New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-21
LIFE ON CANAL-BOAT.

WITH A CAPTAIN AND B0ATMAN-FiGHTs ON
THE CANAL
"Yaas. the canal-boats are mostly layin' up for
the winter" SAID the captain of the gallant
PhGnix. lying III Quincy slip as he took his black
pipe from his mouth and emitted little puff OF
smoke " The mules has fuIIed their ears, and Is
plning for more cowboys to kick The sieerSmen
are scattered sort OF pronscuous like all along the
canal. Some OF 'cm are up at Albany l0ahn' an
doing a little sluggn now an then, an there ;
others down here seem the sights and workiR at
hghtug and sich along the wharyes There amt
SO many boats In just now. | don't suppose there
are over 400 IN New-fOrk.
why 7 III tell you. You a cana -boat costs a
heap of money, an when boats once butt rs run
for all it's orth. Now there was man as built n
boat oucc. He thought pile of that boat an he
thought darned slght more of the money he'd make
ont Of IT, Well, he did make good deal. but It
want never enough. BY an by the boat began TO
get sort OF old-decrepIt like. They'd put in new
p ank here, an drive Iresh nail there. an caulk
her. an work her TIL she got like the feileTs
Jack knife, when he had new blade put on the
handle. an then smashed the handle an had new
handle. He never could tell whether twas his ola
knife a new one
ing. and they advised the old man not 10 trust his
life on the craft, but he swore shed weather any
storm on the canal. So he started off with load.
Twas PLAIN sailing for while, then don't know
whether the old tub into chip or not, tut sue
sprung aledk. The old man ripped an swore, an,
| they all manned the pumps, but the water gained
on 'em. Then the crew mutlnIed, and sW0re they
were goin' to leave The Old man begged EN- with
tears his eyes not TO 20 back on the snip mat had
carried them safely 80 long. but they put ther NJ
gers to their and told him 20 20 10 hot place.
! They COt their things aud skipped out ibe old
man took big pull at bis hottie an shook his fist at
| 'em They all sat down tie tOw-path an
! slung apples at him. lie took another pull Then
! he got up the cabin, folded his arms, an SAID,
| 'Fll 20 down with the ship But the water nad
got up so the boat began to rock back ward and for
| wG-d. He got down from tie cabin. Then he
! heard the water swashin round. lie tried 20 WIS
| tie an make believe he didn't care. Just then the
| boat gave an awful lurch, and the boys on shore
! shouted. Good bye, old man.. lie made one jump
for the bridge that tue boys had swung out to the
| share an IN another jun.p he was on dry land.
| Then he finished the bottle. and by that time the
| boat had gone down. ..
more boats here because they re blocked by TINS
| sunken boat up 10 the canal 49,
Captain will you swear to that story r
! He land one finger on lis nose and there was q
! MYSTERIOUS drOop of his right eyelld.
- III swear there's q boat sunk up IN the canal, he
| sad, and suddenly disappeared below.
| The PuGuix &c.,. tightly wedged in among numbers
| OF other boats AT Glled the slip lnere were Duii
heads" their bilH bows relieved by lttIe INES OF
| gliding "lakels" and " SOFAS Groups OF braWny
| men lOunged care lessy about the decks NreatlS
of smoke rose from scores of saeet-lrOn or wooden
funuels. indicating the preparation oil the
| MONDAY meal. Women with bright handker-
chiefs twisted around their heads were
hanging out clothing on lines stretched
across the boats OH which here ana there brilliant
red snIrts lit up the white rows. Occasionally 2
little Tag was seen huutenng at the bow OF j - staT
boat Children were playing and quarreilng bout
the piers crowds of lOngshOrelnen tOied sW0ie ana
perspired man laden with various implements
| vas starting across the rows oil DOals.
~ mend stoves on the boats here" lie sad. - You
| can come along with lie 4 you want TO-"
| Ibe srcersmeu nudged each other and chuckied
| sheepisly ar the advent If a stranger. Take III
| yer nat" growed to his companion, VINO
| promptly responded, go to h--lD One voiun-
teered TO show the visitor over tine boat aud as he
'T nc Keen niece Of il for u-V we've made
Che round trip of ,010 miles in nineteen days" be
said. guess we average fifty miles in twenty
! four hours aud sometimes we make seyen.y or
| eighty We're lO8ded with grain you see," hitting
! a hatch and showing wheat piled up almost 10 the
deck. Ana here's where we Keep the nor i es OF
forward and disclosing something that looked Ike
a prison CELL -, -. 49,.
! that pianh ana over the bridge that We throw OUT
| to The row-paih. We change every SIX hours, and
! we often do 1t without stopping ne boat. Ii only
| takes two minutes and hall. Inc men take spells
| of SIX hours. TOO We usually carry two steersmen
| and two tow-boys for q crew. he steeIsmen get
from $50 10 $40 month and The drivers 10 or 4 -.
The captain most always rs his family along, and
doesn't 30 much OF any Jhlng. many OF Ihem own ne
| boats W hIcb cos from $1,000 70 $1,000. Sometimes
a captain will clear $1,000 IN season. lnere are
! men worth $50 600 running boats because they Ike
| the life and tuere men with good educat ons,
| men that have been 10 college, on the canal. lCs
pleasant life, because IT'S easy ana lazy, ana men
| nate to leave II. There's a good deal OF change
| about il, and you see me cOun-
| try First you'll be looking down on ravIues
|
orchards. The farmers useo 10 stone lis OUT II we
| picked up apples under their trees but they don't
| mind much now. We have dance once IN a WINE,
sometimes Oh the boat but Oftener at one end OF the
| canal in Buffalo, at some assembly rooms mere.
| The captains treat their men WELL ior ii they didh
| they'd gel lett in the middle OF the cahal. lhere
are a,0ut five or SIX boats sunk every year. either
| from running INTO something or because they get
| aid and Ieaky Sometimes when they sink at
irht some of The crew get drowned before they can
| GET out Here's where we sleep, YOU See.
| He climbed down "a steep ladder into mole ABOUT
as large as respectable closet, containing TWO hai-
row hunks Oh each side, a.,
| two httle windows Coming down the nver IN
rough weather the water breaks all oyer The HecA'
| and would flood us Il we weren't careful.
| ..FOlfs1 Yes we have fights, nut tell you what
il il canal bows are abused they're good set as d
| rule but people to think they're always ~
trouble If a man gets Ike ana goes 10 cap! an
| he'll give hun money II he can't get MN work. Ana
! husiuess men are always ready TO sell sewing
! machines and stoves Oh the boats Tor long credits
The hovs mind their own business aud let other
| people alone, but sometimes there's a Lard
| crowd comes along aud then there
| tr.,hIe Look here, there's piece out OF my Jaw
| hone this ~ where | was kicked under my eye.
| TINS Is where piece was bitten out OF my cheek
| This scar nv hand u from kuIIe ana I've hLu
| nv leg broken. That's what mean by fohDie'
n boat comes along faster than the one ahead, he
frat sackeps up and the second passes inside over
her tow-ne. rhereU very likely De words between
| rs lis settled night there. and every
| thing shakes when they MT each other.
| There fellows III towns aIV''- NV N"i"i ue1'
NICK fights by claiming TO be the best men III t1eiI
towns and sometimes there are city roughs on the
| hoats We carried fighting crew once on purpose
! 10 clean out another boat
| "The men work lighting about the wharves in
| r,nfer hut they don't come out with much money
| / wonIdp't advise anybody TO 20 on tile canal I'm
gong 10 leave. There amt any chance TO gel ahead
lbs pleasant enough but IL takes all the ambition
Then there was All adjournment to saloon-the
| Roatmen's Headquar ters'-which was decorated
| by the following sign
| ,SroI,,,cal or religious discussion allowed
| 70 koa viii please not interfere with customers
wmoos pipes over seventy old positively for
| hidden.
A bashful young man escoi.e n an , eqoa an,