The following account is an extract from the book by Henry H. Bootes entitled 'Deep-Sea Bubbles' - an account of the cruise of the 'Anna Lombard' published New York in 1929. [499] [500]

'Bill Jones, the sailmaker, was a native of South Wales, and during the first few moments of our acquaintance he made haste to tell me that he had formerly lived in Penarth, where he had followed his calling in a shore sail-loft. Owing to a depression in trade he had migrated with his family to London in search of employment.

After many weeks he had finally decided to seek a sailing-ship. He seemed overjoyed of the voyage in the 'Anna Lombard', as his pay was much higher that he had ever hoped to receive in a deep-water ship. Jones was not exactly cross-eyed, but he had a strange way of looking into one's eyes when talking, which was almost uncanny, and made him rather unpopular with his mates.

Subsequent events proved that he had a fine baritone voice, and on a rope his stock of shanties seemed inexhaustible.

Another remarkable feature was that he was heavily pockmarked ; he told me that many years previously he had been shipwrecked in the old 'Irondale', a London barque, on which smallpox had broken out. To use his own words, he had escaped death by the skin of his teeth.'