Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1888-05-02

monotony. In idle moments the
pass their time awayin playing card
reading and spinning yarns. But tn
moment sail is sighted everything
dropped. The man whose turn it
to be taken off the boat gets out hi
valise, shaves, puts OH boiled shir
and prepares to 60 back to town.
often happens that the vessel sighte,
has pilot on board already, or tha
another pilot boat gets to the vesse
first, so that the man whose turn it il
has prepared himself needlessly. Ii
this case, he resumes his every day
garb and puts away his town clothes
as unconcernedly as if it were a mat
ter of course. There is a tradition
among the pilots that che man, il
years gone by, shaved and dressed
himself seventeen times before he sue
ceeded in catching vessel. Thi.
would be exasperating if it did moi
relieve the monotony. Steamers are
considered the best vessels to board
because they draw more water than
sailing vessels, and also because they
move faster and with more certainty
than a sailing vessel, which is subject
to the wind, unless a tug is called in
to use. The weather around New
York harbor is as stormy at CO, tain
seasons as in any part of the world,
and it follows that pilot boat must
be stanch and seaworthy vessel.
They are also very fast, and it takes a
good yacht to overhaul them in al
most any sort of a breeze.
One of the most dangerous parts of
a pilots life is boarding vessel.
Each pilot boat has two yawls, which
are lashed to the deck bottom up.
They are launched by means of tackle
fastened to the masthead. The pilot
boat is so small craft that in heavy
sea she lurches and rolls frightfully,
and when the yawl is launched in
heavy weather, her crew, which usu-
ally consist Of two men besides the
pilot, must act very quick in getting
into the boat. When the steamer is
reached another difficult task lies be-
fore the pilot. The long swells rush
along the side of the vessel with cease
less rapidity. Sometimes the little
cockleshell of boat is lifted up and
brought up almost in reach of the
steamers deck, then down she goes
into the trough of the sea almost out
of sight. A rope ladder is thrown
over the side and the pilot has to
watch his chance and jump for it.
In calm weather another difficulty is
A pilot boat may be
several miles away from sailing ves-
sci in calm. In this case the only
way to reach the vessel is by the yawl.
This is often very dangerous and
hazardous undertaking. In one in
stance which occurred several years
ago, a bark was sighted from a pilot
boat. She was about eight miles
away. There was dead calm. and
it looked as though it would continue.
The pilot whose turn it was to board
determined to take his chances. He
started off in the yawl, with no food
DR. water, to row to the bark. When
within two or three miles of the ves-
vel breeze sprang up and the bark
sailed away. The pilots on the boat
the yawl had been picked
up by the bark, and its inmates were
eft to the mercy of wind and tide.
The breeze freshened, and night came
IN. The yawl was put before the
Wind and finally landed on the New
Jersey coast with the loss of one man.
A cruise in a pilot boat in the sum-
ner time is very pleasant, especially
t the pilots are ngenial, and this
S almost always the case. 1t is but
me remove from yacht cruise. But
imagine the life of a pilot in the win
er. Think of the terrible sufferings
f the New York pilots during the re-
ent bad weather, and those of us who
re able to sit at home aud the snug
ire will he thankful that our lot is
ot the lot Of these brave men.-Ex.
We have used KITcHEL's LINIMENT for