Robert Lemuel Campbell - 1858-1936 #3

I went to London to my mother who at that time was living at the corner of Tothingham Coart Road near the Sho (Soho) Square, keeping house for Mr. Bending who was a shoemaker and kept there to work for him at the back of the store. He also tended to peoples feet. When my time was nearly up, I boarded the train at Charing Cross and went to Sheerness. I reported and stayed there several months. I made several trips up to the school at Minister to see the old place. At last I was drafted to a vessel that was going to Calcutta in India.

While the ship was getting ready a bunch of us went to an old lady's place. She told fortunes, I went more or less to look on. She read the cards for each one and gave them what she could read. Some things were good and some not so good. I don't know whether theirs come to pass but I was the last and did not have any faith in it. They wanted me to have it. I would not give in, so they asked her if she could tell it without my consent. She told them yes, as I was in her house and in her presence. She went through the cards. She gave me to understand that I would not belong to that vessel very long. Something would happen that I would be punished for a thing that I did not know of at the time who it was that did it, but I would hear of it later. That was about all she said.

We went back to the ship and in about a week we left for our destination, not thinking anymore about what the old lady said. We were going leisurely down the Coast of the Western Africa towards Cape Town. The ship steward had to give a report of the ship's stores at this particular time and as I was looking after the Lieutenant's and Midshipman's rooms or berths and preparing things for the meals, I had to give the whip steward a list of what had been taken from their store room.

The keys were always hanging in the ward room when not in use and I was the only one appointed to get the things that were wanted, so this time when they came to look over what was in the store room there was a bath-chap missing and I could not give an account of it. Of course, I could not tell who had visited the place but myself, and I did not know where it had gone.

I was accused of the theft and was taken from that work and put under the Captain of the Marines charge of stealing officer's provisions. Instead of going to Cape Town first they went to Symon's Bay where there was a Prison Ship. I was tried by the Captain of the ship and the Admiral who was at Symon's bay who had charge of the dockyard. I could not defend myself so I was sentenced to 28 days. I was taken down to the sick bay to the Doctor to be examined. He told me that he knew I was not guilty and he could not tell me who it was, but if I wanted him to write to the Captain that I was not fit in his estimation they could not send me to prison, but I would have to work it out on our ship. I took it as an insult. I thanked him and told him I wanted no favors. If the Officer's could send me to prison I would show them I could go, so he said what will I tell him. I said to tell him fit and healthy.

I was sent to the prison ship for the 28 days. The next morning upon going to the dockyard to work, I had a chance to look over the bay and I found that the ship had gone and left me.

I was put to work helping dig a trench to lay a pipeline to some place. I had been about a week at this work, when the Admiral came along with his young daughter to see how we was getting along and not knowing that they were there and the trench being deep I threw the dirt up, not looking where it was going, and it struck his daughter and went over her clean clothes. What with her crying and the Admiral's anger I thought he would kill me and the more I tried to apologize the worse he got.

One of the guards came by and Admiral told him what I had done and told him to give me one hour shot drill after work in the yard. I did not know what that was, but I soon found out.

In the first place you are told to go to the shot rack and get a shot which is a round ball about 28 pounds. When you get it and take it to the place where you have to drill, you place the shot on the deck with out making any noise, then you stand erect before the Officer and with the shot near your feet he tells you how to proceed. When he says one, you bend, two is to place your hands on the shot, three is to pick it up and stand erect with the shot. When he begins counting one is to take a step forward, two another step three another step and then one again is to bend over, then lay the shot down without any noise and three to raise up again. You keep that up steady for one hour without any rest. It surely tries every part of your body especially your back and knees as you aren't supposed to bend them. I got through the time.

They did not know what to do with me as there was no ship there to put me aboard to send me to India to the ship that I belonged to so Mr. Cory who kept the Hotel there offered to take me until a ship came that they could put me on. The admiral used to come quite often to inquire as to how I was getting along. I had done my best and besides I was allowed to wear other clothes than the uniform of the Navy.

While there at the Hotel they had many parties of different clubs or societies. The one that I want to mention was the Masons and the party was carried well into the night and next morning. When they wanted to retire they had everything that could be made for a bed and some had to sleep in their chairs. After the dinner was served and the table cleared the few who waited on the table were told that there services would not be required any longer so I was told to go to the home of the cook so they could have all the beds. I went home with her as they were singing Old Angeline. I was surely thrown among the natives. She was a Mahonite. Several times I was asked to different parties of these people who called themselves Africanders and some tended the Church Dutch Reform so I was mixed in some way or another, but was treated very nice with old and young.

One day while I was at work with Mr. Corey making ginger beer he was old by the Admiral that they expected a man of war most any day. One day along about evening a captain of a fruit vessel asked if he knew where he could get a cook for this voyage as he was going up the coast. I watched my chance and made arrangements with him to go as his cook. He told me that he would be leaving during the night or early in the morning so I did not say anything to anyone because they would hold me for the war vessel that was expected anytime and I did not want to go back. I left on that fruiter and while there I got a chance to ship as able seaman on a Dutch East India man bound for Rotterdam in Holland. As it was winter when we arrived, the river was frozen and we had to stay there until it thawed out; while there we had to report every morning at the vessel because we had to stay at the Company's boarding house. That was all right to take in the sights, plenty to eat and two feather beds to lay in, on over and one under, so we passed the winter in fine shape.

When the weather moderated we set said for Liverpool, England. In a way I was afraid to stop very long around England. A vessel named Homarow loading for New Zealand was short of men and they asked our Captain if he had any men who would like to ship with him, so there was four of us went with him as our own Captain had to stop there as the company was thinking of selling that ship. That is why the vessel was at Liverpool.

We were soon out to sea again and had the fine weather until we got to the Indian Ocean. After rounding the Cape of Good Hope south of Africa we got into heavy weather. The Albatross would follow after the vessel and being hungry on account of the heavy sea, we would catch them and save the oil. By hanging them by the legs the oil would run out of their mouths and if one had a good breast of feathers the Captain would have it killed and take the breast or in other words scalp the breast, and tan the skin and make muffs doing them up in good shape and selling them to the stores who deal in those goods (when in harbor of course). I don't know what he got but we got nothing out of it. We being a sailing vessel, the wind took us far out of our course and when the storm was over we just drifted with the tide as there was no wind to fill the sails for three days. As we lay in that calm during that time we were slowly drifting toward three small islands. The sails were all spread to catch any wind. The braces were thrown off the belaying pines, lose ropes coiled so they would run to catch any little breeze that came in any direction. The sea was calm and looked like a mirror. You could see fathoms below, sharks swimming around just like they were in glass tanks, could see the rocks down in the water. The Captain was swearing and kept taking off his hat and jumping on it. The men were ready to fight for their lives, surely like facing death.

It was my turn to go to the wheel. I could not get into me why they carried on so; in a way it was death one way or another because if they got to the rocks there was nothing could grow on them. As I say it was my turn at the wheel. Everything was loose ready to run. I looked over the side in a way unconcernedly. I don't know why I took hold of the wheel. I looked at the compass to see how the vessel was headed and while I was reading the compass I heard a noise and looking up I saw the sails filling and the yard swinging so as to catch the breeze. It was so quick that everyone was taken by surprise. I got her on her right, the Captain getting things clear in his mind, as no one had seen the like before. While the Captain was below looking over his chart to get the right course to steer the mate came over to me and said that sure near a goner.

The Captain came up and looked at the compass, saying "Young man you are only half a point out of the course." I brought her up to what he told me and the breeze got a little stronger and we were traveling as near as I can remember from the reel about 6 1/2 knots.

We arrived at Auckland, discharged the cargo, went to a factory as near Christ Church as we could get and loaded it up with potted meats and some mutton. We returned to Liverpool with our cargo. We made three trips to New Zealand with the same Captain. He was a native of Sollang and I cannot remember his name. They called him skipper or Mack.

After that I joined a ship that was going to Boston with old railroad iron and pig iron for salt in exchange which was to be taken to Cadiz in Spain, unloading London. There I left the ship and went aboard another which was chartered to go to Campeachy on the east coast of Mexico for mahogany. We arrived there and found our cargo all made up in rafts ready to be taken out to the vessel.

The next morning there were about thirty natives came aboard. They cleared the hold of everything there was in it and threw it overboard in the bay. By that time the first raft was along side. We had to rig up a derrick to hoist the logs aboard. Some of them weighed from five to ten ton which called for strong tackle to hoist them aboard. After everything was ready, we had to man the winch which was a dangerous place to be in if anything should break. It was also dangerous for the native on the raft or the men in the hold that had to do the loading. It was very hot and they were stripped to the hide, only wearing a britch cloutt and while they worked they would sing and at a certain part of the song they would pull on the tackle they had arranged to pull the log in its right place. This continued until the ships hole was loaded.

When the hatches were battened down they loaded the deck which they call a deck load, just leaving enough room to work around the winch. Then chains were placed around the ship over and under so if we should encounter any heavy sea they would not move about or wash overboard, which made it very had to walk around on the ship or do any work.

We left them to go to London and arrived there without much damage to the vessel. I was released then joined the St. Nicholas belonging to the Blackball line which applied back and forth from London to New York and sometimes to California. I will give a copy of one of the discharges.

NAME AND NUMBER OF SHIP: Ship "St. Nicholas; No. of ship 2880a; Port of Registry-New York. Tonnage 1798.78.

Description of voyage or employment, from New York to San Francisco.

Name of Seaman - R. Campbell; Place of Birth - England; Age 22; For Seamanship - good; For General Conduct - good; Capacity - Seaman; Date of entry - March 1, 1880; Date of discharge - July 26, 1880. I certify that the above particulars are correct and that the above named seaman was discharged accordingly. Dated 28th day of July, Eighteen hundred and Eighty. Seaman R. Campbell. Master R.I. Tachpole. Given to the above named seaman in my presence this 29th day of July 1880. James M. Dulley, shipping Commissioner.

Also another from the same ship St. Nicholas. Port of Registry and Tonnage as above. Description of voyage: Liverpool, Age 22, Place of Birth, same, Character and ability same as other. Date of entry 13 Sept. 1880. Date of discharge 16 March 1881. Master Ph Penellope. Shipping Commissioner C E Ryberg.

Robert Lemuel Campbell - 1858-1936 #2

Robert Lemuel Campbell #2

We passed Dover and into the English Channel and when we got to Penzanto off Cornwall, signals were sent aloft and then steered toward the Bay of Bisque. Next we sailed Gibraltar and stayed there several days. The back of the town which is close to the seashore and then the fort raised quite steep back of the town and a signal mast right on top. We could see the land, which belongs to Spain, which was quite low and flat, about 21 miles across the entrance. From there we went to the Isle of Malta, the town of Malta or Villeta is on the Island. The people do some farm work on a small scale, no farms over four acres. There is lots of lace made there which the Maltese sell to travelers and what shipping stops there the people are able to live.

The English government has an underground place where they keep 7 years provisions for the soldiers and natives. From there we went towards Suez, did some deep water surveying for about three weeks, then went through the Suez Canal. The banks were nothing but sand. It was run by the French people, pilots, dredges, and other employees were French people.

At certain places we had to stop when other vessels had to pass. Passed several ships when we got to the Bitter Lakes. We stopped there several days for the dredges to take out sand from the bottom of the canal which all told about 58 miles. We steamed that distance in 21 hours not counting the layover at Bitter Lakes and arrived at Suez which is located on the shores of the Red Sea. From there they surveyed every day except Sunday to find the depth of the water and to find out the soil, a great variety, but mostly Red coral which the sea is named for. We came to two small islands and around them there was lots of fish. Captain Arthur had boats lowered and sceans were brought from below and some of the boats were manned and some of the men were allowed to land while others rowed around with the scean being allowed to drop over-board and when it was all lowered out, a rope was attached to the end of the scean and taken ashore, then the men on shore began pulling it in towards the shore. [Editor's note: The 'scean' is probably a seine which is a large net with sinkers on one edge and floats on the other that hangs vertically in the water and is used to enclose fish when its ends are pulled together or are drawn ashore.]

Oh what a sight, fish of all colors and sizes even to porpoises. It sure tried the net. Men had to swim out around beating the fish back towards the shore, I never saw so many fish caught at one time, when near the shore the porpoises leaped over the top of the net and got away, but say did we not have a time cleaning fish. Everyone had a hand in that job, officers and men. Fish for breakfast, dinner and supper and three times on Sunday for a change. No one was allowed to talk fish after that. The first meal or two was all right, but after that pea soup was a great luxury.

The work we had to do was very tedious and wet. It kept one guessing to make the report from the line men giving the soundings. On the left side of the ship we could see Mount Sinai, when the children saw so much done while traveling the Arabian desert which look as far as you could was sand and more sand. We took quite awhile at that work which was done during the day. Well, after awhile we arrived Aden which was located four miles inland, but the condences were on the shore, condensing the salt sea water and then piped to the city. The natives are called Parsees. They all wear long black coats and tall hats with sandals on their feet and they walk along as if they had all day to get there, the same way at their work. They move as if they would lose something. Before leaving there we took some of that water on the ship, brought aboard in barrels. The barrels were not put in the boats but towed along in the water, lashed together and when along side of the ship they were hoisted aboard, and when emptied were returned to the shore in like manner.

The weather was past being hot. We had to have awnings all over the upper deck and keep the deck well watered to keep the pitch from boiling out of the seams of the deck. That was the time you could see the cook and his mate nearly naked, getting the meals ready and the sweat rolling down his body into his shoes. He used to say it was no hatter down below and if it was he did not want to go down there. We were all glad to leave there and get out on the Indian Ocean where we could fee the sea breeze and likewise get a good rain.

In speaking of water, the water that we received at Aden, was brackish and had an oily taste, while on the Indian Ocean we received a down pour for it came down in sheets and every person there did not mind getting soaked. Canvas was spread to catch all we could, both for drinking, cooking and washing of clothes. We surely enjoyed it and another thing, it cooled the weather. We had plenty of water for once, and it lasted until we arrived at Columbo on the Isle of Ceylon. It looked good to us. Trees as far as one could see inland. Natives came in thir boats with different kinds of fruit and some with small stones that in the dark looked like a cat's eye. When they were mounted as studs for a shirt front or wrist band, you could see them quite a way off. After a few days we left Columbo and went to the north of the Islands to Poisetagal where the English had a Naval Station for the vessels of the English Navy.

Captain went ashore there for a week, stopped with the Admiral of the Island at this place they have large turtle ponds where they raise turtles. They were ugly to look at, but they made good soup what they call Turtle Soup. The meat is good to eat. I don't know what they do with the shell. To see them bask in the sun, laying on top of the water. They will live a long while just be keeping a swab good and wet under their head. To lay one on his back on the deck it is helpless. When we started again, we left for Singapore. When going through the straits of Malakka [Malacca], we passed many ships, some going east and some west. Singapore is on the end of the Siam or Malay Peninsula which divides the Indian Ocean and South China Sea. Singapore has lots of business one way and anther especially in coaling vessels. Their method of coaling a vessel, they have a half bushel basket filled with coal and about 50 coolies follow one after another and it is surprising the amount that is placed in the coal bunkers in so short a time. From there we left Hong Kong, China which is another island belonging to the English government where all nations of the globe assemble some time or another and Chinese San pan by galore. Women doing most of the hard work. They meet every vessel that comes into the harbor with different articles of workmanship, such as silks, silverware, sunshades made of silk and bamboo, also paper and bamboo and other various articles. Most of their money is something like copper made flat and oblong with a square hole in the center which they run a stout string or wire through and then worn around the neck. If you give them an American dollar, they generally put it away from their own money or in hiding, because it is of more value than their own money. Lots of the men do nothing but gamble, they will settle down anywhere when they meet a person that is ready to gamble with them. The location of Hong Kong is something like Gibraltar; high mountains in the background; along the shore is the buildings for dwelling; also a barracks for soldiers and there is a large three deck vessel for sailors. It is called Victor Emmanuel sometimes. I suppose it had been a frigate during Lord Nelson's time. The officers of the different nations invite other officers to dinners and dances on board of their ships as every large ship has a band and you can hear the band playing every night. When a person is called to be the Admiral's or Captain's boat crew they have to row them to the different ships on these occasions, when they come into harbour, or when leaving. They visit a little while to get acquainted.

We left Hong Kong after they had an enjoyable [visit] and the Captain got his orders from Admiral C.F.Shadwell who was the main officer of the English Fleet on the China Station, that included Japan and Korea. Our orders were to go to Nagasaki to survey the harbor and coast for the Japanese Government as they were going to build a large dockyard for larger vessels, that took quite awhile, from there we went to survey the Yellow Sea which lies between China and Korea. We surely had a time there, not only in the work, but also with the natives. That was where the natives treated the boat crews with Saka [Saki]. It is a wine or something like that.

The officers did not interfere as long as the men would do their work in a proper way but most of the work was done by manning the boats, and officer with each boat's crew. The man with the lead line would lose his footing and go overboard, then there would be a job to pull him aboard and then grapple for the headlines.

When that job was done we went back to Hong Kong to the Iron Duke which was the flagship of the station; while there the gunboat Sylvia and part of his crew was exchanged with some of the crew that did not want to go back to England, as the Admiral was going to be released on account of his age and also captain Arthur. So the Sylvia had a commander instead of a captain. While there the Admiral when not invited out used to survey the heavens at night.

One morning he gave the signal to all the ships in the harbor to clear out to sea as Hong Kong would be in the worst of a Lay from which would come in four days. A lot of the captains thought it a joke but those that knew the Admiral took the warning and steamed out. He had men make the old Victor Emmanuel safe by having a heavy hawser lashed to the one whip and more anchors dropped. When that was done we steamed away toward Yokohama but the deck was cleared of everything. After the harbor was cleared the Sea Captain thanked the old Admiral for his council.

Soon after we went to Shanghai. The ship could not go up the river so the Admiral took his boats crew and went to Nankin. After he had visited three English gunboats up there, he came back to the ship. As far as we went up the river there were boat houses so close to the bank that they nearly touched one another and nearly everyone had duck pens or chicken coops on the boat house.

After we left there we went to Yokohama, could not get very close to shore, so had to use the different boats crews for transportation back and forth which kept the boat crews very busy. The Boatswain was piping some crew night and day. On a high plateau the English had a Hospital built of brick. It looked strange to see a house built like that; as near as I could see the houses were made of Bamboo and paper or so they could be made into small apartments or one large room just as they desired according to the number in the family.

At meals the main dish that contained the food, the family would surround it on the mats on the floor and each one would have his or her bowl and chopsticks, dishing out of the main bowl into their own. They ate as if they were in a hurry to empty their dish and get another serving.

At night, the matting that is used for bedding was rolled out and spread on the floor and a wooden block for a pillow which was used underneath the neck. The streets were narrow, the main travel is walking or Jinarichaw which is a two wheel vehicle with shafts pulled by manpower. They all seemed to be able to get over the ground quite swiftly and they are able to run a long way. Their charges are very cheap and quite easy riding. As I mentioned the hospital I would like to relate that there was, soon after I saw this building an earthquake besides a typhoon which wrecked that building and destroyed other property doing a great deal of damage.

Soon after this the ship I was on was nearing the time to be released to return to England. All the other vessels were told that those having anyone that was afflicted in anyway were of serious way were to be sent home. In answer to this request about fifty from that station left. After many farewells and parties had been given and accepted we left Osaka for Kobe. That was our last place and when we left we were homeward bound. Some had filled their time of twelve years and those who wished to reenlist, some who desired to leave the service, some who were sick and afflicted and not fit for service, all were going back to see what the government was going to do for them. Of course, the ship's crew was in good health, about 500 all told.

We had pleasant weather until we arrived at the Suez Canal. We were detained quite awhile on account of the wind blowing and drifting the sand. When we arrived at the lake we had four die of dysentery. The doctor said it was caused from eating pineapple rinds. Those men had to be buried on the shore. As near as I can remember it was on good Friday of the year 1875. Nothing of very much concern happened until we arrived at Lisbon in Portugal early in the morning.

The Admiral had not seen anything of any submarines but there was one there in port that belonged to England. When the Admiral in a leisurely way went upon the bridge with his spyglasses to have a look at the place, the submarine had sunk just so the English ensign was above the surface of the water. The captain got so worked up that he had nearly all the men at work lowering and manning boats to see what could be done to save the crew of that vessel.

The Commander of the submarine knew it was a new thing to the old Admiral and through his periscope he could see what was going on, on the surface. He saw the excitement aboard the ship and when the boats were nearing his vessel he brought the sub to the surface. You should have seen the look on the Admiral's face and when he went aboard the sub he did nothing for awhile, then the Commander saluted him and bid him welcome. At last the old gentleman came to his natural senses and told the Commander to signal his men back to their ship.

He then examined the sub from bow to stern, above and below. He told the officer that was one on him, and they had a good laugh over it. He bid the officer good-bye and came back to his boat. When he got aboard his own vessel, his officer's told him that fellow surely got it on all of them and he had another good laugh. He told the Commander to prepare to put to sea and we arrived home at Southampton.

The sick were the first to be attended to and were sent to the Hospital. Those that wanted to have leave were to return in two weeks and report at the naval barracks at Sheerness and those that wished to remain in service were to stay on board as the vessel was to be overhauled and put in commission again in the Channel Fleet.

Some time after that I read of the account of her being rammed in a fog in the Irish Sea and sunk.

Robert Lemuel Campbell #1

Autobiography of Robert Lemuel Campbell - 1858-1936

[This autobiography is very long therefore it will be posted in several parts each numbered]

In the year 16 March 1855, William Campbell and Ruth Nicholls were united in marriage at Chatham, Kent, England. Soon after their marriage William Campbell was drafted to the Isle of Malta and his wife was sent to him at a later time, time not known. But on the 5th of February 1858 a son [Robert Lemuel] was born at Fort St. Alma at Malta, also another son who lived six months but he died on 4th March 1861. [Editor's Note: The son who died was named James] Some time in the year 1862 he, William Campbell was drafted to Southampton or Portsmouth to Fort Blockhouse. In the year 1865 he was released from the English Army. from there he went back to Chatham, the family following soon after, and lived with Grandma Nicholls for a while, Father looking for work. Finding no work there, he went to Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppy got work part time in the dockyard. He rented a house near the railroad station in Blue Town, but the money he got at the dockyard and in mending shoes was not enough to support the family and pay rent. So things go bad and he helped himself to a cow head, for which he was arrested and given 21 days in jail. During that time Mother applied for help as she was near confinement. So her children and she were sent to the Institution at Minster, which was named Sheppy Union which was also located on the Isle of Sheppy. When Father served his time he found out where Mother was. He came to see her and wanted Mother to come out and leave the children there until he could provide for them, and Mother would not do it. So they separated and he has not been seen since.

Mother was placed in the hospital and confined and unable to work, she made herself generally useful that the Doctor got her work for the aged and those that came in to be confined and helped in other ways, that when they built a larger hospital she was matron. The children were separated in different departments. The first child was sent to the boy department and the girl was sent to the girls department, likewise the younger ones, Robert L. Campbell was in school part of the time and worked in the field or gardens the rest of the times.

It was there I got what education I have got in regards to reading and writing and arithmetic. Sometimes in winter months I worked with Charles Coletrip making mats and sometimes with Tuker Hart mending shoes. Saturday afternoon I helped Mrs. Murton getting cloths ready for each department, about 6 pm one person would come and get them for each department. But once we were short of a man teacher so the teacher of the girls department had to teach both schools. Her rooms were between the boys and girls school rooms, the door to go to either department, so she appointed my chum Alexander McTaveish to look after the boys and his sister to look after the girls department. We had open fireplaces, some of the boys would get pieces of cement rock and throw them in the fire and when they got hot they would burst open and make a loud noise. It happened this day a larger piece was thrown in and it sure made a noise. She came into the room and wanted Mc to tell her who put the rock in the fire but he could not tell for he did not know, and no one would tell so she got her cane and she beat him until she gave out then she left her cane on the table and went to her room Mc was crying and I took the cane and told Mc she would not beat anyone else with that cane again. Mc did not want me to do it, but I broke it in three pieces and threw it in the fire. Soon after that she came in to get it and could not find it. She looked everywhere at last she got angry and she was going to report the class to Mr. Murton so I told he that I burned it. She wanted to know why I burnt her cane. It told her because she beat my chum with it. While this was going on the Reverend, Mr. Bryant came in and she told him about it. He gave me a good talking to and when he got nearly through he told me to find a verse in the Bible and repeat it to him when he came again. I surely looked the Bible over to find a verse that was not very long. When I came on (Jesus wept) that was just right, so when he came again which he did every month or so, he brought out his little book and after looking in it for a while, he called me by name and asked me if I had done what he told me to do, so I repeated the verse before the school. The boys laughed and he got angry and went out and reported the case to Richard Murton. He came back with Mr. Murton and after giving us a talking to he told me I would be taken out of the school and he would put me in prison three days without anything to eat. I was locked up for three days and by that time I was surely hungry. When he let me out, the sun was shining very warm and I staggered about as if my legs would not hold me up. I was taken out of the school and put under the Porter's care, Mr. Sainsbury. He treated me very kindly and I liked him and took interest in the work. The work was to look after everything that came into the store house and keep account of everything or persons going out. Mr. and Mrs. Murton could not leave the place until they reported to Mr. Sainsbury and every two weeks when the guardians came, I had to make a note of it and how long they stopped and where they visited. I also got supplies for the cook, cut up the bread and butter for them that was allowed butter, mostly aged and those in the hospital and officers. All was allowed so much and when any orders were to be filled I had to walk to Sheerness and deliver the orders to the different stores. Everything went along fine while I was there until 1872, when my Uncle Lemuel Nicholls met with the guardians to take me out. They gave me a nice suit of clothes and under-clothes and let me go with my Uncle. I went to his home as he lived at New Brompton near Chatham, Kent. Aunt Emma was not very sociable so Uncle Lem took me to Rochester one Sunday Morning where the shipping was and went from vessel to vessel to get me a job as cabin boy.

At last he came to a Brigateen nearly ready to go to sea. The captain hired me and Uncle Lem was to get me my clothes or send them down before the vessel left, but they never got there and I made three trips to Newcastle, North of England without any other clothes than the ones I went aboard with that Sunday afternoon. Some of the men after that got me some more clothes and when on the fourth trip the Newcastle for coal, I was invited to a candy putt with some others, and they gathered together I could not tell what they was talking about I could hardly believe we were in England, but after several more trips up there I began to catch on. The vessel's name was EROS of Rochester. Being short of clothes, I asked the captain about some money and he told me that the company sent my wages to my uncle. I asked leave to go to New Brompton and was granted this request. In going there I had to pass the Chatham dockyard. I saw a notice on the gates, "Young men wanted For the Navy" so I applied. They sent me to the doctor to be examined.

I passed the examination and he gave me a letter to take to the Captain of the Dockyard which I did and he took me to a steam vessel going down the river and told the captain of that vessel to see that I was delivered to the Navy Barracks at Sheerness and gave him the letter that I had received from the Doctor at Chatham Dockyard.

When we arrived there I was taken in a boat to the barracks and turned over to the officer in charge. I stayed several weeks there, got my outfit, and soon after that was sent to the gunboat, Sylvia which was going to do some surveying in the Mediterranean Sea and from there to China and Japan. When everything was ready to steam, Captain Arthur came aboard and about fifty sailors from the barracks and we left Sheerness early the next morning.

(Navy adventures to be continued next time)

Thomas Bale and Mary Ann Wardle

Thomas Bale and Mary Ann Wardle

(No photo available for Thomas)

Thomas Bale was born 20 Jan 1811 at Radford, Nottingham, England. Parents: George Bale and Ann Harrison

Died: 4 Feb 1885 at Nephi, Juab, Utah

Mary Ann Wardle was born 29 Apr 1813 at Lenton, Nottingham, England. Parents: Richard Wardle and Mary Davis

Died: 11 Feb 1891 at Nephi, Juab, Utah

They had six children:

Isreal born 14 Jun 1835 at Bagworth, Leicester, England

*Richard born 1 Jan 1838 also at Bagworth

Emanual born 17 Sep 1841 also at Bagworth

Mary Ann born 14 Mar 1844 at Coalville, Leicester, England

Hyrum born 6 Jan 1847 also at Coalville

Caroline born 6 Feb 1853 also at Coalville

*Direct Ancestor