Captain Voss and the Tilikum

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 7544, 18 May 1903, Page 5

Captain Voss and the Tilikum

So much has already been said and written about the wonderful feat accomplished by Captain. Voss in voyaging from Canada to^ this colony in a four-ton yacht, consisting almost entirely of an old Indian canoe, that it would be surplusage for us to enter into detail in regard to the entertainments given at the Theatre Royal on Saturday afternoon and evening, but a reference to the principal features would bo only to give a place in. our records to one of the 'most remarkable events in the history of the world. The terrible inclement weather militated considerably against the attendance, although there were a considerable number present at the exhibition, and. they listened to every word which was said with an absorption that spoke plainly as to the interesting nature of the proceedings. Before the lecture, or chatty talk, commenced an inspection by the audience was made of the little vessel and general surprise was expressed at the pluck and ingenuity of those who trusted their lives to such a tiny vessel and reduced their requirements to such a minimum as was necessary under the circumstances. At' the same time the little vessel seems much more serviceable than could be imagined, and there is a great deal to enable one to understand why Captain Voss possesses such unlimited confidence in the seagoing capabilities of his little craft. The subsequent proceedings were opened by Mr W. A. Donald, who is here in the capacity of manager, j and who introduced the speakers of- | the evening in a short address, in which he dealt in characteristic terms with the adventure of the two heroes of the evening. The first speaker was, naturally, the captain of the Tiiikiun. He is a little below the medium height, fair, as becomes the descendant of a Norseman, thickset, with a pleasant determined face, which spoke plainly of reserved power, determination, goodhumour and resourcefulness. Although he only took up the idea of speaking in public since he reached Wellington the other day, he is very interesting to listen to. He tells his "plain, unvarnished tale" in such a simple, natural way, taking you into "his confidence, as it were, as he goes on, and revealing his thoughts and impressions as a matter of course, that before you are aware of it you find yourself following his recital with breathless interest, drinking in his ideas with avidity, laughing- at his touches of humour so delicately told, and awaiting with something akin to terror the end of his stories of adventures naturally met with in such a remarkable cruise. His tribute to the kindness of the South Soa Islanders came as a timely vindication of a race of people who have been considerably maligned, and his sincere admiration for New Zealand was naturally received with applause. It would be ridiculous for us to attempt to repeat the account Captain Voss gave of his marvellous voyage, but we can sincerely say that in many ways it is an education to have heard him tell the tale himself. Mr 11. E. Buckeridge, who has crowded a life of adventure into the few years which have passed over his head, and who, after gaining a medal and six clasps in South Africa, was one of the crew of the Antarctic exploring ship Discovery, and in that capacity took part in some of the wonderful sledge journeys accomplished recently, proved only second in interest to the captain himself. To hoar a young man tell about the remarkable experiences of frost and ice and snow just gone through in the southern regions was very interesting, while his graphic explanations of many points in doubt in regard to the expedition were very acceptable. He succeeded in rivetting the attention of his audience throughout, while some of his criticisms on the manner in which details were neglected in connection with the expedition on the part of those entrusted with the work opened up a world of thought. For instance. specially made for mittens, helmets, boots and.sleeping bags were provided under the direction of the second oflicer in charge, who was selected because of his Arctic experience— lie must have been sleeping most of the time, suggested Mr Buckeridge. But in every case they wore too small for use—"only big enough for a half-sized man," suggested Mr Buckeridge. And the crew had to supply the deficiency after they had reached the Antarctic regions. The adventures of the sledging parties in crossing crevasses with a sheer fall of thousands of feet, in sliding down glaciers—in one case at the rate of a mile in linin. lOsec. —and in fighting their way back to the vessel through ice and snow, were told in simple language, while the gloriously beautiful sights to be seen such long distances in the rarilied air, and the incidents and humours of the long night on board, were described with a graphic force which showed that the narrator had kept his eyes open and his brain active under rather discouraging circumstances. To-night the Tilikum will be again on view, while Captain Voss is going to speak on the question of the seven millions of treasure which lie buried in the Costa Itican island of Cocos since IS2B. The captain has been on one expedition to the island, but as the vessel was wrecked in the attempt, no proper search could be made, and if he lives to complete his present adventurous voyage, he intends to make another try for the spoil, and everyone who admires pluck and determination will wish that he may succeed. "We hardly like to advise our readers to go and see the exhibition, for it surely is selfevident to everyone who takes an interest in his fellow-beings that such an opportunity ought not to be missed, but the very fact alone that a Britisher is trying to beat the record for ocean-voyaging possessed by an American, should be sufficient inducement to persuade people to go to see what kind of man he is, and if they do go, we will guarantee that they will not come away disappointed.