Alexander Bouick was born in 1856 in Arbroath, a small fishing village on the east coast of Scotland. He left Scotland at age 21 and arrived in San Francisco in 1880 by way of The Cape of Good Hope, Australia and Hawaii. He worked as a draftsman in the Risdon Iron Works. After settling in San Francisco, Alex returned to Arbroath where he married Jane Lindsay Shepherd, the daughter of an Arbroath baker.

In 1892, he was hired as “janitor” by the San Francisco Theological Seminary and moved his family to a farmhouse on the new campus of the Seminary where Bouick Field is now located. Until a public school was built in San Anselmo, the modest Bouick home served as a school for the neighborhood children.

Alex Bouick eventually became the Superintendent of Grounds and Buildings for the Seminary, a position he held until his death in 1922. Bouick Oak and Bouick Field are named in his honor. 

This account of his journey, "A Red Lightie Abroad," was written for the Free Inverbrothan Literary Association in Arbroath in 1881. A copy of the journal was donated to the San Anselmo Historical Museum by Alexander's granddaughter, Mary Anne Cowperthwaite.
Note: A "Red Lightie (Lichtie)" was a native of Arbroath.

San Francisco
January 1881

"A Red Lightie Abroad"

Having been a member of your society a few years ago, & still having an interest in its welfare, it is with pleasure that I now, at the request of a worthy member, give you a short account of my somewhat varied experiences since I left the region of the Round O. In writing this, I will do it as I would a letter to an old friend & I hope you will all receive it as such. Like many more young men while at home, I was dissatisfied with the quiet & unromantic life I lived there & wanted to see some of the new country I had read & heard so much about. Being influenced by the good reports which came from the Australian colonies, I made up my mind to try my fortune in that country. Having found a suitable companion and a toursman of my own, we purposed to go out & share fortunes with each other. Seeing an advertisement that a new line of steamers had commenced to run between London & these colonies, who purposed making the trip in forty days, we both thought it preferable to a three or four month voyage in a sailing vessel. We accordingly embarked on the S. S. Britannia of Dundee for London, from the deck of which, we got the last look of our native town looming in the distance.

Having arrived in London a few days previous to the sailing of our steamer, while there I made the most of my time in visiting the different places of interest, among which, were Westminster Abbey, St. Pauls Cathedral, Houses of Parliament, Zoological Gardens. Of course, I can merely say that I have seen them, as there is so much to interest a stranger. It would take a month or two to see them all to advantage.

After procuring the requisition for such a voyage, I got on board the S.S. Cuzco of the Grecian line, a magnificent vessel of 3800 tons burden. We left Gravesend with nearly 300 passengers on board. While passing through the straits of Dover, we got a fine view of the chalk cliffs & Dover castle, calling at Plymouth to take on board a fresh supply of provisions & another 40 or 50 passengers, after which we bade farewell to the British Isles. The first day, after loosing sight of land, a great many of the passengers could be seen leaning over the vessels side feeding the fishes against their will. However, in a day or two they all got bravely over it & were able to take part in the sports & amusements, which I think necessary to enliven the monotony of sea life.

On the Fifth day out, we sailed close under the island of Madeira & got a fine view of it. We could see the trees and houses quite distinctly. Then in another three days we arrived off the Island of St. Vincent to take on coal. We dropped anchor at 7 P. M. & in less than half an hour, we had half a dozen barges alongside & the deck swarmed with natives. After getting a look at them & satisfying myself that they intended no harm although they looked a fierce looking crowd. I went below to the bunk, intending to get up early next morning to have a survey of the island. However, there was very little sleep for us that night, for with the noise of steam winches & the chattering of the natives, a fellow might as well have tried to sleep in a boiler room shop in full swing. About 6 A.M. next morning on getting up on deck, I found it almost covered with fruit which the natives had brought on board to sell. Then on looking over the ship’s side I saw about a dozen or two young natives swimming round the ship, and getting the passengers who had any spare coins to throw them into the water for which they dived & brought up.

After breakfast, several of us bargained with one of the natives to take us ashore at a shilling per head. On landing at the pier we saw thirty bullocks being put into barges for our ship. I had never seen cattle handed in such a manner before. They put a rope round their horns & pulled them up by a crane. I was told that they had all been worked. They looked like it & I now believe it. I think it was an act of mercy to end their life. Their look seemed to say so. I might also mention here that we passengers were very glad when we saw the last of them served at table, for one might as soon have tried to digest a piece of a blacksmith's apron, as some of the parts of them that were set before us. (False teeth would have had no show with it.) After getting into the town, the first thing that struck me as a strange was to be saluted by about half a dozen naked children begging for money. All the grown up people are dressed more or less, but appear to be very indolent, as I could see none of them at work. I also noticed that the women smoked.

While ashore, my friend and I took the opportunity of a sea bath, which we enjoyed immensely. The water was quite warm. After investing some money on fruit, we were on our way back to the ship when we met the body of one of our passengers who had died at sea being carried by four of the sailors. They had made a coffin for him & had it wound in the Union Jack. We followed the body to the cemetery which I was told was only for white people. The natives are not considered worthy of a grave, but are, I was told, thrown into the sea as food for the sharks which abound there. While at the cemetery, I saw a number of English names on the head stones. The Island of St. Vincent is very rocky and barren & appeared to have little or no vegetation. I was told that the fruit they sell grows on an island about seven miles off. The principle buildings in the place are the church, school & barracks. The common houses are built of mud & rock & have no windows. Only a hole left in the wall. The natives are a mixture of Portuguese & Negro. After taking on board 500 tons of coal, we again got underway leaving in my mind pleasant memories of a few hours spent on the Island of St. Vincent.

We had then little or no excitement until we were about half way between the Cape of Good Hope & Australia where I experienced my first storm. One day after dinner I was reading below when I heard a great noise on deck. I made my way up on deck and had just got to the top of the hatchway when one of the yards snapped in two & the sail flew in ribbons. It came on very unexpectedly as a few minutes before we were flying along with all sail set. I had not been five minutes on deck when another sail broke loose. It was then blowing a regular hurricane & the sea washing over her. However, I was glad that it did not last long, as I had got all I wanted of it.

There is nothing else of interest on the voyage that I need mention here.

Next: On to Australia
 

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