large hooks with tempting _ baits_ were fastened Bft apart on the chain. When a shark was hooked one would slit it up with a knife, and) take out thc_ liver. These were thrown into the trying-out pot, and after tho carcases were cast free tho hooks were rebaited for the next fellow. We filled the eight barrels, each ■containing forty-two gallons, in four or five weeks. We then had to decide who was going to take the cargo back to Mobile, and who was going to remain on tho reefs. We tossed up > coir, and it fell to my partner to make die trip.” Captain Welch paused for a minute or two, and then resumed. “My partner,’’ ho said, “ served me a dirty trick. Ho reached Mobile, sold the cargo for one dollar and live cents ,1 gallon, abandoned the boat, and disappeared. I was left on the reefs for five weeks, expecting to see him return every day, and was then rescued by a revenue schooner called the Harriet Lane. This ship landed me at Mobile, and there I saw my boat lying on the beach. I never heard of that partner again.” FIRST P. AND 0. STEAMER. After a few puffs at his favorite pipo Captain Welch mentioned an incident which occurred away back in the year 1845- , T “ Did I tell you,” ho sard, “ that I saw the first steamer'owned by tho P. and 0. Company?” . . Tho reporter replied that the captain had not mentioned it during his previous visit. . . “It was at the time Britain was taking Aden from the Arabs. 1 was serving as an apprentice on a full-rigged ship named the George Dalton. We boarded a cargo of coal at Newport (Wales), and sailed for Aden. The Sues Canal was not thought of then, and wo made the passage round tho Capo of Good Hope. The coal was for tlie P. and 0. steamier Lord'George Bentick. She was an unwieldy looking craft, her huge paddle boxes towering high above her deck. When ve reached Aden the Lord George Bentick was waiting for us, and two British warships (a .brig’ and a frigate) were guarding • the place, while the British, troops were fortifying it. That first P. and 0. steamer was a peculiar-looking craft.” AN EXPEDITION THAT FAILED. Captain Welch next briefly told of an incident which is still clear in his memory owing to the hardships which he and those associated with him had to undergo in a battle against storm in a small craft or about eighty tons iu southern latitudes. “ It would be about thirty-eight years aim, I think,” said Captain \Wch, “°whcn I attempted to cany an expedition organised by Dr Monckton to the Auckland Islands. The boat was lar too small for . tho undertaking. Those on board consisted of the doctor, his brother-in-law, and a man and his wife, ue also carried a number of cattle in tho hold, and it was the doctor’s intention to establish a homestead on the Auckland Islands, and place the man and his wilo in charge. The ship, which was known as the ° Mabel Jane, duly sailed from Riverton; hut we never reached tho islands. Tho vessel encountered gale after gale, and we were forced to return. After camping on the beach for a day or two, wo again eet sail, but were forced to make for Stewart Island, where wo anchored in one of the harbors and landed the cattle while we refitted. On tho third attempt to reach the islands the ship was blown hundreds of miles to tho eastward, and when we eventually returned to Riverton we were almost starving. We were very lucky,” concluded the captain, “to come out of that ordeal alive.” A WHALING EXPEDITION. .Still seeking adventure, Captain Welch iu later years went on a whaling expedition in New Zealand watere. He joined a vessel at Port Chalmers and sailed to the Chatham Islands, where ninety ban-els of oil were secured from six whales. From tho Chathams tho ship sailed to the Kcrmadeo Islands, where the crew secured a number of whales, and completed tho cargo with what the captain termed “black oil.” “We had as many as three whales alongside the ship at one time,” said the captain, “and wo arrived back at Port Chalmers in less than twelve months from the day we sailed.” ■ THE GREAT EASTERN. The captain remembers well the famous steamer Groat Eastern, tho then Atlantic greyhound. “She was what you may call a picture in those days,” said the captain, “and I thought sire was a. beautiful craft. I was in New York when she arrived there on her second voyage across tho Atlantic. Before commencing tho return trip to England the ship was sent on an excursion, from New York to Delaware, and, being a young man and anxious to experience the thrill of walking the deck of a ideam boat, I paid my lOdol for a ticket and made the trip. There were about 2CO people on board, and it was a delightful trip.