New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-07-26
DgOLINB or THE COATING TRADE.
ALAzy LIFE WITH HOURS OF TOLL.

OBOL1 W. VI iii INA DSs
LAZY LIFE WITH HOURS OF TOLL.
CAPTAIN LARRABEg MoRALIzEs ON The GOOD
TINES PAST AND THE HARD TIMES COMING.
The coaster is familiar sight to every yachts
man and to every inhabtsnt Of q seaport town.
The nautical dude. sailing IN his trim vessel,
passes her with easy contempt The steamboat
captain curses hcr with oil the emphasis of Sincerity
because her red-headed costess skipper cings tens
cousy to his rights and will not get out OF tho way
of the big sdew heelers; and only the tugboat cap
tain speaks her fair. As that rowing Of Neptune
cruises about, he keeps wstchfnl eye ont for tn
flag huttering from her rigging, that signal being
the nautical equivalent for STowboat wanted !:
Apply on the premises
The coaster has species of poetic interest to the
casual observer, as she floats lazly ON the CLASSY
surface Of the Sound the sunshine resting on the
patchwork sails Of many shades Of dirtiness that
hang from her spars and her slackened and ven
cradle rigging dropping in gentle curves. There Is
o lazy II not dreamy, tint to the picture, but no
poet has yet arisen to sing the deiR hts of iotos-
eating a schooner with a decklosd of brick,or
to hymn she subtle JOY Of working the pumps FIVE
hours day to keep the water from rising over the
decks of coal.ladeD three-m aster. 1t is inst posi-
BILE that the poetic faculty does not thrive on a diet
of hard tack and fried bacon, such being the regu
lar bill OF fare on the coaster The life Is peculiar
one compounded OF hard work aud Incidence,
monotony and danger, the intensest activity and
tie most perfect repose. When the Sarah Jane is
bowling along with fair wind, the crew doze
away the time on convenient coils OF rope, only
disturbed by tho helmsman's drawing iard-s-
ee," he comes about on the other tack That
call only rouses them to the necessity OF stand
ing by " for few minutes at this critical turning
point In vessels .evolutons When the schooner
is alongside the dock. however and the crew are
busy passing brick hosting out coal, there 10 no
let-up to tho hard labor. In the fairest of the
summer months. when the wind is piping Free"
life Is sluggish succession of sunshine and star
hight; but when the thunder heads sail up from
tho horizon. or tho bitter winter wind howis
through the ancient aud ice covered rigging super
human exertion is often necessary to keep the old
craft right side up aud her sticks In her. In the
golden days Of the coasting trade all these
tudes were forgotten In the contemplation of q
goodly cash balance at the end of o prosperous
year. Bat now steam is running all the pioft as
we'll as the poetry of the business.
81 began coastng thirty years ago. said Captain
Larrabee, the other day. The captain is typical
"DownEast skipper. who has gone out of the
business. He fonded tho wheel OF tho Shore In
spectOrs steamer, Governor Hill as he told of the
old days OF cOastinG For twenty-fo1r years L
followed the trade and in all that time was only
home six months and most OF that was one summer
after sold out my schooner and stayed on the farm.
It's most out-of-the way sort OF life; yOu never
school or carries two or three men before the mast
n captain and mate The discipline isn't particu-
larry strict, though good deal depends on he size
layn pin. Generally. If man does what he's told.
he can sass tt captain all he wants TO while he's
doing it. In most cases it's real happy family on
board The mate tells Jim that he vuesses he'd
better keep her OIL lttlo or give that tbroat-hal-
yard extra pull, and jim guesSes it amt
worth while, but does as he Is Did. Just the same.
4" When [ began running along the coast they
hadn't done the first blasting about Hell Gate.
he water used to roar md boil over Pot Rock IN
brother was killed there. lie was at the tiller
when they were comm down to the Gate The Pot
Rock eddy caught the rudior, and the old tiller
gave a kick that slammed him over against tho rail
and he never was conscious afterward. In those
days we could make some money. Coal ireights
were - 80 ton and vessel that could carry two
or three hundred tous wonld earn handsome little
sum on "a voyage The last cargo | carried only
got 30 cents for and now they're glad to get it at
hOistin charges from that, there isn't much left
Then you have to come back light. ana wages,
provisions and repairs eat up what iiste y0my,e ,
such big item though. for the crews nowadays
are mostly made up OF boys who get from SlO
month up hsv aon pay aroSSaTa ses en
board is spced and patched Just as long as II will
hold Then there Is the risk OF losing yonr vessel.
L
of a man who had sailed two or three yeas with
me. and seemed to be smart feller but he was
drifting mp through the Gate one day with the
food tide when she struck the Niger Head and
down she went without cent OF insurance on her.
Son etimea though. little accident is just the
best thing that can happen to man; There was
an old Teller used to run a crazy hulk OF ballast
lighter about the harOOr. She wasn't worth her
weight in kindlin' wood but she was all he had.
One day he was lynn alongside Of q brig of the
Hook. just below the Grand Street Ferry In the
East River, takin out her ballast. The steamer
Continental of the New-1a line, came BOOM
in down the river. and the eddy that runs strong
of the Hook swung her bows round and gave her
"a sheer toward tho lighter. Tho steamers people
rang stop back ana hook her up 30 as to back at
full speed, bat she had an awful Roadway on and
cut clean through the lighter, stopping Just as her
bows touched the briggs side. That Teller got 5000
out of the steamboat company for his old hulk 1t
was the lucklest strike he ever made.
IT'S steam that has killed the coasting trade.
All these big companies that own barges
and tugs and tho steam golfers that run
ont OF Philadelphia have cut rates down to
nothing The crowd of bargemen and coasting
captains that used to hang OUT In front OF
Trinity Churchyard lynn IN wait for shippers is
thinning out fast All the big shippers own barges
and tugs of their own now, and the little ones
give their contracts TO the comp anies. It's the
same with all sailin' vessels. The fishing smacks
used to exc things out by going South and bringing
steamers built specially for tho trade, have
knocked them out"
Here the captain closed his tale of coasters woes
with warning toot to q reckless ferryboat pilot.
bent on running down the Governor Hill and all
those whose fortunes she carried
TIE FLAG THAT LOGAN'S COMMAND CAPTURED
At camp fire" of Corcoran Post, G.. A. r.,
last Thu rsday evening mitee consisting OF Cen
crai William Dc Lacey Andrew J. Fleming John No
Cabo Captain Stewart Donnelley and William George