Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-07-29

A day with the bounds aHOrus q RioIlouS eA-
citement practically appreciated by numbers,
but it is a question to my mind whether day
with the salvOrs, or saltwagemen, as they call
themselves on the east coast, might not be
found equally pleasurable, though possibly
somewhat dangerous.
of the window of mine inn, watching the labor
ing vessel on rough outlaDdish part of the
coast, one wild winters afternoon; and having
a day to spare, resolved, if possible, TO try the
experiment, being personally acquainted with
several of the class-the clements also showing
that gale such as would give one real eX-
perience was fast brewing; so salying forth, I
made for the little wooden jetty where | felt
pretty sure my men, with spy-glass in hand,
would be taking their usual quarterback stroll,
| coming the horizon for lame ducks-in other
words vessels needing assistance
The spot was soon reached, and, as luck would
| have it, there was my old acquaintance, George
Watt, as smart and daring smacksman as
ever handled a tiller, puller an oar or rlsked
| his own life TO save another.
"Well, George, what's in the wind now3
Looking ont for jobf" said |, joining the
| group.
"Tm thinking, sir" replied he, looking up
at the flying scud, "that plenty of poor fellows
| will be looking out for as soon, and not a few
will be missing the number of their mess be-
fore this time tomorrow, if know anything of
the signs alOft; so we've Just agreed to take out
the Sally on the early morning tide, and see if
| we can't fall in with something.
That's Just what | expected" remarked L,
"and have come down now on purpose TO ask
you TO take me with you"
"Take you, sirl take youp exclaimed all
in a tone of somewhat contemptuOus astonish-
| ment.
| Lords sakep said one, "you surely don't
mean what you say It's all very well for the
likes of us who are used to it, but Eco offense, |
| hope) it seems to me sort o. crazy thing for
such as you to go and risk your life for nothing
without no call, and for one say no."
Here George came to the rescue.
"Stop bit, mates" he said 81 know this
| gent better than you, and although he amt
| quite salt, he's smet gale or two before now,
| and knows well how to take care of himself; so
| | say, that if he likes to take turn with us in
| the morning, why let him; you've no call to
fear his being in the way"
So it was, though not very willingly, agreed
that l should make one of the party, and after
arranging for a loan Of the necessary rig-out in
| regular salvor's fashion, which George promised
10 bring to my hotel in the evening, gave the
men trile for glasses round, and then, re-
ceiving strict injunctions to be ready by three
O'Clock in the morning sharp, left them.
| Having discussed satisfactory dinner, and
| seated myself before cheerful fire, enjoying
| the fragrant weed, | was fast drifting into
| dFeamand when George was announced with
his bundle; so ordering him seat and a glass
| of grog, made up my mind for an interesting
| chat on the subject of salvage, or, in the YER
| nacular "saltwaging," for had proved him to
be an honest, truthful fellow long before.
| CLOVIS the world been treating you lately
| George? Making your fortune, eh ~
| ga rather ragged one, Pm thinking, SIR Not
| much chance of a man in my line making q
| fortune while he has nine young mouths to
| feed-not as mean for to complain; Pm better
| off nor a great many, thanks TO my Sally,
| who's a fortune in herself! She do manage
wonderful; and my young uns, bless 'em!
| wouldn't be without 'em for all the world; but
| the times is hard for most every one, least it
/ seems like it to me; but what's the use o.
grumblng? that never did no good, though
| do get a bit down like when times is VERY
bad, but Sally alters cheers me up, and says,
| Never mine, George; you do your duty like a
man, and leave the rest to Providence.
"Ah, but you get good deal of money some
times, George, and Pm afraid don't put it by
for rainy day. Why, Pve read in the papers
| of cases where the salvors got Goo and more
for two or three days work"
"Quite true sir, but you don't know how the
money goes"
Then tell me all about it, George, for it's not
| clear to me at ALL"
1 George scratched his head minute, and
then commenced as follows, only in his own
| rough way:
"You see, sir, there are many kinds of salvage,
and they don't all pay alike; besides, during a
great portion of the year, there's no salyaging
| at all, and except little chance fishing, we've
| got to live on what we earned at other times,
and often, especially if the weather be fine and
we have no luck, we are obliged to borrow from
ship-agents and others on the strength of the
next job we may fall in with, which is bad in
| more ways than one. IN tell you few cases
of different kinds that Pve been concerned in /;
| you will then be able TO Judge.
There was the bark stranded on the Longsand
| in March last year. As soon as we saw her sig
nal of distress we bore down, but were obliged
| to lay TO at some little distance, on account of
| the broken water. There was no time to lose,
as the sea was making clean sweep over her;
| so we got out our boat, and pulling hard
| through the surf, with one man baing all the
| time, we managed in a little while to get on
board of her, when we found her to be the Mary
Jane, with valuable general cargo. The cap
| tain was glad enough to engage us directly, also
| five other SmackS' crews that came Just after US.
The ships crew were quite exhausted; so we
set to work at the pumps, carried out Hedges
| and warps through the broken water at great
risk to our lives, and then hove all taut as tide
made, hoping to get her of, but it was no use;
| so we set to work and got some of the cargo
| overheard, taking turn about at the pumps till
| next tide; but she wouldn't come off then, and
| and knocked about so that we had to cut away
| the maStS to ease her, or she would have gone
| to pieces. Kept on pumping and throwing more
| cargo overheard at intervals, and trying to
heave her off, without success till the third day,
| when, the weather moderatng, we got tow lines
| to the smacks, and at high water she came off
1
| pumps to prevent her sinking, till we got her
| into port and on to the mud in safety.
That was one Of the best jobs | ever had
| share in for we got 950O among us without
having to employ lawyer, but then we had to
| divide it into good many shares, which people
| don't seem to think of.
| How did we share it? Why, as we always
| do, sir There were six smacks, and seven men
| on board each, but the smacks take two shares
each, so that it had to be divided INTO fifty-four
1 Oh ~.
| pounds, but never had another job for nearly
month, when we fell in with an old collier
| which gave us nearly as much risk and hard
work, and only paid three pounds share.
The best time is when we get driving Job, if
| the weather turns out moderate, and the cargo
| is valuable; for then we sometimes get nearly
| half the value of what we save, when all eX-
penses have been paid, but it's risky work, and
| we have to bear all expenses of damage to our
| gear, whether we save anything or not.
We often see plenty of floating wreck, some
1 times the greater part Of hull in the fairw ay
of vessels but it's better to let that sort of thing
| be.
You think that's too bad, because it must
| create good many shipwreckS?
Well, so it does, sir; there's no doubt of that,
though it would be difficult to prove; but what
| would you have us do? We can't afford to work
| at loss.
There was part of the hull of a large ship.
with some of her cargo of wood in it, floating
| right IN the Track OF vessels passing up and
| down Channel last October. Being so low in
the water it could not be seen at night and, al
ways drifting about, it was worse than sunken
| rock. r..
We and three other smacks tackled it, though
| it was blowing hard at the time with heavy
sea, and it took nearly four days to get it into
| the harbor and safely moored. We then handed
| it over TO the government receiver of wreck, as
| we were bound to do.
The receiver of wreck had it Sold and gave us
all he could, which, when shared, was equal to
three pounds head; but :here wasn't much left
out of that after paying for damage to tow
| ropes and boats, so we made up our minds to
| have nothing more to do with things of that
| sort. ,
Creeping for anchors and chains, slipped by
| vessels near the sands in bad weather, used to
pay as well anything in the long run, because
there were generally plenty Of them; but they
have been hardly worth getting since the act of
parliament was passed about their being tested
and we seldom get more than two shilling a
hundred weight now. It's hard work. can tell
you, sir, and only answers when we can't get
anything else, as the boats often get chafed and
damaged, and you can't call about two shillings
a share much for an anchor of ten hundred
weight; but, taken along with fishing at times,
it helps to keep us in bread when there's nothing
| else to do.