The Portland daily press., 1884-11-06
THE MORNING STAR.
Gossip Concerning the New Missionary
Schooner

Gossip CONCERNING the New Missionary
Schooner.
(Boston Correspondent st. Louis Globe Democrat
The children's missionary ship, the Morning
Star, has been taking on cargo for the Sand
w1ch Islands for the past week at Lewis
wharf, and that region of longshoremen and
sailors has been visited by hundreds of people
new to those who spend their lives on ships
and water fronts. The present missionary ship
is the fourth one of the same name built by
the contributions of Sunday school children
all over the country. One was sold, when
worn out by voyagings in the South Sea, ard
two were wrecked on coral reefs off some of
the remote islands of the Pacific. Each time
the money was forthcoming to build another
ship. and when this fourth Morning Star was
commenced more than the necessary $45 600
was ready. Nearly 100000 children own shares
in the little ship, and all of them living near
Boston have been down to see the vessel dur
ing the past fortnight. 1t is many years since
my own pennies ratified into the Sunday school
box to help build Morning Star, but the
pride OF past ownership now passes to this lat
est ship that wears that name. Until the mis-
slonary ship was made fast to the wharf the
sailors never saw such crowds of just such PEG
pie In that part of the city Children have
trooped all over the ship and explored to the
lowest depths OF the hold, and dear old ladies',
main props OF the missionary cause, have gone
cautiously up the steep gang-plank and inspect
ed all the admirable fittings and arrangements
OF the cabins and state-rooms. The newest
Morning Star is $50 feet long and registers 40
tons. In nautical phrase it is a three-masted
barkentine, but, in addition to masts made
eighty feet high in order that the upper sails
may catch every lightest breeze in the tropic
seas, the ship is supplied with auxiliary steam
power, to be used in Gains and among the is
lands. Everything is good and substantial
about the cabins, but there has been no unnec-
essary extravaganza, unless it comes 10 the
presents, souvenirs and.bits of fancy work that
adorn the captains ssnctum.
That sturdy seaman, Capt. Isaiah Bray by
name, has been as we'll supplied in this partc.
ular as any young clergyman, and the sofa
pillows, wall pockets, tides, calendars. slim
pers and fancy pillow shams in his cabin would
make any master ia the merchant marine male
with envy. Every day he is seized by a dozen
or more enthusiastic women who want to
shake him by the hand, $50 as to tell the chill
dren about ii" and he gets fearful and feryent
blessings from some dear old souls it would
try any ones emotions to withstand, He
leaves the whole ship open to the inspection of
visitors, and though they trip over the ropes
anu gee IN tne way OF the workmen, and
crowd the captains cabin, there Is no hinder
ance put to their movements. 1t was an anus
ing sight the other day to see middle-aged
Clergyman of the most conventional type, with
gold-rimmed spactacIes, white cravat, and
long broadcloth coat, climb cautiously up the
ratlines and examine the masts and sails. A
high silk hat bobbing around on the yardarms
was novelty enough to make the old salts in
the neighborhood stop TO witch it, and an anx-
lous group of women on the deck below inn
plored the aerial sightseer not to fall The
ship is taking on general cargo for Honolulu,
and will soon DO off on it's voyage stearning
through the Straits of Magellan to the Pacific.
and then beginning its work of carrying helD
and light to the heather of the South Sea. It
was TO have left today, and services were held
on board at noon, but some trouble with the
condensiog pumps has caused delay. Proba-
oily no ship will ever leave here in which SO
many hopes and interests are bound up, and
whose voyages will be so carefully watched,
and it was quite an impressive occasion when
the ship, with the angel fgurehead was dedi-
Gated and formally turned over to the captain.
1.-THE Morning Star left Lewis wharf, Boston,
at II O'Clock yesterday forenoon, for the Pacific
Ocean, with fine southwest wind.-ED.1