The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-04-27
A CHAT IN A SAIL LOFT.
Ev1HrsIiS7Ic rOrrH AND CivTyOrs
OLD AGE IN 4 iIk aBOtr Syiyps
Tie Grpdun, shortening ~ Vessels y,y,v..
Last or All IN tive I.umhrr rrad.--
Wrecked In Gains nnd GALES, nnd I,v,,sd
O0t Aob"dy kno>ss How insur,nv.

ONt NOb0dv NhoWs hOw-lhsurtuv.
Business men walking daily through tho
throngs on tho single sidewalk OF South street
do not realize whnt mn interesting street IL ia
TO tho casual visitor who has his eyes onep,
Ships. barks. briEatines. schonncrs. steam.
ships. tugs. and bargcs are in'cr sting. OF
course but to occasional visitors tho houses
nre attractive. Many Of the houses are very
old. The roofs OF some nrc hirpcd and hayo
gnble windows. and all OF tho windows havo
small panes OF glass. Shipping merchants shp
chambers. shin brokers' and saloons monopo-
lie most Of the first stories. In the upper
stories nre offices Of brokers. tug owners. men
who supply shirs with water. crimps. or men
who keep sailors for sale. and storage rooms
Tho Railways OF tho buildings nre narrow. and
tho stairways that lend to the upper floors arc
steep. Tho walls arc whitewashrd instead Of
painted. Jack plnned pine is used for stair rails
II tho visitor follows tho stairway to tho
TOP floor. which IL usually tho fourth. tho
chances are that he will ind himself before a
sign which reads sail maker" Beyond u
rS" S5s S sat IN se he Spck %as at ths
front and sides had been whitewnshcd Oyer
w.re f Ssss as and so waso .s Hue
pieces Of 2X3 wood that were placed between
the Ms d the Of an to hesbs
Of new ones we're scattered around. Here and
there We're men In Their shirt sleeves sitting on
Inches high. Each man had n pile of canvas
before him. In the centre OF the room was u
was an old black desk with a drawer in front
md three tiers Of pigeon holes Mt the back.
stored with old canvas. A boy sat on tho kog.,
The pleasant look about the eyes OF nm old
drop into a talk with him. lie was sewing a
tarred rope to the edge Of new emil.
Have you read In the Gssperrs u tha, the Coy,
The visitor had read something Of the kind
men Tor ali ike purpose % '"'' VI u" "''e'""''
No; l never thought OF that before. Arc
What bscomes Of tho old S%ks. Anyhow m. s'"A
Il will tell you what becomes Of them" said
hs anr END 81 Ss Ssndh and
with them q chipping from a newspaper. He
read this clipping aloud very slowly:
On saturday the schooner James Butler was ont.
as of s1d "A s ss M " ss
tia, was the last Been or heard Of the vessel
Father reads about the wrecks: l read
man at the desk rcmarked. VII YOU Sou arg
familiar with the docks along hero you vii!
been iSsnched in Maine and sent here for n"s
iS Yards se se
OF gentlemen in silk hats and vel dressed
saas Sess hsr day he
her well.rroportioned miists and yards. and
tho gorgeous fittings OF her cabin. Practical
men note that certain sizes of timbers have
been used in her frame. and that certain rules
have been followed in arranging and securing
the BAY these men speak Of having risks on tho
new Al clipper. They have insured her at the
freight rates they have received because She IS
stanch and swift The ladies who examined hor
the cabin the mast and the
month sneak we'll Of her until the new canvas
she is sure to encounter before she is many
gale. II it is fair it is just what she wanted.
Other vessels that are beating against 1t may
but With the wind over her quarter the clipper
carries . her tonsallant sail: and piles ne loan.
ns water under her 69ws nnt it rolls
as she pIunses down the waves. and then rcars
her head again wiz the froth streaming down
most magnificent spectacle and there is an
ssx a t II the wind that sweeps across
se who Tm nss only by
The gra,y.haired man smiled at the enthusi-
assn assn Of, Of MS ais son: and said: THAT Is the
tween decks when she is, flying along in such
grand style. you would hear a creaking and
perpendicular frames and horizontal % anking.
and as the waves shift. the pressure about tho
the cnlking in the seams first. and later ON the
frames themselves begin to giy"w
III she is strictly Al AID is we'll cared for.
she will hold her rating for twelve years. Then
she must be carefully examined and ii found
before the end Of the twelve year. that the
trip. Even with the fair gallo the lopGallant
sails ga come in Hnd the mpinsail VIII os.hy
as she would under n Captain disposed to drive
her. the chances are that the ambitious Captain
gets out OF her aud into new ship again.
out o! the general meichand ihe trade 10 Frisco.
or the W Whina 'Sn trad n md carries gunn" or
is an old ship. She is like M oyrrworael
She is u long time rising On the swciis. for she
mas somehow lost her buoyancy. Last Of all
she goes S into the lumber trad, and there wal.
lows her way from port To port until some day
TO- rise when heavy wave strikes her,
kos md said: The, Red jacket lasted more
TEN nnn fifteen cen years, Sh" was famous crreff
their stores, the puS;iq schoois were dis:
noon ton thousand people went wild as sio
move! moved slowly down the ways Father saw her
spars we're nut in and about tho h rs w Of Jan.
nry she sailed for Liverpool. Another clipper.
the Sovereign Of tho Seas. hal mad. the lns-
Red jacket WAS bu lit to beat the record and in
thirteen days one hour and twenty five minutes
from me time she passed. Sandy Hook she sail
ed into Liverpool. where she was received bya
host 81 screaming tugs and shouting people.
Sho was sold for sl5O.ODO to u firm trading with
Australia. She was altered between decks 10
nccc1tmmodnte cmigrnnts, and then made somo
OF the most famous passages on record. She's
ailOat now"
The old man slipped n hook from the sail.
Sh!ited his bench ulon. short distance.
hookeM on again. and then with his first stitch.
s"s s1 shs as 'sE gu, z s
ilrnl. and rs Just as said. she's nothing but
lumber hooker in tho Nova Scotia trade"
asked.
:, American built last eighteen years. In
France II Is twenty-five. Great Britain twenty
SIX. Italy twcnty-eght. and in Norway thirty
Years. There are some mighty curious things
about wrecks. let mo toll you. From 1864 to
1874 ~ vessels were wrecked during dead
Gains. $3.50 in light airs, l0lO in light breezes,
aoo IA gentle breezes. $50 in moderate breezeR,
ABB In fresh breezes, 1929 in strong broea"s.
wv IN moderate gales; ,O2O in fresh gales 4 800
storms storms an md goo in hurricanes. Besides all
these G39 others sailed away from port and
were dotted out. leaving ia tn oil bn, or