By Kristin Krause
Did you know the adventures of a Freeport man made Mark Twain famous? It’s true, and it’s history in our own backyard.
At 16 years old, Freeport native Josiah Mitchell graduated from Hebron Academy and ran away to sea. He started as a cabin boy, but by age 21 had worked his way up to captain.
In 1866, Mitchell took command of the clipper ship Hornet, bound from New York to San Francisco carrying a cargo of coal and kerosene as well as two passengers, Samuel Ferguson, 27 and his brother Henry, 17. Captain Mitchell and the Ferguson brothers kept daily journals of the entire voyage, which voyage from New York to San Francisco took a bad turn when the first mate accidentally set the ship on fire in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
The vessel was quickly consumed by flames. Thirty-one men fled in three small boats. Panic led to carelessness as they accidentally punched holes in two of their boats. They soon found themselves crammed shoulder-to-shoulder in tiny boats more than a thousand miles from land, with inaccurate charts, contrary winds and scant food or water. For the young men, boredom was the worst enemy; depression and despair were understandable.
As resources began to dwindle, they squabbled. Cooperation broke down, and one of the three boats was left behind. There was talk of mutiny, murder and even cannibalism. Mitchell was the glue that held them together. Out-numbered by desperate men, he clung to his command.
After 43 days, both food and water were gone. In the face of starvation and thirst, the crew prepared to draw lots to see who would be killed and eaten. At the last moment, they sighted land.
The Hornet’s men reached safety after 4,300 miles in an open boat, a feat unequaled in maritime history.
Unknown, broke and near despair, young reporter Samuel Clemens considered giving up his ambition to become a writer, but when he learned a boatload of starving castaways had washed ashore on Hawaii, he recognized this event was “literary gold.”
Clemens interviewed the crew, received permission to reference the journals of Mitchell and the Fergusons, then published the story under his new pen name. His report was a sensation, telegraphed across the country and around the world. Clemens found fame, at last, as Mark Twain. Even as an old man, Twain himself always credited the story of the Hornet with launching his literary career.
PHOTO: Mark Twain. (Submitted photo)
