The Portland daily press., 1892-12-10
THE LONE FISHERMAN.
Discovery Of a Hermit in the Chi
cago Harbor.
He Lives in DiIapidated Old scow and
Has No Friends But Rough
Shaggy Dog-A Mystery OF
Lake Michigan.
Especial Chicago letter.


Out on the waves forever-always
their tapping voices to lull one to slum-
Der; rudely built scow for home and
the wide lawn of green waters for
door-yard; the only companion in the
perpetual solitude rough, shaggy dog,
full of good spirits and affection for his
silent master, his welcoming bark the
only familiar sound in the wide silent
ness What life!
Away out on Lake Michigan, at the
extreme end of the old government pier,
moored by strong cable to the timbers
of the pier, may be seen, winter or sum-
mer, an old scow, very small OF stature,
black of body, strong of sinew and Puri-
tanically disdainful Of paint, ornamen-
tation or fine attire of any sort.
1t does not require nautical eye at
once to detect that its black beams and
worn timbers were wrought together
by the unskilled hands of decidedly
amateur shipbuilder.
This queer old shell is the only home
Of a hermit fisherman named Carl Blum
who, by means of his solitary habits,
has earned among the fishermen on the
pier the pseudonym of the "Lone Fish
erman."
He is gray and old, and his face is
worn and leathery from years of buffet
ing with wind and weather. Meeting
with financial reverse some years ago,
climaxed by the death OF his wife, he,
having been sailor for most OF his
life, in his grief sought peace and ref
uge from his troubles in solitary life
on the wave. For four years he has fol-
lowed this romantic, If primitive mode
of living, his only companion his faith
full dog.
Every day, as long as the lake is open
and Jack Frost has not yet stifened to
frozen glare the smiles OF the blue
waters, he stands at his net, grim and
silent, in the midst of his jolly COM
panions, waiting and watching like
great gray spider for the wriggling vic,
tins to get SHARED in his tolls.
His strict attention to business, how
ever, and his very economical ways have
secured for him stores and gold more
than sufficient to keep him in comparar
tive afiuenee the remainder of his days;
but he prefers his wild way Of living
and will probably so continue till the
Anal frost shall have stiffened his
features to ice like to the wintry face
of the lake he loves.
Every morning, while the early fogs
vet press their white coverlets down on
the sleeping bosom of the lake, he be-
stirs himself and watched with great
interest. by the faithful Bobby, prepares
his simple meal, and sallies forth.
Leaving the dog to finish his breakfast
and keep guard, he steps down into the
queer little dory that bobs around the
old scow all night like rat terrier nip
ping the staid heels of great New
foundland.
A great peculia-ity of the old mans
Craftsmanship is that he invariably rows
stern first and "backs water" that is,
facing the direction in which he is 60
ing and reversing the usual motion OF
the oars The difficulty of this method
of navigation is more readily seen when
an examination of the little red boat
shows it to be at-bottomed and square
sterned 1t is very solidly if rudely
put together, however, and is the hand
iworls of the old fisherman himself, as
is his house, the old scow. Both are
made of the heaviest timbers, the planks
in the dory being put in double, and yet
stronger beams forming the skeleton OF
the scow.
It was new ssfind, ITO us two peo-
pie on the pier that afternoon, this
queer mode of life--to us, whose busi'
l. q fLo 9TH h,If
lives" N@
The gray old fisherman after his day
of solitary toll at the net, with the
glittering, gasping spoils in the bottom
of his. boat, was now pulling-or rather
pushing-homeward through the hun
cry white caps and the waning light.
The silver-lined wings of the sea gulls
flashed across his way, SO close as to
seem with the. friendship of fanili-
arity, and the brisk breeze toyed care
lessly with his tangled beard and broad
tapped cap, but he regarded them as
old friends whose friendly advances he
had known for years, -, 47e~ ss.,s
Putting out after him in rowboat,
we came up with him as he was climb
ing into his house from the dory's stern.
When made to understand the friend.
ly curiosity we entertained toward his
dwelling place he, not ungraciously,
bade us to come on board in very much
splintered-up English. Bobby, seem
ing to possess the astonished impression
that his master had gone crazy. forth
with proceeded to protect him by de-
nouncing the intruders in what was no
doubt canine profanity. accompanied
by goodly show of fang. He was
speedily pacified, however, by. the
united efforts of host and guests and
incidentally by dainty morsel of food,
and we walked into the parlor" of the
gray spider.
The scow was about twelve feet long
and eight wide, divided into two com.
| partments. The south one was the
storeroom and fish well. Here he places
all the fish he catches, ready for sale.
The greater part of this box-like foat
being under water, he, of. course, de.
scends into these rooms, and for stair
way in each he has provided a plank
leaned up against the wall with cleats
| nailed across-''c chicken roosts, as one
I