Sword & Trowel 2018: Issue 2 Madison was
approaching forty, slightly built, and certainly not in trim for the manu- al work for which he had signed on. One dark, very hot night after they had been at sea some time, Madison, bent with lumbago and feeling desperately weak, was making
reading the Bible right through from Genesis to Revelation, and ever since I have continued to do this.’ Captain Brown was a young
offi cer of twenty-fi ve when he under- went this great experience and came to know Christ. From that time he advanced further in the merchant service, joining enthusiastically in Bible study and prayer meetings held on board ship by Christians, and los- ing no opportunities of helping other crew members resolve their spiritual problems. The year 1926 found him as Chief
Offi cer of the Ripley Castle, where he was involved in an amazing story of human survival. The vessel docked in Philadelphia two hands short, and Commander Brown (as he then was) went to the British Consul for help in getting staff. Two men were duly signed on but unknown to Brown, one of them, an American calling himself Tony Madison, was an insur- ance agent who had embezzled his company’s money and who had now deserted his wife and children and run away to avoid certain exposure.
page 26 Commodore of the Fleet
his way to his place of duty, when a movement of the ship threw him slithering across the deck. In a mo- ment he had disappeared overboard. Twenty minutes passed before it was noticed he was missing and the alarm raised with Commander Brown. Somewhere, he realised, in the miles of dark water behind them a weak, fatigued man was struggling in the shark infested waters.
A faint cry
Brown ordered the vessel to turn and steam in the opposite direction at ten knots. Then, having stationed men to listen for cries, he prayed fervently in his heart for Madison, who only that day had promised to attend the ship’s Sunday services. Suddenly, after nearly an hour, Commander Brown heard a faint cry from the port side. Ordering the helm to be put hard over he stopped the ship and signalled for the lowering of a lifeboat, getting in himself with a powerful torch. As they circled in the water the cry of Madison was heard again, and with
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