The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-13
A STORY OF THE SALTS.
Experience of Grabbing Party That
Pulled Against the Anchor.

Pulled Against the Anchor.
If you will permit me I will tell you of
what struck me as a funny incident that
happened to two of my friends, who having
day off, spent 1t at the Isle of Hope,
grabbing. My two friends, escorting a
half dozen young ladies, reached the island
and sought out an acquaintance and bor-
rowed one of the common fishing skiffs,
so generally used al the sea Islands around
the city. Having the tide with them they
went some quarter of a mile down the
river and safely anchored on the opposite
shore. The lines and the crab nets We're
in hand before the boat had fully stopped
and soon the merry laugh and suppressed
scream of the young ladies could be heard
crab after crab was hauled into the
boat, the screams being caused by some
of the crabs that with raised claws ran
in too close proximity to the female occu-
pants of the boat. The day was perfect,
the tide just suited and the luck of the
anna teur crabberS was all that could be
wished. One hundred and SeVenty-tWo
crustaceans were In the boat when the
distant rumble of thunder was heard in
the direction of Green Island sound, caus-
ing one of the timid young ladies Of the
party to suggest, as she was always afraid
of thunder when on the water, that they
go back TO shore. The young gentlemen
Immediately complied with the wish eX-
pressed, which was agreed to by the rest
of the ladies' and one of the gentlemen
seized the oars and bent his willing back
belonging to the city and somewhat OF a
good oarsman, pulling with all of his
strength and force he could only get the
boat to make short dash toward the
marsh and then to turn rapidly around
in a circle, as if it was working on pivot.
He pulled and tugged at the oars while the
perspiration flowed from his forehead, but
pull as he would he could get no forward
motion on the boat. and none other than
a rotary one.
have often rowed a boat before, but this
is the darn'dest boat-he did not dare ut
ter the harsher word to come to his lips
on account of the presence of the LADIES'
ever saw in my life and becoming lit
tie nettled at his i'll success, and the smile
he thought he detected on his friend s
face cried out: 81 don't see s., why you
are setting there 30 comfortably whilst you
see me pulling my very life out OF me to
get this cusscd boat to move ahead, and
she won't. You just take one Of these
oars and help me" Now s., altho' a
splendid specimen of athletic manhood,
had been born and raised in the interior Of
the state and never saw boat before in
his life except in picture books, readily
complied and taking an oar, bent his
broad shoulders TO the task of assisting
| his friend, but not being able to keep
stroke, the boat only increased her gira-
tory motion until one of the ladies gave
them a short respite from their futile
efforts to make the boat go in a straight
line by saying, really, l can't stand this
circular motion any longer. / am as dizzy
as can be, and l am afraid that it will
make me sick" The first gentleman, rest
ing on his oar said: Il know now what's
the matter with this boat, she hasn't any
keel on her, and that is the reason why
she turns around So" The up-country
gentleman suggested timidly that ne
thought 1t was due to the absence of a
center-board, as ne had read in the papers
about the international cup races, and
that the American always used center
| boards on their yachts" One of the young
ladies at this Juncture proposed that as
the boat would not go with her bow for
ward, perhaps if the gentlemen would
turn their faces to the bow and pull in
that position the boat might be induced
to go stern foremost" This seemed to be
a good idea, to the perspiring oarsmen, so
! toward the bow, pulled with
all their might and main
but to no purpose, as the perverse boat
seemed equally determined not 10 move
with her stern foremost as she had with
her bow on. What was now to be done
seemed to be the perplexing question
The up country gentleman was heard to
say at this pause in their labors. Il wish
had thought to bring a bottle OF oil
with me as l have read in the papers
about vessels being saved during the Sc
/ Vercst hurricane by casting oil on The
/ troubled waters. If I only had the oil it
/ might get under the bottom of this boat
/ and make it so slippery, that she would
] slip through the water and we might soon
] be safe on shore, but fellow can't think
/ of everything especially when he never
/ anticipated anything of this kind" The
city gentleman al this time threw over
/ board an empty lunch box to see how the
! tide was running, and finding that it was
| running ont like a mill race, he woefullv
said: "N ell don't see what else we can
! do but to wait here until the tide turns
/ and let the boat drift back to the shore -
| Ihis seemed sorry outlook, as the gem
| tleman in reply to the query from ono of
! the ladies, how long will that be said
the tide will begin to turn in four hours,
| and it will take two hours more before il
| will be strong enough for US to float back
/ on it Miss c. very innocently asked.
| Cant we telephone to the city that well
! be home on the next tide
Such a forlorn party as the announce
ment about the vast on the tide made.
would be hard to be met with. Just tben
| one Of the other ladies suggested
/ Wouldn't il be the right thing to do 10 tie
/ a white handkerchief to an oar as a sip-
nal of distress, and halloa for help" The
| city gentleman got up in the beat with one
Of the oars in his hand, whether TO carry
| out the suggestion or not will never be
| known, for suddenly, as he cast his eyes on