The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-08-16
WOMEN ON CANALBOATS.
liFEIN THE CABINS THAT ARE FOUND
NAVIGATING THE ERIE.
Women Who Feel That They Are just a.
Good as Their Sisters on Land-NeatIy
Furnished Homes How the Women
Pass Their Time-A Prodigy of Nine.

There are few among the many who
watch the long lines of canal boats enter
ing the Erie canal locks at West Troy that
have the faintest idea how the women
aboard these boats live and what class of
people they are. The prevailing impression
seems to be that none but the toughest Of
women would or could live on board such
craft, and that the life and surroundings
must be of the hardest sort.
Bright and early one morning our artist
climbed aboard one of long row Of boats
that were awaiting their turn to pass
through the weighing lock at Green Island,
and almost the first step he took after get
ting aboard he met an elderly woman in a
neat print dress and white apron, who
smiled in a quiet way when the visitors
business was made known.
so you want to see how women live
aboard these boats, and be told about it,
too," she said, as she led the way back to-
ward the cabin companionway. "Well, l
for one am right glad you have come, and
that what you hear and see will be printed,
for realize more than you do how great a
prejudice exists against us as class and
also how widespread are the false ideas en-
tertained in the public mind relative to our
life along the canal"
HOMELIKE CABIN.
She directed the visitor to stoop low as
he began the descent of the cabin stairs,
and the admonition came none too soon,
tor the stairways are low and steep, with
no head room to spare. But once inside the
cabin it was quite another matter, for a
considerable portion Of these big boats is
allotted to living quarters. This cabin was
especially roomy and homelike, for the
floor had been scrubbed and rescrubbed
until it was as white as snow
In the center of the room a large square
rug left but little of the floor boards to be
seen. It was of pretty, bright pattern,
and a little white dog lay fast asleep in the
center Of one of the big roses that graced
the pattern. Over this several other hair
or carpet mats had been placed at the foot
of the stairs or by the>lounge that stood to
the right OF the door Tiny curtains of
some sort of dainty white stuff f1uttered
with the morning breeze as it swept softly
in over bunch of "love entangled" that
grew in little flower pot on the window
ledge.
Pictures were everywhere about the pam
eled sides of the cabin, and canary bird
IN g1lded cage sang sweetly in the win
dow near the pretty flower. The doors of
the staterooms stood open, and disclosed
pretty picture of snowy bed spreads and
fancy pillow shaps, while the kitchen,
with Its shining pots and pans, was an
ideal place for good cook,
I'VE do most of our cooking up on deck
during the warm weather, and the men
put awnings up to shield US from the sun.
1t keeps the smell of the cooking away
from the cabin and leaves it in a much
cooler condition." the woman explained,
as she kindly offered cup of warm coffee
to her visitor. @-i+ 10
HOW THEY SPEND THE WINTER.
During the winter months most Of the
boats tie up in the Erie or Atlantic basins
at New York city, and through all these
long winter days the women aboard the
200 or 300 boats go visiting and give parties
and dances pretty much the same as their
sisters on land whose abiding places have
rather more stability. Through the sum-
mer, of course, there is less opportunity
for social intercourse while the boats are
on the move, but when they tie up for
orders or to load at the principal points the
women get together and often organize a
party to go off on picnics and excursions
on land, the men being busted in loading
their cargoes.
When the artist boarded the second boat
a tall, broad shot ldered man. evidently the
captain Of the boat, seemed to be- in peel
ally good humor, for he laughed over the
mission the artist had STATED to him before
Interviewing the women at the other end
OF the boat, which, as the c8pt2in explained,
was their especial stamping ground"
While going up he stopped the newspaper
man suddenly, and, after an inquiry as to
whether ne were married, explained that
he had two good looking daughters in the
after cabin, and that he would, after dis
covering that his caller was a single man.
have to consult their mother before he
would run the risk Of letting him see them.
This he did in good nRtured way by call
ing down the hatch of the cabin: "Say,
there, Jennie, here's a young dude that
wants to make pictures of how We live;
think it's safe to let him down there among
the gals?"
TREATMENT II THE STORES
In answer his wife came up the compan-
ionway way and welcomed the reporter to
the cabin helm, with instructions to make
himself ito home" 1t would have been
n most bashful young man, indeed, who
would not have felt at home among this
jolly party. The girls, with their pretty
faces, came right up to the interviewing
scratch, and told everything they knew
about canal boat life and how they were
treated by clerks in the stores when they
went shopping in town if they asked that
their purchases be delivered on q canal boat.
Why" explained the youngest of the
two, these clerks were all just too nice TO
Us for any use until they discovered, as We
were paying our bills and giving orders for
delivery of goods, that we were living on
canal boat. Itwas just teo rich to see how
their jaws fell when they thought how
pice they had been to ordinary canal
people"
Then the two told of how they had spent
the winter in the Erie 6asin-oI the dances
and parties and weddings and the fun they
had he'd roaming over Inc 800 boats.
On another boat there was a good organ
and & young woman, who boasted that she