New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-23
A HUMBLE YACHT.
IN THE COSBY CABIN OF CANN.
BOAT-PEOPLE WHO MOVE WITH.
OFT PACKING UP

| II all summer; the men who do not will rent boats
for a brief holiday. and with some New-York bust.
| ness men who cannot leave town the custom Is to
| anchor n boat the North or East River during
| the day sailing dining and sleeping aboard her
| at night That there be any other way OF liv-
! ing aloat does not readily occur and most people
| do not imagine that domestic life on board boat
| can be purchased for anything but great deal OF
| money But then most people know little, II any,
| thing Of a canai-boat. On board a canal-boat
| man Of toll can live with his wife and family sur.
| rounded by all his household gods. and feel not
only az Independent the man on his yacht, out
| like king in his castle. He has nobody under him.
| 10 be sure but he has nobody over him. either
| When his boat Is making her trips the family feel
| II is like an Atlantic voyage and when she's lying
| IN dock as the cana-boats do all round the city,
two-thrds probably of the year, he feels himself
! less a waterman than before. For this IL one Of
| the quaint attractions OF life on canal-boat. the
people live aboard exactly as If they were away out
| at sea They are in the city, but not Of H. From
the dock the boats lie distance over which It takes
| a long ladder to reach. 1t is ladder cut on the
| HAS with rungs far apart. and a tit slip. and
YOU might get flung out into ten feet OF water. But
| It's danger is not what keeps the boatman's family
from going to and fro. IL Is the matter OF habit
| They have grown into the of providing them
| solves with provisions and clothing last some
months at 4 time; they do without fresh things
which are made up for by the fresh, open air they
breathe at night, and their children have better
| playing ground the deck than they could have
ashore Therefore. when the boatman's wife takes
| a holiday and mounts the steep, crooked. shaky
ladder ito go TO the city" you might suppose that
city were fifty miles Off and that the fresh cabbage
or caulihower she brings back with her dozen other
monster bundles at night was the rare product OF
a distant climate which came as periodic treat
Nevertheless. the children on canal-boats are not
only very pretty children sometimes. but bloomingly
mad and afr NH
has not been used up seem to work better than the
socalled fresh" green stun in the tenements with
the vitiated atmosphere that goes with H. There
is any fresh meat than fresh vegetables on
the cana.-boats What they have is cooked out
the galley which they put up on deck In summer
and with sail-cloth awning. and IL is eaten
where the breezes blow and no STIFFNESS fingers
And, then. everything is clean. The rules OF ships
order 10 handy TO the cana.man, and
permeate the family. To live in. he has little
cubby -hcle about 10 feet by 6. divided in and
no matter how large the family they have to stow
into the space In winter the stands here and
the cooking is all done that there is close call
for room. but the children drop down or three
together on mattress on the floor at night, and the
pace be we'll ventilated by the sliding shutters
which serve TO shade the apertures called wndcva
Canal-boats are a property investment, as muA
as are houses Their owners rent them
coal. grain lumber dealers, who load them
the purchaser in daily rental until they
choose to have the cargo delivered In better
days boat owner got s. day rent and in turn
paid his boatman $50 a month Hard times have
brought things TO 50 day boat-rent. and from
caretaker il responsible FOR his duty only the
boat owner who pays him his salary. and IS usually
prepared 10 guarantee his fidelity Gram noats
nicer live on than either sand or coal boats.
and three or four hundred tons OF grain Will often
The canal-boat house is not on top OF deck. To
fiat roof rises over the deck level only few feet
and you so down below, after raising door Ike q
cellar-opening, by half dozen steep little steps:
Then 1t is you see what order and economy Of
space may mean. Each step OF the stairs forms
coalbn the walls all cupboards. and contain
principally provisions. Clothing is folded nat on
IN the cabin are cans OF vegetables. boxes OF
cheap sardlnes. chunks of dried beef AND fat bacon
barrel Of -four and another one OF cheap water
sG1ker some rSt 3ppes and As %
of sugar tea, coffee, spices, and lard or cotolene
inch of space is ilied with something for practical
use There are no ornaments beyond the father ,
tops, and even these lind place on the walls a.
the floor cannot be numbered and there's no otnG
thing shines. The floor and table covered win
oIcloth: nothing is dsarranged. This cuooy.
winter when unable to live much outside OF IA
family of four 1--WE need find 1t unbearabe
man with a family raises above his roof four sup
porting poles and fastens TO them roohng OF AZ
.
n rocking-chair or two and here the family hses
Soo % hgqss There N a. and
three small children aboard. over their decknouss
they haze srechsd bgh aT Tx Sv f fodns
cot, comfortable sofa, hammock ana ts0s
which folds OUT OF the way at night when sseu n
the open air There is step up and little t Ia",
nE sqnd u so o a ns e The aber stretched Sa %
the sofa; while the mother is busy setting t sm
no
mock Another will be wheeling round baby car
be- seated round the oilcot af table shaded The
setting sun and blown by the North Rlv s,p Ssse
over you'll the mother step down to the w sse
barrel TO refill her kettle. which recalls me x n
Il has to be s0 soush s
only available for washing purposes ws, ,sr al is
barrel fresh drink is impossible r 70 S
tain unless they go ashore for H. but IN ne gives It
to the children mixed with condensed m'i,n' ON The
for herself she has usually the teapot rea1s w
i is big treat to the children to le, ,ns roues
ashore and sometimes II an organ,sriimmSSet 70 have
him come near and play for them 70 dance son viii
the rickety ladders are put IN operation ana SSer his
arm mount ashore, followed by the Older oneissed
mother This Is big Effort Usually csco0na6oa
unsteady inclined and in mood to patronzea YEA
n sc eHsnnss T a"S Ds oo
PLAYING s often echoed 10 the river Gee & for
IN daytime the baby carriage II set on t"'
the children 10 walk with hut as IL Is no. so snns2
to get Ia bes and baby carriages on ana on 90
boat this comes also In the nature OF festlylV'.
The canalman sits by his cargo often 10,
that by O'Clock the next morning he will be nnars
tow OF some steam-tug away up the river in n,s
10 no hacking no furry. fatigue. The larne. -
always ready Their land-home is their wafer.
home too They drift out into change or scvM
and clearer waters without effort o: travett
only small children found at home on cena,
boats When old enough to go 90 school they mus
live on shore with friends TO get an EDUCATION
the father does not give up his work.