The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-11-02
Especial Correspondence

meates Everything.
Especial Correspondence
AMAGANsETT, y. Y, Oct. 29-Latitude
tl04.16 north, longitude 71.51.27 west.
30 says the chart of the United States
BOAST survey as it records Montauk light.
Seventeen miles from the bleak pronon-
tory above which the lighthouse looms is
the quaint little village of Amagansett, a
scattered hamlet of fshermen's nuts, old
time houses of date unknown, gray gable,
weather beaten, beautiful in an antique
hecay, houses of the days when gallant
,ars came home from dim voyages on fab
Glous seas, and Atlantic Liners" were
hot.
A Quaint Old Seaport.
The old village of Amagansett was
settled in the vigorous days not far from
The May1ower In the little cemetery Of
the quaint old hamlet where ''Our rude
forcfathers" sleep is grave marked:
Born 1920.
Died ll03.
IN little Aragansett there are still
Standing gallant old clocks, grim and tail,
ftill recording, with ponderous tick-tick,
The dizzy flight of our fashions and fan
rles. CUR bicycles and Ferris wheels, clocks
that were once colonial, clocks that beat
out the hour of a nations birth when old
asragansett raised a cheer that shook the
rsry sea gull's wing in its long sweep
nlonC the wave. And still upon his arm
40. of the life saving crew bears proudly
today, tattooed, the image OF liberty, an
tagle (rampant), flag that wTestles 10 the
zenith and dim hint of the Father o.
Ais Country in the tattoocd clouds.
IL old Amagansett there is quaint china
that was set out for supper and lifted
to the lips Of h1sdy Old sailors and whalerS
when Washington was q baby in arms;
there are odd psqturcS that comfort the
Great currents Of history in marvellous
wise; there are old moss covered seats I'M
,ier the shadow OF the ancient roofs where,
sn the mild summer sunshine, the old
retired seamen sat, pipe in mouth, and
luffed and pulled away at the wonderful
tales of the $50 feet whale and Of the sea
serpent that doomed up on the port bow in
thick night off the Skelligs.
The old village of Amagansett is an
ancient whaling station. The life saving
mems fathers are whalcrs The life say
ing mer 5 fathers fathers were whalers.
The whole hamlet would arise and leave
the land of their nativity if "A whale would
only give them a chance. The ornament
that is the only feature approaching land
Ecape gardening on the tiny grass plots in
front of the doors is portion of a whales
spinal apparatus. You are offered a neat
present to hear back to tOwn-the left rib
of a right whale On the long sand dune
hill is the shed where the whales find an
end on end in huge iron tubs, kettles that
could have cooked comfortably Jack the
Giant Killers dinner. / have been invit-
ed to whale, or, as the Amagansetters
have IL, Wv all. "
The Life Saving Station.
The sea permeates everything and every
body. Little Amagansett hears but the
boom Of the enrolling wave and the cry
of the sea gull sweeping across the blue.
There are coils of rope on the shore that
once did brave duty in the lift of the top
gallant You go to the store-postoffice
for your mail, and you run into the life
saving crew, a wonderful flavor about
them of seamanship and tarred rope and
"jolly old dog Their dwelling, the a
j.. s. S.-Amagansett life saving station
is tiny house some distance back from
the beach, too far by far for instant, active
service. For the gallant fellows who hold
their lives in their hands the house has
but poor accommodation of comfort.
The gun carriage which is attached to
the life saving car carries the shot line
boxes, the hawser, the tripod, the box for
the code signals, the brooches buoy. signal
lanterns red and white, and red and white
signal flags. On either side of this life
line car are the torchlights for night
work.
This apparatus is used only when such
a surf is running that the lifebOat cannot
be launched. Twice week tho men go
through this 'lfe line" drill. l had tho
pleasure of hanging between heaven and
earth in the life buoy and of coming down
the life line with the pace OF Derby win
ner.
The gun carriage is rolled out to the
knoll, where the tall pole to represent the
mast Of sinking ship is planted. The
tripod is set up. The captain waves the
red signal flag, and the life line whizzes
through the air, shot from the gun car
riaec. Like a rocket it reaches the mast.
one of the life saving crew, who represents
for the moment sailor on the bark, fas-
tens IL 10 the mast. 1t carries out the haws-