A FLOATING HELL.

Evening Star, Issue 3260, 1 August 1873, Page 3

A FLOATING HELL.

From the Independent's account of the meeting on board the American ship William Tapscott, we extract the following:—According to the crew, the captain became very eccentric in his conduct at |an early period of the voyage, and in sailor’s phrase began to haze the officers and men in the most extraordinary manner ; and doubts were entertained as to his sanity. He became harsh and brutal in his conduct on every possible occasion ; and for some time the officers bore it without a murmur, and the crew manifested a like degree of patience. At length his mad freaks became so outrageous that it was not in human nature to put up with them any longer, and both men and officers acted in se'f-defence. As a specific instance of the captain's intolerable conduct, it is said that he stood with a derringer in one hand and a tomahawk in the other, compelling some members of the crew to scrub down some unfortunate object of his anger with a birch broom. It does not appear, however, that he was partial to “dabbers,” though he frequently resorted to belaying pins in curbing what he chose to consider the refractory conduct of his officers and crew. In an altercation with his second officer, the captain clove his jaw with the hatchet, and one bullet from his derringer grazed the second mate’s temple. It does not appear yet how these circumstances were logged, but the crew adopted one of the most primitive as well as novel expedients for recording the most striking scenes of this eventful voyage. One of the men, with an artistic turn, chalked the events on the deck, and the tableau was fresh when the vessel came into harbor yesterday. One sketch depicted the captain standing watching the scrubbing process armed with hatchet and revolver ; in the other he was smiting the second officer ; in another he was aiming out of his cabin, while on deck the mate stands “sighting” the captain with his pistol. It was at this stage that the mate shot the captain in the knee. As a set off to this, we append the following, which is the captain’s narrative, and which, like the previous one, must be taken cum gram satis : Monday, June 23. 1873. —At about noon to-day 1 called Mr King’s (first officer) atten tion to some of the running gear on the foremast that was out of order and wanted to be put to rights, when he suddenly turned round on me and gave much insolence, with-

out paying attention to what I ordered him to do ; ho always made a terrible noise, and 1* was compelled to order him to his room. He said plainly he would not go. and that I could not force him there, f told him that if he spoke like that, and cont.inued disobedient, I would be compelled to put him in irons, whereon he broke out again in much worse language, and strutted about the docks in a very queer manner. 1 then called all hands aft to see if he would go to his room ; and when they came aft he exhorted them to have the ship’s pumps, boats, kc., attended to, saying that the ship was not fit to proceed on her voyage, and would not allow me to speak of the subject for which I called the entire crew aft. At this time (which was immediately after pumping the ship, and as the ship drains a good deal) there was just fifteen inches in the well (on oath;, having sounded her correctly myself. The crew then broke out clamorously on hearing the mate speak as he did, and asked me whore she was bound to. I told them to Queenstown, for orders ; and they then said, very much excited, that they believed the ship not seaworthy—although at this time she was only making in the neighborhood of two inches per hour. They then used threatening language, urged by the mate, second mate, and carpenter, who never said one about the pumps before, nor did any of the crew previously, it being their first complaint since leaving San Krancisco ; and would not then, but for the mutinous conduct of the first mate, who _ soon got the second and third mates to join him. It is evident they tried to intimidate me ; but f would not give way to put my ship into port without having due necessity, but told them if she made water enough to put twentythree inches in the well after four hours’ spell (that would he less than three inches per hour), I would put into the nearest eligible port. They would not agree to that, so they told me they would knock off, and immediately went forward. I went forward and asked them to do some necessary work, and they refused to do it in an insolent manner, whereon Joseph Rica, A.8., came out, and I asked him quietly to go aft; and he said no, he had knocked off, if I did not do as they requested. At this time the mate was walking very excitedly about the decks, and would not go to his room, as desired. The entire crew jumped on top of mo, bore me down, and put me in irons. The officer then told them to drag me aft, which they did in a most ruffianly maimer, the mate being very insolent to me after getting to my cabin, _ the carpenter and second mate also tantalising me in a very ruffianly way. It is evident they wished to pirate the ship from me. They have always been well treated by me, and therefore there is no other reason. On getting one iron off my hand, .1 rushed on deck on to the poop to have an understanding what this conduct meant. As soon as I got out the second mate tried to catch me, but I ran up the poop ladder. There and then the mate tired a revolver at me, the ball just grazing my head. The second mate rushed up after me, cursing and swearing terribly, and said he would shoot me ; and I, on oath, believe he intended to do so, judging by bis action ; hut before he got hold of me I hit him on the jaw and knocked him down the ladder. About this time, but before the second mate got knocked down, the mate fired again, and the ball lodged in my left knee. He subsequently fired seven shots but none of them took effect, I having stood behind the mizen mast to guard them off. I ordered the men to come off, but the mate would not let them, nor would he allow them to explain themselves, but made them throw belaying pins at me, and also iron and wood, which struck me on several parts of my body. I told him he would suffer for bis mutinous conduct, when he fired a pistol at me, nearly killing me on the spot. 1 stayed on deck until midnight, but they still refused to do duty under the guidance of the mate. I then went below' to dress my knee, which was very much swollen and painful, and to wait H’ daylight. In the meantime I was frightened to go to bed, for fear of being killed. When 1 went on deck at 5 p.m. the ship was heading to the south-west. I immediately ported the helm to head her for Port Apia, t-amoa Islands, only about 250 miles off, and I ordered the mate to trim sails accord ngly, and also to restore my charts, chronometer, &c. The answer he made was, “I don’t know you at the same time another volley of "wood and coals came about my head. I told him to desist from such conduct, but he laughed like a maniac. He then clewed up all sail on the ship, in which state I had to leave her all night. So ends this day of the most mutinous and outrages conduct ever heard of.

Tuesday, June 24th, 1873.—Since leaving the deck last night I have not slept, on account of the state the ship is in. M y knee has become so inflamed as to be almost unbearable. At 5 p.m., the mate, carpenter, and third mate mustered all hands around my cabiu door, and commenced yelling like tigers, I immediately told them to go forward, as I was not able to rise from my bed, but they burst in my state-room door, and all that could come in my room came in. They likewise put me in irons, although I was not able to move from my wound, and I explained that to them; but they said it was the mate’s orders. At 7 a.m., I got up with the assistance of one of the men, and the mate would not allow me take off my irons to wash or dress, and he swore and used the worst kind of language towards me. He said he would bind me with chains, and knock my brains out if I spoke one word. He also sent the third mate, a most vile character, to tantalise me, but I told him quietly to leave my presence. The remainder of this day I have been subjected to all kinds of abuse from the mate, captain, and third mate, who appear to me to be perfectly mad

Friday, June 27- —At about 4 p.ra. I sent for the mate, and asked him what he intended to do with the ship, and ho insolently said he intended to take her to iSewcastle (iNew South Wales), or Sydney ; and he said his reasons were that he had rich friends there that would support him in any difficulty he might get into, 1 told him he was pursuing a wrong course, but he said it was the crew’s work, which I know to be false; and also told hipa, if he did not allow me to navigate the ship there, be would suffer still more, fle is using his best endeavors to prejudice the crew against mo, and I have no doubt he will succeed.