Foundering of the Pericles.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIV, Issue 15, 13 April 1910, Page 2

Foundering of the Pericles.

Captain Simpson’s Remarkable Record. —Eighty Times Round the World.

ALEXANDER SIMPSON, I / of the Aberdeen liner Pericles, which struck a sunken rock in mid ocean south of Cape Leeuwin and foundered in deep water recently, has had a somewhat remarkable career. “Round the world in eightly days,” or eighty times round the world—which is the more surprising record? Jules Verne’s well-known romance has made us familiar with the former adventure. Now Captain Simpson only lately performed the latter feat. He has travelled no less than 2,060,800 miles at sea, a record probably unique in the annals of tho mercantile marine.

that the United States Government are about to bring out a new set of charts entirely drawn from his data. . These valuable records, which now fill many bulky log-books, had their origin in a joke. On one of his voyages, nearly; thirty years ago, a passenger was showing him an Ally Sloper watch he had. received as a reward for sending in the requisite number of coupons to an illustrated comic paper. The captain jocularly remarked that he would try to earn a watch also; and accordingly had the coupon in.the comic sheet manifolded and dropped overboard in beer bottles every day throughout the voyage.

Who has travelled eight times round the world. By means of messages in sealed bottles, thrown into the sea during his voyages, he has added much to the knowledge of the trend of ocean currents. Some of his bottles have travelled 10,000 miles.

During Captain Simpson’s last stay in port 1 cornered him one day in his snug cabin and extracted from him some particulars of his life at sea. All through his career the captain has remained faithful to the Aberdeen line; and sinee the days when he served his apprenticeship in their old teak-built and copper-fasten-ed clipper, Queen of the Nations, a sailing vessel of 845 tons, he has witnessed some marvellous developments in the mercantile service.

On his return to London Captain Simpson was surprised to find that many; of the coupons had reached their destination ami he was duly presented with a watch. The proprietors of the papen al-so printed thousands of the coupons for the captain to use during his voyages. The results were astonishing, and when he realised what extraordinary distances some of these sea messages covered before they were picked up, he decided tfl ■deal with the matter in a serious anti methodical way. Every day a coupon was placed in an empty beer-bottle, corked down, and sealed by dipping the neck in molten marine glue, which set# hard. It was then thrown overboard at noon.

When the Aberdeen line began to run steamers, in 1882. Captain Simpson was appointed chief officer to the steamship Aberdeen, which was the first vessel to introduce triple expansion engines. A little later, while in command of the H.s. Australasian, he began to take an interest in tracing the trend and speed of ocean currents, a hobby which has developed into so important a business

When his supply of coupons had beefll exhausted. Captain Simpson prepared of message of his own; and the following was printed on a slip of paper in Eng-

H<h, French, Spanish, German and kalian‘•lliis paper was put overboard for the purpose of tracing ocean currents; the finder to please forward, stating ■when and where it was found; and reap a just reward.” The captain’s name and address at the offices of his company were appended. The “just reward” referred to used to consist of a copy of Froude’s “Oceana,” though in latter years this has given place to more modern works. The notices are all printed on board ship, and up to the present time over a thousand messages have been returned to him, about a dozen usually awaiting his return to headquarters at the end of each circular voyage.

Bottles have landed on the shores of Portuguese and French Guinea, on the coast of Africa, ami in fact in almost every quarter of the globe. Many have been picked up by natives, who imagined they had secured a prize in the carefully sealed beer-bottle, and their chagrin on drawing the cork can be easily imagined. A negro in Sierra Leone, who picked up a bottle and did not receive the promised reward, wrote to say, “1 am sorry to insinuate you that the copy of Froude’s ‘Oceana’ was not transmitted to me.”

A bottle thrown overboard one day near the Cape of Good Hope, was, after a long interval, found on the west coast vf Scotland, having it is supposed, gone round by the West Indian Islands, until it was caught by the Gulf Stream and carried to its landing place. Shortly after his appointment to the Pericles, Captain Simpson threw over a bottle when about 140 miles from Cape Town. It was washed ashore five months later at Parahyba, in the Brazils, having travelled four thousand miles. Some have gone as far as ten thousand miles before being found.

Ocean meteorology is the one subject, outside his duties as captain of a liner, in which Captain Simpson takes the keenest interest. He is, in fact, the oldest observer for the British Meteorological Council, who supply him with instruments and log books for recording every conceivable detail connected with the weather, atmosphere, temperature, swell of the ocean and other matters; observations being taken as often as every two hours, day and night, throughout each voyage. The records are entered by the captain himself in these elaborate log books and handed over by him to the Meteorological Council on his return to London from every trip. His immunity from accidents may be traced to the fact that he is one of the most experienced and careful mariners afloat. In proof of this an Australian passenger tells libw he was recently re-

turning from England to Sydney. Thej had been steaming for some time in very hazy weather, which had made it im-

possible to “take a sight,” so as to verify their position. The ship had therefore to bo navigated by dead reckoning. Tho

passenger was cihatting with Captwin Simpson in his cabin, and asked him where, he thought the vessel was at the moment. The captain stated the position he estimated they were in at the time and mentioned it was over a particular patch of coral. At that moment tho quartermaster entered the captain’s cabin, a sounding having been taken with tho deep-sea lead. He handed the captain a small object, brought to the surface adhering to the tallow with which the load is filled. It was a little piece of coral. Tho captain handed it to the passenger, who regarded him with tho astonished look which rewards a eonjuror at the successful conclusion of one of his best tricks.