Saving a Fiddle

Ole Bull owned a treasured Guarnerius violin known as the “King Joseph.” Great old instruments were treated like individuals—and this one wasn’t just priceless in tone: Bull had about eight hundred pounds invested in it.

During one American concert trip he was aboard an Ohio River steamboat when disaster hit. The boiler burst, tearing the front of the boat away and setting the cabins on fire. Smoke, flames, splintered timber—women screaming, children crying—chaos everywhere.

In a moment that says everything about obsession, Bull didn’t rush to help strangers. He rushed to his cabin. He seized the Guarnerius, clamped it between his teeth, and leapt over the rail into muddy water. He swam for shore, climbed out, and immediately examined the violin with tender care to be sure it hadn’t been harmed.

For that minute, Ole Bull barely mattered to Ole Bull. Only the “King Joseph” did.