The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-01-13
TRAVERSING HELL GATE.
EtJIG iTTON NIDE PhRILOtS mr. REEFS
fND IN INGE fBLE CtRHENIS.
The shin and Nerve Uepuired 10 Guide " Ncs-
--i ,nst thr hangers pilots who Isn'w
Every Tdd, sailing Through in schooner
1ytd Ntuht on the Sound Danger.


Every Tdd, Sailing Through IN u schooner
a VIVID Nighi the Sound Hunger
At noon on thc last dayoi 1871 the schoon-
or Mnluta. Capt. Ellis Of windsor. y. T.. lay ut
the foot ol p.rr 1. Ea.t rN r. T., ryihing WIS
in rcndin sa iur % voyage, the cargo WIS slow
rd. AMI hrr hatohos were being ia-,rnrd down.
She wuit,d ouiy ior Capt Jim Gibbons. the Hell
Gate pilot who had brought her into port four
wc"k, hoior'. ani vino was now io take her OUT.
They hll 900. long to wait. for the tide had moi
VT h.eun To- run food before he appeared
waikin. down the pier. n'"omuan cd by n r'-
porter i0r rur SITS. whom h" had invited to
take cru'sr with him Pilot Gibbons is
Long Islander. with a genial w'Hthrr-b'a''n
face lie las hcon for nearly twenty years
Sound ,,iirt. and knows every inch of II. and of
rugged ii''l Cote. as well az ID" knows his own
little hou... %, Glen Cove. The wind llew fresh
and k"en from a couple of points west and
north and mo- sooner was the pilot aboard than
Ines wrr, cl-, off. and the little schooner was
carried into ihc stream wiihou, the huisting of
a sail Then il was " Get that Ih ON her quick.
Stand by the main haards Loosen that ny
ing iih Ip with IT, There
Hcrlng far over to lceward. and throwing
The spray in clouds from her bows. the little
craft sp "a away up the river. guided bv the
steady hand of Pilot Gibbons. through the n,et
of tugs. steamers. sailing vess els. and ferry
boats. that. in every direction. pursued courses
seemingly ~ crratic rs comets.
Are there any reefs along here pilot"
mo none to speak Of. Diamond reefs be-
hind Us. between Governors Island and the
Battery hut there's twenty feet of water on that.
We're going over Quinrhy reef now. 1t used
to be bad. and had only eleven feet of water but
In 10 they took it away, and now there's good
twenty feet
IA 4 %
tho cables II the BROOKLYN Bridge. that. from
,he sch%on rs dc,k IeofSd al oSp rn pfy
swung way above them. and up the river sped
,H s Hn n az b In no i1 CoTMrs hISN
Island. AMI marks a gront bend IA tho river
From ihrr" On i was long tx on the port; and
short one on the starboard IA 'k up TO Black
wells island.
ANY rref- in hero, pilot2"
street with nine foot 81 water at low tide and
thcre's rock oil Fourteenth street, with thr-
Robert In.raham with coal from Sidney. draw
Ing fourteen foot. struck there and sunk some
know hS river SR hnd her, roo On o WITH ire e
there's rock in eighteen foot OF water. There
WINS a steamer sunk on ii. too some years ago !;
but ! forget the name. Gen. Nrwton's men
spent ~ lays S2undipg for thnt rock. hn,
any rock th.rc; hut Pilot Lockwood found it
Tor them. Tn" old Baltic. If the Collins line
was One aground there Tor three hours.
ferry Their l"eins a rrcf II rocks that extends
MAN, r lwar- re-. The yernor's table. Can6c
rock ami three or four more aiNnvs visible. hut
nameln-s TRADITION has il that many year.
agn ono Of m. I'D Dutch Govcrnnr- Of New
York wen, with "A i1lv uiriv lar nh tn, river for
son nay y, IN WIZ nw t w ,bat tSs ro.
bccan" uncovered. and remained 50 long
enough a. ncoin" comparatively dry ana that
their lunch. IN prcfrrtnsc To- d, nrtratin. the
dcnsr th"kci~ lining the river t@nNs.,
Choosing IN. western channel as III. one in
which the battling gusts ol wind from between
utilized the iiiil" schooner mt,le her way slowly
.sti,,r -l.lI.l iiy al inrs- vi, -nri fnnt
a.. cr, was ~ ,,i -..i'S ia III t'ie lYnr tit,
sh1o.s ur b.. n,.av 'hal hnrIv h,,n ,,iv.n
iy th~ ,,ii i.f,r, Ill.,. ,y'rr r'i.,t n anI III"
,v, -. ,t ,i,,,,t Al 40, =, 49,, I'm, L,.Ii
WAY MI n tnr ~ cat SnfluI .f,.ii,.l C.nti-
n",.J W. r,'d .,'i', :, mii ,l,. ny.
row "innr " nj hnnn,iu., ,l'-,Sn m" river. il
looked ~ though me IGtlr sIhooucr were
doom oauuhi.arion; hui AZ 10 tlr onl Of a
short fsrN M. frsinblrd i'm stay. tAc steamer
shot past, " ,hn u Low fr,t ana loii her bob
bn. IKEA cork IN The foamin. WAKE. The con
Inc island .tai Il in i,lantly M ti,. s'no"n.r ~
she passed. aud the m,n Iva thr guard boats
Kent riDs,. wutln of her A. sh na.tr Il III. sh Dre
rontin. 10 II riru,, los to II i.ian ,nst or.
,.nr,,', ~ .,. ~, " ',a'. t,r 'N""' up "'u " "
Al t6ei XIX r. md oi tl. island the,i.,t'- Mt.
temtiUn Wis attrntei 10 The pr'tty sr,nitr lisii.
declare, IL la h,. a. vast, of mon ~: fol- a, il,
sad. WIN : to- dark % see ihs end nj u 7 III,
round IN Gair. Just under IN, l.-AthousC
hr9.. ign| 1s;~a I r.ga bearing the name OF
Tn Muini.. wa, randy nearing Hell Gate
thrnu-I NLi.l fLr TIL. Ms iusi,r, win 1.rrni
yrloe,7y i1,trnI If tak,n.. H. HIM hnp"
het,y1ru rI,',I rnet NH Ii.ii'it'. II I'M Which
was alra MIKE Win IN drt, b6.n,d "ii II"
ken. Ia tn,. ,...-t If TlpnI rn.k ana yn- hrad .l
for tn NJ II ro.k rAuurnl hrtw..u liiile Mn
AMI Bis 'ill ro.ks, IN the .rcr Of which
soiinse iar,ash tie ehunnei ST.. Shot, G'rn,
"a los tAc strong ti,.e aud t.r lre,nien ng brre1"