, 1890-12-09
LIFE IN A HOUSEBOAT.
NsArNEss AND COMFORT IN FLOAT.
ING HOMES IN THE WEST.

A-N eaNAA 1NaaAA ~ AAAN EANAt AAAAAEA -
Waters are moored a number of small
boats, which are literally floating homes,
and invite no small mount Of curiosity.
This new Venice is located near the
east end Of Robert street bridge, and is
popularity set down as a tough village.
Standing upon the bridge. 75 or 100
feet above the water and fats. and look
ing down uPon these unique homes. you
see a desolate stretch of shore line broken
by rock piles, decaying skiffs, irregular
stacks Of bark and driftwood. fragments
of tin roofing. rotten seines, broken bar
rels in all stages Of hoopless disintegra-
ton. and all the other lotsam and jet
sam incident TO the beach Of 4 waterway
with tides or a varying volume Of water.
In the foreground. and surrounded by
this A-bominRtion Of desolHtion, are
moored the string Of boat homes.
AL are small. but some are larger
than others From the altitude Of the
bridge they look like chicken coops, or
the residences Of ulrra-fashionable swine.
Descending from Robert street to the
fats by means Of a long flight Of steps.
the first boat approached is a small I'M
painted affair, stranded uponR stony strip
Of real estate temporarily loaned by the
river The windows are curtainless and
dirty. no smoke curls upward from the
stovepipe on the roof, and you conclude
that it is untenanted There is a win
dow in the door, aud a climb to the deck
lays bare y bachelors home. confessed
in the comfortless interior
A THRIFTY COUPLE
The next boat was quite elegant in
comparison II was about thirty feet
- I--N - -
lAtticed porch or veranda. without a
roof extending around three sides. A
shallow flight OF steps led from the
ground TO this porch on the deck. and
pretty rustic flower pots and hanging
baskets adorned the steps and hung from
the lattice work On the pack porch a
line full OF baby garments huttered in
the breeze, and a big black dog snooz-
ing in the sun kept guard w all The
owuers OF this boat are Danes or Nor
wegians
The husband is n turner, and many or
namentsl pieces OF his hhndiwork can
be seen about the boat. His wages are
$3.50 per day, and with no rent, taxes
or assessments. street sprinkling or water
tax to pay. and with an industrious. eco
nomical and tidy little wife. this young
man is much better hxed for saving
money and enjoying life than ons-half
Of the men who get double his salary.
Following along the path the third
boat Is reached. and the young couple
who live here are cousins of the turner's
family such perfection Of neatness in
every detail OF the small household II
has probably never been your good fort
une 10 sec outside of a New England
home. The kitchen floor was as white
as soap and honest scrubbing could
make 1t. the round breakfast table was
covered by n bright Turkey red table
cloth; the small cook stove shone like a
mirror and every cooking utensil in
sight was bright rs a new dollar
The second room was n bedchamber
and the sAme neatness was manifest in
the whiteness Of the spreads and pillow
shAms. the worked splasher and shining
toilet SET Not a speck nor "a spot any
where. n you are a~stonished into re-
marking upon this high state Of cleanli-
ness the housewife. who cannot speak
English readily, win point with n smile
10 the oceans Of soft water Just outside
the window. and the explanation is COM
plete. although you leave that house
with your respect for the Scandinavian
housekeeper raised several degrees.
NEAT INTERIORS;
The rooms Of this boat are all neatly
papered with a small patterned light
paper and bright border Of good width
The floors OF the sitting room and bed
room are covered with a pretty square
patterned oilcloth which looks not un.
like thing. and over this is spread a
strip Of bright, new ingram carpet for a
rug In the sitting room stands a hand.
some hardwood swinging crib. finished
TO resemble antique oak. mud the work
OF the turner next door, who is second
cousin to the month old owner of the
crb Nottingham curtains as white as
the bed coverings are up nj the win
dows and Topped back with bows Of rib
bon
A rustic stand and flower bowl, as ar
tistic as many which adorn Summit ave-
nue. lawns holds Il healthy species of
palm. and rustic baskets filed with deli
cate vines fill the windows and lend an
air Of refinement TO the room, which is
strangely homogeneous because of that
picture of outer abominations that is
imprinted upon the retina of your eyes.
In the fourth boat lives a young
NDuPit VIM dAt Just bGkllAluk iht.
They are Danes. and nave only lived on
the river for one year.
Their boat also contains three rooms,
but owing to limited resources they
were unable to fit them up as nicely a.
might he desired. but the same scrupu.
lous nsatness was over everything The
owner IL building another boat, which
il TO be forty feet long and have four
rooms when completed a boat Of this
lze, II built by himself. will cost the
owner IN the neighborhood Of 800. The
boat row occupied by this couple was
built by the man at odd times at a cos,
Of $50
This man, who is the ~janitor of a
Seventh street building, has lined the
walls and ceilings with thick paper. and
the houss is snug in the coolest weather
The small hold in the bottom Of the
boat has more or less water in ii, and in
summer II makes a very good milk
house. while in winter they can keep a
supply Of meat on the ice without any
trouble. and save money by buying ia
large duantities-St Paul Pioneer Press
Telegraph 10 the Brain.
From the stomach is the great sym
pathetic nerve in the epigastrium. Let
digestion become seriously disoIdered,
and that disorder is sure 10 find a re-
Election 10 symtoms which react disad-
yantsgeousiy upon the organ of thought.
Insomnia, nervousness, causeless de-
preEsiOn and anxietv are all mani