St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-02-27

Oh fragile body. sad and worn,
Sest thee-sh, rest thee from HES storm
And thou. oh soul! that wing'st thy flight
From carth's dark prison into light
Great gain, Oh soal. be thine for aye
From earth's dark night to endless day.
-Chambcrs' Journal
-
WRECK OF THE SALLY.
Story OF q Staunch Little Boat and
Her Interesting Grew.
l am the captain of the fine canal
boat ''Sally-No 49," my wife is first
mate and our baby is the crew. The
crew" isn't big enough to steer the
mules yet or throw stones at them
when they stop to dine on the bushes
along the t0w-path, but he can do his
share Of yelling, and as the mules
think the yells arc for their benefit and
start mp . little when they hear the
disturbance, the ''crew" earns his salt
from the mines, and our trips often ex-
tend to the seaboard, where we see the
ocean blue in the distance, while the
Sally lies moored to the dock.
Sometimes. in late fall, while an
ch0red that way in salt water. the
canal will freeze over SO VIC cannot get
back, and we are then forced to spend
tine winter IN or on the edge Of the
city, for we of course live aboard our
boat. Is we own It
Ny first mate enjoys this hugely. as
she has been told it is quite fashiOna-
bic TO spend the cold weather in town.
1t also gives her an opportunity to 60
e-shopping, hear the opera, and attend
scientific lcctu-es-same ss city women
do.
take much pride in sailing our
mule yacht. and many . race I've run
and won with her ON the canal by
sneaking past the boats ahead of us
while they were heaved to for the
night
Folks think . canal boat sailor is
something to make fun OF, and they al
ways like to get of their little jokes
about being wrecked in q storm on the
raging canal They take delight in
speaking of the larboard mule and the
starboard mule, and like to ask if we
have . spankcr boon on deck when
ever they sec the baby.
They like to call ont breakers
ehead!" when the mule stops to kick at
. hy. and Low BRIDGE" and IAN
hands to the pumpsw and "Lct 70 the
main Sheet" and ''Wcigh anchor:" and
other ridiculous things.
It makes my first mate mad when
the Sally Is treated with such disre-
spcctful lcvity, and sometimes I lose
my patience. too, but the baby don't
mind It. so. after all, what difference
does It do?
If the small boys catching catfish out
of the canal think it smart to display
their ignorance of seamanship in these
ways or if the grown-up people at
tempt to show off their nautical
knowledge in such silly manners they
can But If they knew that the Sally
had really been to sea in a raging
storm and properly wrecked. and that
those aboard only saved their lives by
.. thorough understanding of what is
required in such emergencies. the
laugh would be on them and not on
the captain, first mate and crew of a
mule yacht
Two years ago we were spending the
winter on the Sally, moored alongside
one of tho great coal docks Of Jersey
City opposite New York.
Our small cabin was handsomely dec.
GRATED by my wife, and in il we were
- coxy and comfortable rs possible.
The baby was then about ten months
old, and in his hammock enjoyed life
immensely. The mules were snugly
stabbed in the forecast after the coal
had been taken ont and extra planks
laid on the floor to prevent their kick
ing . hole in the bottom. and every
thing looked favorable to all hands
leading . serene and happy existence
aboard till spring.
But 'Mau proposes and God dis
poses," rs the saying is
About tho middle Of January . ter
rife wind storm set in. blowing great
gums from the northwest and every day
getting worse.
The cold was intense, the mercury
going to fifteen and twenty degrees
below xern
/. Forty degrees below in the western
states was hot alongside of it, for the
damp, chilling air of the coast cats
right into the vitals and freezes the
vcrv marrow in the bones.
Keeping warm was out of the ques-
ton. 1t we could keep alive was enough
to b, thankful for.
Tho ever Increasing and colder grow
ing gales had ragged for q week with
out = lull and the fearfully angry
waves in the hay were leaping noun
tains high and causing destruction and
wreck ali around.
Old sailors who had lived at sea for
wears said they never saw the ocean
sny worse. ships were dragging their
anchors and dashing ashore by dozens.
and many lives were nightly lost in
vain efforts 10 save the vessels.
had stout and extra lines from our
fresh water boat to its dock, but in
snitc of them our frail and unworthy
craft was wrenched and tossed till I
heran to feel we had no business to
risk staying aboard while the s:orm
lasted.
Nv wife wouldn't listen to our leav-
ing the only home VIC had, and vowed
that II I talked of deserting the Sally
again she would head mutiny to pre-
vent il So both of us being only
fresh-water sailors and knowing but
little OF the force of a saltwater
storm. settled down to remain aboard
in spite of the warnings given to us BY
men on the dock
Il was on the 9th night of the awful
and almost unprecedented gale and the
chilling cold was ut its lowest point.
Rv stufIin9 all the crevices of our little
cabin room and keeping the stove red
hot we made out to be comparatively
comfortable. Baby was sleeping sound
" IN the middle of big feather-bcd
ON the door. and in his warm nest was
h.nnilv oblivious to the tempest and
.rct;c Temperature outside.
By and by.' without undressing At all
and. in fact, putting on overcoats and
wr.ns. wife and laid down and tried
- &~,v.ppf how the gale was