The Potty Story of Garston Mud.

[Captain Kong]

CONTINUED......................................... .


CAPTAIN KONG……….
The man on the dock shouted,"Where`s your Buccaneers?
and the messman, Jeff Glasse, shouted back, "They are on me Buccan head."

CAPTAIN KONG JOURNALS………………..

from the diary of Mr Keegan
More men were brought down from Liverpool and major fighting broke out between the strikers and the loyal Dockers .On the night of the fourteenth of August a great conflagration was started in the north dock and this rapidly spread throughout the whole dock complex. The militia were called out to assist the Police in fighting the Liverpool hooligans as the fire took a hold on the riverside. Only two ships managed to escape the holocaust, a small collier and a yardarm. Ketch. Three vessel were so badly damaged that they would never put to sea again , they were the Mudskipper, the Alfreton, a square rigger ,and the new wonder ship ,the Garstonia.
Most of the warehouses were destroyed and a great many lives were lost in the attempt to stem the blaze. There were some reports of the funerals of those who were lost in the fire and of the memorial service that was held for the mariners who had lost their lives whilst trying to save their vessels. The newly commissioned Captain of the Garstonia , Julian Aspinall and his faithful servant Mr Glasser were given special mention by the Bishop of Garston as being ”Heroes, the very best of British blood, they died in the battle against the dark forces…….”

On the night of 14 August 1898, Captain Julian Aspinall had been watching his Steward, one Jef Glasse, a strange fellow of doubtful parentage.He was an usavoury type of person, always lurking in alleyways and store rooms. The good Captain investigated him and made a remarkable discovery.
This Jef Glasse was a son of a man also by the name of Jef Glasse who was executed by hanging for the murder of his own father, Captain Julian Aspinall in 1849, nearly forty years ago. Rumour had it, this scheming murderer had exchanged clothes with his prison guard, whilst under the influence of his last bottle of Rum and the poor prison guard was executed in his place. This event was covered up by HMP authorities to avoid embarrassment.
Just as he suspected, as Captain Julian Aspinall was following the said Glasse around the ship, Glasse ignited various incendary devices. The ship became a raging inferno, which spread to the adjoining cargo sheds and most of Garston Dock was burned down, and the new wonder ship, `Garstonia 2`, was destroyed. In the ensuing destruction Jeff Glasse dived overboard into the dock, he was observed by the good Captain who dived in after him. Glasse disappeared in all the confusion and Captain Julian swam around the dock for quite a while trying to find him but to no avail.
The Captain now had a dilemma, if it was known that the Captain had survived then Glasse would know he would be on his trail to avenge his father`s death and the destruction of his new ship, `Garstonia 2` But if he thought the Captain was dead then he could carry on with his nefarious ways. unhampered by the Captain.
The Captain decided on the latter and had to change his name. He became known as Captain Kong and vowed to search the seven seas for the Glasse.

BRIAN DALEY JOURNALS………….

________________________________________
Revenge

Near 12 month had passed since the raid by the Buccaneers, the sore pain of distress and anger was fading and was being replaced by sad acceptance that our loved ones may not be seen again. When our morale was at its lowest , two stately galleons came into port, large pennants at the fore and the flag of our old country the stern. First to dock was the St Mary ,a ship of war ,with gun ports the full length of her ,following came the twin of her, the Holy Trinity. Never was a sight more welcome for not only did they bring us news of home, they brought us soldier men and a veritable arsenal. This would help us to defend ourselves at some future incursion ;the real purpose of the visitation however was to seek as much intelligence from us about the nature of the raiders, the build of their ship ,and any other factors that might help our captains in the search for the villains that nigh on ruined our settlement.
Two captains were not only out for revenge, they were out to enrich their own estate by seeking what plunder they could whilst over in the Americas. Legend has it that there are many Spanish merchants that carry great treasures from the territories to the south. Messrs Aspinall and Brewer have come well prepared to put those legends to the test.
After many days of refitting and revictualling , the good ships set sail from New Garston in search of the Buccaneers. The quayside was thronged with the people of the town , wishing them God speed and prayers that they would bring the return of our loved ones .
When they had disappeared over the horizon our new militia went about setting up defences against any future raiders. Towers were built on the sea front ,there would be watches kept there day and night ,not a sail would pass unnoticed upon our horizons.
Manufacture of weaponry was instituted ; amongst our soldiery was a gunsmith with all the requisite paraphernalia for the making of pistols and muskets. A specialist metal worker was also among their number and he would oversee the training of our young men in the art of metallurgy . soon we would be self reliant in building up our own arsenal.
Our industry in the building of our defences began to restore our confidence, the Catawbans , witnessing such changes , became more closely allied with us and pledged to help us in defending us against any attack from the land ward side of our town.
Two harvests were reaped before we saw the return of the St Mary and Holy Trinity, they docked in 1620, just after the feast of Candlemas, they we bedecked in bunting and all manner of pennants and there ,at the top of their foremasts, flew the dreaded
Flag of the Skull and Crossed Bones.
We were anxious in the extreme of what this display could mean, but our anxieties were dispelled when we heard the cries of familiar voices and saw some of our loved ones waving from the taffrails. Oh ,there was such a jubilation at this wonderful sight and boys were despatched to the nether reaches of our town to spread the joyful tidings. The church bells were pealing out a tocsin of praise to the heavens and our wharfingers worked at speed to make those vessels fast to the quay.
Hearts were aflutter to watch our returnees step ashore, was our daughter ,our son or wife amongst them? Such trepidation there was at that moment, and then there were explosions of tumultuous joy as arms reached out and held those dear ones again.
Slowly ,as the crowds edged away from the waterfront to take their saved ones home again, the sad figures of those who would never see their kin again stood in lonely desolation, their worst fears now realised.
There were not words enough to express what we felt for them, such sorrow after so much joy.
I went aboard to meet the Captains and to extend the hand of grateful welcome, the Brethren were going to organise a feast of gratitude and we wished that whole crew would join in our celebration of their exploits. Mr Brewer and Mr Aspinall readily accepted my invitation for them to dwell under my roof for the duration of their stay. I was mightily pleased for I was eager to hear of what adventures they had undergone since last we saw them.
I arranged for them to brought to my house by carriage, my good wife Suzanne had laid stores in for such an occasion and I had saved a firkin of my finest Malmsey, and a moistened box of the finest Catawban tobacco, our churchwardens would smoke merrily this night.
After a meal of the finest provender that New Garston could offer, we retired to the inglenook in the withdrawing room and loosened our clothing , our pipes were filled and our glasses freshened with the sweet Malmsey . Captain Aspinall needed no prompting to open his tale ,he broached his glass and wiped his lips with the back of his hand and began a tale of such romance that I was rapt within moments.
I will attempt to paraphrase his tale for his own words were so bellicose that I fear they might cause offence to those of tender sensibilities.

“ We had been at sea a week or more before we made sight of land again , ‘ twas but an eyot in the midst of nowhere, but that little speck contained an Englishman ;he had been marooned by a Dago who, he said, had taken him captive in New Garston ,that man was your very own Douglas Threlfall ,he had been such an argumentative captive that the Dago had marooned him there to rid himself of such of such a pestiferous body, and after having him aboard the St Mary all this time I concur with that Dago’s judgement. But I digress. John had measured his time on that isle by cutting marks on the bole of a tree. 64 marks recorded the days that he had been there ,and a week at sea before then. So our quarry was two and half months ahead of us. We set sail south again and had the good fortune to come across two Spanish Merchantmen homeward bound from Havana, they were laden to the gunnels and were wallowing in the Doldrums . We showed them all the respect and mercy that was their due, we turned them about and landed them on a golden beach which our pilot swore had fresh water and food aplenty. Some of the sailormen aboard them were pressed men from Scotland and The Dutch states and we gave them the offer of staying aboard the vessels so that we might get them back to English waters. They had no hesitation in accepting our offer and now our fleet was doubled..
We ranged the length and breadth of the Carib waters with nary a sighting of a Buccaneer, many a Portugee ship was sighted but we stayed well clear of these, our business was not with them. A time or two we spotted familiar vessels and could see that it was some of those other Englishmen who had come “fishing “ in these rich seas.
It was about our seventh month abroad on these waters when we heard tell of a raid on Spanish settlement near Nombre de Dios, the story the old sailor man told us tallied in description of the raid on your town, fancy dude in flounces and a red beard, bemedalled and keen with a sword ,and a Frenchy to boot. His two ships near cleaned out that little town , of people and what wealth there was too.
This old salt heard from a “friend “ that the Frenchy was from a Port in Santo Domingo, a place by the name of Azua. So now we had a place to search for .
Our pilots knew of Hispaniola , the island where Santo Domingo was situate, but they also knew that there were many well defended bays and ports for this was where Christopher Columbus had first settled. We had a tall order on our hands and a lot of reconnoitring to do before we could attempt to make our foray against this unmeasured enemy.
John Brewer undertook the job of reconnoitre, disguising his crew as Dagos they took the Spanish vessel and set a course for Hispaniola , they landed at the Northern end of the island and sent a small party of Spanish speakers to get the lay of the land, and ,with the dispensing of rum in the some of the shanty towns that they came upon ,they learned that Azua was on the southern most part of the island ,above Cabo Besta and nestled safely between the ports of Enriquillo and Bani. The Buccaneers had invested both ports with heavy armaments and they would prove nigh on impossible to approach from the sea. Those towns would have to be taken before we could attack Azua.

John and I studied his rude maps of the peninsula for ways of landing a force strong enough to take those two towns by surprise and taking them out of the equation. After many a survey we resolved to split our forces into three ,one party would land at beach to the south of Bani ,march inland and come at the back of the town from the landward side and put the town to the torch,the other party would land at Marahona across the peninsula from Enriquillo springing the same surprise on that township. Both raids would take place at the dead of night to cause the maximum panic and consternation.
The ships that lay alongside side in these ports would be taken and used a fire ships in the raid on Azua.
Such was our plan and it went as perfect as though the gods had designed it , there was much slaughter and bloodshed ,but we were doing it for a righteous cause. Many slaves were freed as we fought through those towns ,and some of your towns folk were among their number. Next morn we continued our momentum and attacked Azua from land and by sea. The element of surprise was our biggest weapon
and we fought our way through the streets in hand to hand combat with the toughest opponents it had been our misfortune to meet.. The cobbles were slick with blood of hundreds of men, this was too close for cannons and muskets, the tight little streets could not take more than three abreast and it was a day of cut and thrust as the blades sought to skewer and cut asunder the bodies of those hardfaced warriors.. Of a sudden we came to a square at the end of which stood a large palace. And there on the steps stood a redhaired villain dressed in the finest silks and brocades,the plumes of his tricorn billowing as he thrust and parried with his blade.
I fought my way toward him ,and when I was close enough to him I saw his features ,features that caused me to swallow with shock. It was as though I was staring into a mirror, excepting for the red hair and beard ,the man was like as a twin to me. John gasped as he saw him,”Tis you to the life “ he cried . Hearing this voice ,Red beard turned to face me, shock writ large upon his visage. “Sacre Bleu” he shouted .crossing himself as though cursed by the sight of me, as he faltered ,my blade took him by the shoulder of his sword arm and he was rendered defenceless. As he lay bleeding the sound of steel upon steel lessened and stopped ,victory was ours.
But who was this red bearded rogue?” ……………

CONTINUED................

[Captain Kong]

CONTINUED..........................

JEFF GLASSER JOURNAL………..

Jeff Glasse, realising Captain Julian was close behind him with only revenge on his mind for what he had done to the 'Garstonia 2', swam like never before and made good his escape into the many alleys and dark places around the old dock warehouses.
Realising he would have to lay low for a time to see what the good Captain Julians plans would be, he took cheap lodgings in one of the more dubious Inns close by, and settled in to wait. If the Captain was given command of another vessel, he would endeavor to join, disguised of course, the crew, and mayhaps find another way of dispatching Captain Julian!

CAPTAIN KONG JOURNALS ……………..

One year after the Great Disaster of Garston, The Great Garston Mud Company had another new Steamship built, at Cammel Llairds to replace the `Garstonia 2`, she was to be named `Garstonia 3`. The launch and naming ceremony was done by the Chairman of the Company`s wife, Lady Susannah T. Daley.V.N.C.
A lot of people said the name of the ship was unlucky as the other ships of that name were very unlucky indeed, The first Garstonia had four murders in one voyage and the second was involved in the creation of the Great Garston Disaster.
But Lord Twize Daley, V.N.C. D.R. said Third time lucky. she will OK we have an excellent, experienced Captain to take command, one Captain Julian Kong.
At last Sailing day arrived, a new crew had been signed on, Captain Kong was happy with them all, except two men who he had misgivings about. His Steward, was a strange fellow, shifty eyed a red beard and claiming to be a Swede, his name was Gleff Jasse. A strange name for a Swede, more of a Estonian name if his memory served him correctly. There was something odd about his appearance, something familiar, as if they had met in some far distant past. His accent wasn’t too good for a Swede, he sounded a little bit like Robert Newton in the film Treasure Island, which hadn’t come out yet, .mixed with a little Brum., A strange accent for Swedish person.
The other fellow he wasn’t too sure of was a Fireman, by the name of Michael Aspinall, who he learned was a far distant relative, sharing the same ancestor, the Baron de Aspin of Aspin Hall in the woolyback town of Bolton in 1648,.
Michael Aspinall`s father was a Fireman on the `Garstonia` when the 2nd Engineer disappeared, rumour had it that he was fed into the furnace, and also he was there when the Third Engineer died in mysterious circumstances, on the same voyage that his Father Captain Julian Aspinall was murdered by one Jef Glasse who was later executed in Kirkdale prison. Rumour had it that he got away from there by being disguised as a Prison Warder and the poor man being hanged in his place.
Captain Kong was getting a little apprehensive about the voyage ahead.

Jeff Glasser………
..
The good captain Kong had every reason to be wary of both Gleff Jasse, and Michael Aspinall, both were up to no good, and were frequently seen muttering and whispering together.
The fireman Aspinall had recognised 'Jasse', only he knew him from the old 'Garstonia' as Jeff Glasse, even the bright orange false beard, tinted spectacles, eye shadow and large diamante' earrings could not hide the mans true identity, but Aspinall had remembered being asked to go 'in' with him regarding both their maritime future, so kept silent. It did not bode well for the 'Garstonia 3.

CAPTAIN KONG JOURNALS…….

After the Maiden Voyage celebrations, the ship was loaded with a cargo of the celebrated Gerston Mud, in barrels, it was getting very popular in the Argentine. It was used in the making of Tiles, Bricks and the Pharmaceutical industry had discovered its many uses as it contained many nutrients and minerals, also the brewery trade used it as finings in the brewing of ale. It made beers compatible for Vegetarians, normal beer finings contain fish scales etc. [this is a fact] so the beer became very popular due to that fact.
Also the Aspinall Cambrinous Craft Brewery, had a large export order to the Argentine, a large number of British expatriates lived there building railroads and owning cattle ranches and the Aspinall ale was very popular as a link to home.
The Beer was condensed in casks, one cask made six casks when water was added, this was to save space when in transportation.
A crew had been signed on and the ship was made ready to sail on her long voyage to South America, Lord Twyze Daley, VNC.DR. was there to see them off on the maiden voyage.
At first the voyage seemed to be progressing quite normally, the good Captain was not too pleased with the Steward, who seemed to be completely incompetent, staggering around and lurking, where ever the Captain looked, there was the steward, one Gleff Jasse, who claimed to be a Swedish seafarer, A strange fellow.
He was in cahoots with a Fireman, Michael Aspinall, another strange, and rough sort of fellow. They had discovered the casks of beer in No3 hatch, it was accessible from the store rooms. One bucket of the condensate would make six buckets of ale. and from the day of leaving Garston they were at it every day.
Captain King did not know that Gleff Jasse drank until he found him sober one day.

JEFF GLASSER…….
The pantry boy, Tarquin Smythe-Nozewheel ( he was from good stock that had fallen on hard times through bad investments in the great snuff crash of 1862, when snuff had dropped from a 1d a ton, to less than a farthing virtually over night. His father had commited suicide by inhaling as much of his useless stock as was possible in one go, and sneezed himself to death. ) had the cabin next to Jasse, and would often spy on him through the 1" hole that had appeared mysteriously about three feet up from the deck in the bulkhead that seperated the two cabins, few days into the voyage .
One evening he heard the sound of muttering and muted laughter from Jasses' cabin, and peering through the hole saw that there was another crew member there. they were both swigging from large mugs of a foul looking liquid that were being replenished from a cask bearing the legend 'Garston mud Company' under which was a small circular logo that enclosed three triangles, its meaning lost to him.
Thinking this to be a normal crew leisure time pursuit, he was about to return to his bunk and the well thumbed pages of a 'Port Said Bible' he'd found pushed under his cabin door by some well meaning fellow mariner, when he saw the steward Jasse drag out from under his bunk a large wooden box. He could just discern the words 'Arms' stencilled onto the lid.
Jasse undid the padlock and lifted the lid to reveal several prosthetic arms in a neat row. "Kin'ell" ejaculated the other man, who Tarquin had recognised as the fireman Aspinall, a person he'd been warned to keep well away from.
"It once contained tractor parts" said Jasse, "that I were smuggling to Uruguay" " Each to his own," sneered Aspinall, staring at the contents of the box, " but is this what yer was goin' ter show me?"
Smiling through what was left of his rotting teeth, Jasse took out the dummy limbs. He then removed a false bottom, the straps of which were beginning to chafe his upper legs. He then leant forward into the box, and tore away a thin cardboard liner ( I think it was the Windsor Castle, sorry,sorry,sorry, I could'nt help it. Author ) ) to reveal two pistols, a rusty musket, and a Light Sabre. ( Jasse could'nt lift a heavy Sabre since damaging his wrist lifting an overloaded tea tray. ) " Us can use these when we take command of the ship" he said " " just a few more of the crew to persuade to come with us, and the 'Garstonia' and her cargo will be ours." " Oil drink to that me old Bucko' " roared Aspinall, and poured the last of the foaming brew down his throat.
Tarquin saw them shake hands, the box was refilled and hidden once again under Jasses' bunk. Aspinal, belching loudly, Left the cabin, and made his way to the 'Garstonias' engine room, no doubt to inwardly digest what had just been revealed to him.
I must warn the Captain immediately before they can act, thought young Tarquin. I might get a reward which I can use to get MaMa out of the work house.

CAPTAIN KONG JOURNAL…………
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One day as the Garstonia 2, was approaching the Island of Fernando Noronha, off the coast of Brazil on her voyage south towards Buenos Aires, The Steward Jasse and Fireman Aspinall were in Jasse`s cabin drinking the famous Cambrinous Brown ale from the condensate that was in the cargo hold. They had been drunk every night of the voyage, both causing trouble with the rest of the crew and with the Officers.
One night as Jasse came out of the Hold with a bucket of the condensate of Brown Ale, he was seen by Mr Reginald Bangoreg, the Mate, a struggle followed and Jasse battered him to death. He dragged him out on deck and dumped his body over the side into the sea.
The Second Engineer had gone into the stokehold and found Aspinall drunk on watch with a Dixie full of ale. When he got on to him a fight started and Aspinall opened a relief valve and scolded the Engineer to death. He was dragged up on deck and thrown overboard. Aspinall told Jasse, he had killed the Second, They decided the only thing to do was to kill everyone and make it look like it was a shipwreck and they were the only two survivors.
Jasse gave Aspinall a revolver he had hidden under his bunk and also armed himself.
Jasse went up to the bridge where Captain King was with the Second Mate and a struggle started when the Captain thumped Jasse but in the fight the gun went off and the Captain fell dead. The Second Mate was next, Jasse shot him in the head. Kevin Thomas was the Sailor on the wheel, Jasse told him to help to throw the Captain and the Second Mate over the wing of the bridge into the sea. And then said “Are you with us or against us?” Kevin Thomas, who was terrified said “Yes I am with you.”
Jasse took the Captains jacket off and put it on. He paraded up and down the bridge pretending to be the Captain shouting orders.
They went down below., to the Mess room. Aspinall had killed the other Engineers and firemen, The Chief Steward, Fred Kinghorn was sat there, with Ernest Norris Green, both looking white and scared. Again Jasse said to Fred, “Are you with us or against us?” Fred said “No way, you`ll hang for this.”, a shot rang out and Fred fell dead, blood pumping out of his head. Ernest was next, “OK” said Ernest “I am with you.”. scared in case he got what Fred had just got.
Jasse said to Aspinall “Go down below and open the sea valves and set fire to anything that will burn, Ernest and Kevin swing out the lifeboat. And I will set fire to anything around here.
The boat was swung out and all four climbed into it and they lowered away and then cast off.
The GARSTONIA 2 was ablaze from stem to stern and sinking by the stern. The men rowed away into the darkness as the fires were extinguished as the ship slid under the waves.. The following morning a ship hove into view and with much waving and shouting they were seen and the ship stopped and rescued them.
She was the Raphael, one of Lamport and Holt`s steamers homeward bound from Buenos Aires.
They told their rescuers an incredible story. The Garstonia 2, had started its voyage to Buenos Aires, with a crew of 12 men, of whom two had died in mysterious accidents at sea. They then had a fire on board and had abandoned ship, in one of the two life boats, losing contact with the remaining members of the crew in the second boat. One of the 4 rescued men, Kevin Thomas, seemed afraid of the others and asked to be kept separate from them. It was also noticed that Gleff Jasse was wearing the Captain's Uniform jacket which seemed quite odd to the Raphael`s Captain. The Raphael made its way home to England arriving at Liverpool in January 1901. Kevin Thomas told the Raphael`s Captain that the missing crew of the Garstonia 2, had really been murdered by the other 3 survivors, although they vehemently denied this, and stuck to the story of the fire accusing Thomas of inciting the mutiny and killing the rest of the crew. The Captain of the Raphael was deeply suspicious and handed all 4 over to the police when he docked in Liverpool. Ernest Norris Green, decided to change his story and support Thomas' version of events.


It seemed that the Mate, Reginald Bangoreg, was the first to be murdered by Jasse and Aspinall who had quarrelled with him over him finding out that they had been discovered broaching cargo, namely the barrels of Aspinalls Cambrinous Craft Brewery containing condensate of Brown Ale.. The Mate was battered to death and thrown overboard. Once they had murdered Reg Bangoreg, they were then at serious risk, so it was decided to kill any other member of the crew who would not join them. Thus, Jasse who had some arms stowed under his bunk, passed some to Aspinall and the two of them went on the rampage.Then other men were killed and thrown into the sea while Captain Kong and Second Mate were shot on the bridge prior to being thrown overboard. A final man jumped over the side and was shot at in the water.
The Murder case opened at Liverpool's St George's Hall on the 10th of May 1901. It was the trial of 3 men for mutiny and murder on the high seas. The defendants were Gleffe Jasse, Steward, Swede, Michael Aspinall, Fireman, and Ernest Norris Green, AB/Cook, who were accused of killing the Captain of the ship “Garstonia 2” and 6 members of his crew. The murders were alleged to have taken place aboard the `Garstonia 2 `in December 1900, at sea off South America. They were only tried on the charge of murdering the Captain, the other charges being held in reserve if they were acquitted of this one.
They were taken to the Court in St Georges Hall, from HM Prison at Walton. .
After an intensive inquiry it was discovered that One Gleff Jasse was not a Swede but an Englishman hiding his identity, his real name being Jeff Glasse. More investigations proved that he was the son of one Jeff Glasse who was also convicted of murdering the Captain and Chief Officer of the good ship Garstonia forty years previously. It was rumoured the Jeff Glasse senior had cheated the hangman by getting the prison warder drunk and changing clothes with him and so the Warder was unfortunately executed in his place.

The trial was to last 3 days before Mr. Justice Robert Fairley and on the 14th of May, the Jury pronounced that all 3 defendants were guilty. Mr. Justice Fairley, placed the black cap on his head and said, “ You will be taken from here to a place of execution and hanged by the neck until you are all dead and your bodies will be buried within the precincts of the Prison. Take them away.” Ernest Norris Green, was later reprieved following the jury's recommendation to mercy and because of his age. Jeff Glasse and Michael Aspinall were taken back to Walton to await their fate. Just 3 weeks later, at 8.00 a.m. on the morning of Thursday, the 2nd of June 1901, they were brought together for the final time, Jeff Glasse, was Hanged first, as he was the ring leader, and three minutes later Michael Aspinall was led out and was dropped alongside him, hanged by William Billington assisted by John Billington.
On the scaffold, Glasse was heard to shout “Up yours, Kong” just as the trap door opened and he went to his maker. After the executions, the two bodies were left to hang for an hour.Then Mr W. Billington lowered the two bodies down into the chamber below. They stripped the bodies, Mr John Billington commented to Mr William Billington that “We have a dirty one here” as he removed Glasse`s trousers as they stripped the bodies prior to placing them into the coffins. Mr Glasse, for all his bravado, had actually crapped himself.
Graves were dug by the prison wall and then they were both interred, a number fixed on the wall as the only marker of their existence.

That was the end of an infamous voyage and the end of an era of horrific happenings to all the ships of the Gerston Mud Trading Company of Garston. Lord Twyze Daley, VNC. DR never went into ship owning again. After those tragic events, he died a broken man, the Company only used chartered ships after that.

CONTINUED.....................

[Captain Kong]

CONTINUED.......................


JEFF GLASSER….
Well, that's that then!
Of course there's always -

Jasse woke with a start, drenched in sweat. He lay there momentarily before realising it was just a terrifying nightmare Oh b*****ks he thought, I really have crapped myself though, thankfully this turned out to be no more than the greasy remains of the bowl of scouse he'd been eating just before drifting into a drunken stupour the night before. Still going to be difficult to get out, he mused, and I must remember not to retire whilst still wearing this neckerchief...........
Curses Kong, , you wound that one up good! I was just getting into the swing there. Superbly:handclap condensed though.

How did you know that that old rogue Jeff Glasse had a son?
He was brought up by Jeff Glasses' doxy, who some say was heavy with his child when Jeff Glasse was strung up for his crimes. She was resident strumpet at the 'Rampant Fireman', an Inn tucked away down a stinking back street in the dock area of old Lahpool. Debauchery and drunkenness were its claim to fame, frequented by pox ridden mariners and those low life that make a living from others misfortunes.....

CAPTAIN KONG JOURNAL……………
In 1925 the eldest son of Lord Twize Daley, one Lord Twize Daley, chartered a cargo ship to take a cargo of Garston Mud to Buenos Aires, He had had nothing but trouble from the previous ships that he owned, with death, Mutiny and murder.
He renamed the vessel `Notsrag`, he reversed the name of Garston hoping to reverse his fortunes, which were no too great at the moment.
He hired a Master who was the son of the Master of his last owned vessel, the Garstonia 3 that was lost in a mutiny in 1900, he was Captain King.
The charter was for a cargo of Gerston Mud for the factories in Argentina who used the minerals that were contained in the mud for their pharmaceutical trade. Also to go to the Island of South Georgia to Grytvicken to load a cargo of whale oil. This was to be used with the minerals of Gerston Mud in the manufacture of perfumes. A very lucrative trade.
A crew was signed on and the ship made ready for the voyage south.
There was amongst this crew a steward who was a very strange character, he went by the name of Jeff Glasse. He had one eye, on account he had offended a young lady, on a previous voyage, by spying through her cabin door key hole and she just happened to have a hat pin handy and she poked his evil eye out.
The voyage to Buenos Aires went without much events but the good Captain was not at all happy with his steward, a grovelling, shifty one eyed character always lurking and listening at doors, he always had a smell of gin upon his breath tho` he claimed to be of temperate habits.
In Buenos Aires, Captain King search the alleyways and bars around the Calle Viente Cinco de Mayo, searching for a person who went by the name of Cleopatra, another strange one he found mentioned in his fathers journals. He was directed to the Recolletta where there was a tomb to the memory of this she/man. `Gone but not forgotten` was carved upon the tombstone.
On leaving Buenos Aires, after doing a tango with a young senorita in the Texas Bar, we cleared the River Plate and the `Notsrag` headed south east towards Gritvicken in South Georgia, and that is when things started to go wrong.
There were various acts of sabotage to the ships equipment. and the Captains steward was a suspect,
More when I return from my voyage to Grytvicken in a few weeks.

CAPTAIN KONG JOURNALS……….
________________________________________
In a few weeks…

I have just returned from this unfortunate voyage.
On our voyage from Buenos Aires to Grytviken, things began to go wrong with the ships equipment. The alcohol in the ships compass in the wheel house disappeared, the compass was useless. A young Ernie Norris Green who was one of the helmsmen said it was OK when he was relieved at midnight. The next man on the wheel was a Michael Aspin, another strange fellow. He was always cohorting with the one eyed steward, one Jeffery Glasse. Some thing was not quite right, I had a memory of my father`s journals which were written as a continuing story from his father`s day and so on.
I retrieved the journals from my sea chest and started to read, with much trepadition.
Reoccurring names were repeated through each generation of my family going back to the days of 1646. The names of Glasse and Aspin.
It started in 1626 when an illigitemate son of Baron de Aspin, was born to a Miss Lilac
Michael de Aspin was only a half member of the de Aspin family. He was born on the other side of the blanket after a dalliance by Baron de Aspin and a serving wench known as Miss Lilac in that house of ill repute, Ye Olde Man and Scythe, in the square in ye township of Bolton.
Later when he was twenty years old, Michael de Aspin wanted money off his father, the Baron de Aspin who had found he was an embarrassment to the family name. The Baron hired a one eyed cretin by the name of Jeffery de Glasse, to despatch Michael, paying him half now and the other half after the deed was done.
Jeffery de Glasse returned from London informing the Baron that Michael was now at the bottom of the Thames, buried in the mud and so no further claims would be made on the de Aspin Estate. The Baron hated this grovelling cretin and dismissed him with out payment. When Jeffery de Glasse complained, the Baron reported him to the authorities, the Puritans found him guilty of sedition and had him burned at the stake high on a hill overlooking the lands of the Baron. As the flames engulfed his body, de Glasse screamed a curse at the Baron and all his decendents.
Just afterwards the Baron`s ancestral home, Aspin Hall was burned to the ground by Cromwell`s men.
And so the curse has followed each generation and each time there was a Glasse involved and a Michael Aspin.
The curse could only be stopped by burning Glasse in the Fires Of Hell.

I read all these stories that my father had written and it filled me with great dread, I had two members of my crew named Glasse and Aspin. I went ice cold with fear and the hairs on my neck stood on end. What was I to do.?
I challenged Aspin about the compass, he denied all knowledge of the missing alcohol it was OK when he left the wheel at 2am.
Steering a course was very difficult with the compass needle sticking repeatedly, .being an old ship we had no other compass to steer by.
The seas were heavy now, we were in the roaring forties, I also challenged Glasse as to why he was staggering like a man who was drunk, he said it was the roll of the ship that made him like that. I could not prove it was him who had drank the alcohol
The Mate and I had to try and watch these two men continuously.
One night an iron bar was jammed into the piston of our triple expansion engine and it snapped a piston, which smashed the cylinder, steam was blasting all over the engine room and the poor second engineer, a Mr Kevin Harrison, was scalded to death.. The ship was stopped while the body of Mr Kevin was retrieved. When all hands were called to assist in the engine room it was discovered that Glasse, Aspin and Ernest Norris Green had disappeared with one of the ship`s lifeboats.
We were approximately forty miles off the coast of South Georgia, but we were powerless and drifting with the current and a northerly wind to the South towards the Antarctic.
We had the sad task of sewing up the body of Kevin and sliding his body into those cold dark waters of the Scotia Sea.
Two weeks later we were nearing the coast of Elephant Island, we were surrounded by large icebergs. We had struggled with the engine repairs and finally removed the smashed piston and cylinder. The firemen got up steam again and the engines were started slowly, it was off balance and so we had to steam at slow speed making around three knots, but that was better than drifting ashore on that wild and desolate island with no means of escape.
Meanwhile, we learned later, Glasse and Aspin had taken Ernest hostage to help with the rowing and sailing of the boat to South Georgia, They knew there were many whalers and sealers operating out of there and so they could easily escape.
They had landed in King Edward Sound and made their way to Grytviken with a tale of shipwreck, they were the only survivors. A Norwegian Whaler arrived and Ernest being a Seaman and bigger than the other two, found a job onboard and shipped out. No one wanted a one eyed steward and a whinging sailor. They were stranded for the duration.
Twelve days after repairing the engine we arrived in Grytviken four weeks after the disaster caused by the Glasse and Aspin.
The Harbour Authorities arrived on board and were amazed when we told them of our dreadful voyage. He informed us that the evil Glasse and Aspin were still on the island and steps would be taken to arrest them.
They were confined in an empty whale oil tank, there being no police or prison on the island, and held until we were ready for sailing after loading the whale oil into our tanks in the holds. Also there was no facility on South Georgia to repair the piston and cylinder so we would have to make for Cape Town as the nearest port on our way back to Garston. The 3800 mile voyage would take us around seven weeks at three knots. We loaded coal bunkers, stores and fresh water, then Glasse and Aspin were dragged onboard in chains and taken down the fore peak and chained to the bulkhead there. A watch was posted at the entrance to the focsle and they were fed and watered when the crew were fed.
We cast off the wooden jetty in Grytviken to the cheers of the Flensers and the crews of the Sealers that were moored there. Sailing around King Edward Point we then headed in a NE direction through the iceberg covered Scotia Sea towards the South Atlantic. We now had a new compass purchased from the chandlers in Grytviken.
After 24 days at sea we were running short of stores and fresh water, we had enough coal loaded for the journey to Cape Town.
Nightingale Island came up on our Port bow, which was, unfortunately uninhabited. A few hours later Tristan da Cunha came in sight on our Starboard bow, a look at the charts showed there was a settlement there so we made for the anchorage by the settlement named Edinburgh.
As we anchored a few small fishing boats came out to us and we invited them on board. They were a very pleasant and cheerful crowd.
They informed us that we could purchase sheep and fresh vegetables for our stores.
Now at this time Glasse and Aspin were on deck for their exercise period and Glasse heard that one of the senior men on the island was a Mr Glass. He claimed to be a member of the family. I saw a chance here of getting rid of the evil little man, if he was stranded here on Tristan he would never return to England, no ships passed this way, it was the most isolated island on earth.
Mr Glass, a kindly man, took Glasse ashore with him while he questioned his family connections. I thought it would be an ideal thing to do, separate Glasse and Aspin , I would then take Aspin to Cape Town to be dealt with by the authorities there.
Mr Glass called me to his home, he told me that this Glasse had tried to tell him he was from the Somerset side of the Glass family. He could not possibly be.
The original Glass family had arrived here from Holland in 1814 with William Glass as head of the family and had never had any English side. He had Glasse taken outside of the settlement to a shack that was some times used as a shelter for the men working in the fields. He was locked up there while we decided what to do with him. I didn’t want him on my ship and Mr Glass didn’t want him on the island.
Then fate took a hand, there was a tremble and the earth moved sideways and back, a rumbling sound was heard, Mr Glass said “Quickly, we must get into the boats, it is the volcano.” Tristan was just a volcano with enough space on it for the settlement.
We and all the 200 residents ran down to the jetty and the boats took us all out to our ship.
We watched as the volcano fired flames, smoke and sparks up into the sky, then a sliver of orange lava poured down the mountain side and it was heading for the shack that held Glasse.
We could hear his screams echoing from the side of the mountain as the lava advanced upon him. Then it hit the shack and then a cloud of steam appeared as his body was consumed in the `Fires From Hell`. He was gone, covered in a thick layer of molten rock, a fitting end to an evil man and hopefully an end to the curse of de Glasse in the 17th century.
The volcano stopped the eruption and all was quiet again. it was as if it had to be to rid the earth of this evil. The volcano stayed quiet until 1961 when the whole settlement had to be evacuated to England.
We went back ashore with the families and all seemed to normal again. We stayed for four days while the good islanders rounded up the sheep and found us the vegetables that we required.
We bade farewell to our new friends and headed for Cape Town 2000 miles distant..
After an uneventful voyage of 28 days we arrived in the shadow of Table Mountain. The British Consul arrived on board and I notified him of the events of the voyage and also we needed repairs to our engine.
The Police came down to the ship and Aspin was taken ashore and charges laid against him, Mutiny and assisting in the manslaughter of Mr Kevin Harrison, our late Second Engineer.
The Notsrag was towed around to the repair berth and Globe Engineering Co. Ltd. Stripped out our engine and did all the necessary repairs and soon had the pistons moving up and down smoothly.
Meanwhile I attended the Crown Court on Adderley Street for the trial of Aspin. He was found guilty of the charges and was sentenced to Hard Labour for life on Robben Island, working in the Limestone Quarry. At last we had got rid of this evil duo.
We made ready for sailing, loaded fresh stores, water and coal bunkers then proceeded to sea for a pleasant voyage back to Garston with a brief call at St. Vincent in the Cape Verde Islands for bunkers.
When we arrived in Garston much was made of the voyage in the Newspapers and of the events that had happened to us.

CONTINUED...............................

[Captain Kong]

CONTINUED............................

March 2009.I have just read my Grandfather`s journal of 1925/6. I decided to do a re run of that voyage but this time on a nice cruise ship. After that fateful voyage he changed the family name again to Kong instead of King, a changed name a changed fortune. he said.
We went to Buenos Aires and walked around the streets such as Viente Cinco de Mayo where my forefathers drank and danced the tango with so many Senoritas. I went to the Pink Palace, one time home of the famous Evita and to the Recolletta, where she is buried. We sailed to that dreadful place, Elephant Island, through the mists and snows, through the Scotia Sea surrounded by icebergs to Grytviken in South Georgia. A pretty place in the late Autumn sun light. The Whaling Station has long gone, just a few rusting tanks and derelect buildings, two Sealers and a whale catcher hauled up onto the beach rusting a little more each year. A small grave yard containing around twenty graves of whalers and also of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the great explorer. A sad and lonely place.
From there we sailed 1800 miles to Tristan da Cunha, the loneliest Island on earth.
Going ashore there to the settlement of Edinburgh, we met up with Mr Glass, one of the senior seven families of the island. We went to where the lava flowed down from the volcano and stood on the very spot where that evil Glasse had met his end in the `Fires of Hell`, a strange feeling, being over the man who had caused so much misery. I picked up a lump of pumice, the size of an orange, from the lava and placed it in my pocket.
I bade farewell to the islanders and returned to my ship.
We arrived in Cape Town five days later and stayed there for a few days before flying home.
I took a trip on the ferry to Robben Island, a place made famous by one Nelson Mandela.
I was given permission to examine the records of the inmates. The whole place is now a tourist venue and the guides are ex prisoners from there. Looking through the files I found the name Michael Aspin, he was killed in the limestone quarry by a falling rock that crushed his skull. Then I froze, the date of his death was the date of my birth,
21 June 1935.
I have been much troubled by this revelation since I arrived home.
In my office as I write this journal the lump of lava from Tristan da Cunha seems to be alive, it sort of glows in the dark and sometimes a little sound comes from it, could it be from the screams of Glasse when he was consumed in that fiery lava so far away.??.............................
I found the lifeboat on the beach at South Georgia the one that Glasse and Aspin took 84 years ago and on the other photo the dark strip on the left is the `final` resting place of Glasse on Tristan da Cunha.
Captain Kong Aspinall. Bolton.

JEFF GLASSER…..
Bugger, reading down the last paragraphs I thought, yes, I can haunt Kong with tales of the 'Screaming pumice stone' and what happens? you beat me to it!
Fear not kong, Jeffrey Glasse is not finshed yet.
I will have to give it serious thought.


CAPTAIN KONG…..

Glasse is dead. kaput, fineto, I danced on his grave on Tristan da Cunha last month.
I opened the pummice from the lava. there was no sign of him, the glowing light and the sound has gone.
I am concerned about Aspin who died on Robben Island on my birthdate, was he reincarnated in me on that date ????? I hope not.
But I am still awaiting some peace after 400 years of torment.

Hope your writers block gets better soon and it is not infectious.
Kong.


Now wht did you think of that??
Did you enjoy or not. Is it the truth or not, I can assure you some is but not all.
Cheers
Brian, and on behalf of Brian Daley and Jeff Glasser.

[Doc Vernon]

An Epic Story Capt,and again one i will read again and again!
I dont know how you do it!
As said so many times,wish i had the nouse to write like that,i could also get a few going!
Cheers and thanks!

[Captain Kong]

Thanks for that Vernon," but I had all my family`s journals to copy so it was easy"

The story belonged to Mr Brian Daly, a Seamen of good writing ability ex Liverpool now living in exile near Birmingham.We just joined in and so it grew..
It was first written on the YO-Liverpool site

.Cheers Brian.

[terry ryan]

what a load of shite, bryan daly must be about 290 years old, and he must have a better memmory than my computor.
p.s. i have met him
terry

[Captain Kong]

Dont tell me you took it seriously Terry.
He does sometimes look 290 years old.

[terry ryan]

no i didnt he is such a bore

[Captain Kong]

Just a piece of light hearted fun Terry, Too many woes in this world.


I can assure you that some of the yarns in there were in fact TRUE.
All this below is TRUE, AND REALLY DID HAPPEN.
I really did sail to B,A, and Elephant Island and South Georgia and Tristan da Cunha and across to Cape Town in March 2009. Mr Glass really does live on Tristan da Cunha, I met him then.
I really did go to Robben Island in 2009.
Mr Brother John Aspinall really is a Master Mariner and a Master Brewer with his own brewery Cambrinous Craft Brewery on Lord Derby`s land near Liverpool. I AM TAKING A CASK TO THE VINDICATRIX REUNION.IN TWO WEEKS. Free ale if you want to try it.
The `Old Man and Scythe` Pub in Bolton built 1108 is still open today after 900 years, I go in there ,
There really was a massacre of 2000 Bolton People killed outside that pub during the Civil War
the Earl of Derby really was executed in 1644 outside the said pub.
Aspin Hall really was destroyed by Cromwells men in the Civil War.and the land now is a a Council estate.
The trials in Liverpool and executions were taken from the records of Liverpool Murder Trials, only the names were different, A ship really did have some murders on board and the culprits were really executed in the street outside Kirkdale Prison in 1844.
the Legal chapter was taken from a Law Firms site verbatum,
Some of the ancient historys of the Golem and and Byzantum and other ages like the Sumarian up to 6000 years ago, and of the Brotherhood, a possible connection to todays Masons, came from Wikipedia.
The history of Garston and Keegan and Adam de Gerston in the year 1198 are true characters in Garston History. see Wikipadia.

So it just needed connecting and with a few weird characters thrown in and a few imaginary adventures we had a story.
Only the magic properties of Garston Mud remains in doubt.

Wasnt that a bit better than reading some whinging whining post, or some of the one liners we get such as "I was on the SS Tabnab, any one remember me?" type of mail we constantly get.?

Cheers
Brian.