Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-01-05
WRECK OF THE SALLY.
Story of Staunch Little Boat and
 Her Interesting Crew.

"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 tow-path, but he can do his share of yelling, and as the mules think the yells are for their benefit and start up little when they hear the disturbance, the ''crew" earns his salt.
 The cargoes we carry are of coal 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 chored that way in salt water, the canal will freeze over so we cannot get back, and we are then forced to spend the winter In or on the edge of the city, for we of course live aboard our boat, as we own it
 My first mate enjoys this hugely, as she has been told it is quite fashiona- ble to spend the cold weather in town. It also gives her an opportunity to go a-shopping, hear the opera, and attend scientific lectures-same as city women do.
 take much pride in sailing our mule yacht, and many a race I've run and won with her on the canal by snealzing past the boats ahead of us while they were heaved to for the night
 Folks think a canal boat sailor is something to make fun of, and they al ways like to get off their little jokes about being wrecked in a 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 spanlzer boom on deck when ever they see the baby. They like to call out Breakers ahead!' when the mule stops to kick at fly, and "Low bridget" and "All hands to the pumpsn' and Let go the main sheet!' and Weigh anchor!" and other ridiculous things. It makes my first mate mad when the Sally is treated with such disre- spectful levity, and sometimes 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 Rleir lives by a 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 tho winter on the Sally, moored alongside one of the great coal docks of Jersey City opposite New York. . Our small cabin was handsomely dec orated by my wife, and in it we were as cozy and comfortable as possible. | The baby was then about ten months old, and in his hammock enjoyed life immensely. The mules were snugly stabled in the forecast after the coal had been taken out and extra blanks laid on the floor to prevent their kick | ing a hole in the bottom, and every thing looked favorable to all hands leading a serene aEd happy existence aboard till spring.
 But ''Man proposes and God dis poses" as the saying is.
 About the middle of January ter rife wind storm set in, blowing great guns from the northwest and every day l getting worse.
 The cold was intense, the mercury going to fifteen and twenty degrees below zero.
 Forty degrees below in the western states was hot alongside of it, for the damp, chilling air of the coast eats l right into the vitals and freezes the very marrow in the bones. l Keeping warm was out of the ques- ton. If we could keep alive was enough to be thankful for
 The ever increasing and colder grow ing gales had ragged for week with. out lull and the fearfully angry waves in the bay were leaping noun tains high and causing destruction and wreck all around.
 | Old sailors w1io had lived at sea for years said they never saw the ocean any worse. Ships were dragging their anchors and dashing ashore by dozens, and many lives were nightly lost in vain efforts to save the vessels had stout and extra lines from our fresh water boat to it's dock, but in spite of them our frail and unworthy craft was wrenched and tossed till I began to feel we had no business to risk staying aboard while the storm lasted
 My wife wouldn't listen to our leav. ing the only home we had, and vowed that if talked of deserting the Sally again she would head a mutiny to pre- vent it. So both of us, being only fresh-water sailors and knowing but little of the force of saltwater storm, settled down to remain aboard in spite of the warnings given to us by men on the dock.
 It was on the fifth night of the awful and almost unprecedented gale and the chilling cold was at its lowest point.