Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-09-13
Washinotuu STANDARD
NEPTUNE on 4 BICYCLE.

long retired from the Sea--were at
the :,conSet club house at NantaS-
ket on Saturday night smoking and
canning, as was their wont, saws
the New York Tribune. While
thus engaged Capt. Peleg Bunker
WAS seen coming with IA light
breeze from east northeast.
Twenty five years ago the captain
took his last sperm whale. 1t
tried out 1873 barrels. He came
back to New Bedford after the best
voyage he had ever made. Since
then he has lived most of his time
in Brooklyn with his daughter,
Mrs. Mehitable Cathcart. Nine
months in the year he is with her.
Every summer he comes to Nam
tucket. As matter of course, he
pays visit to 'Sconset. 1t had
been rumored on the island that
he had heen learning to ride a BIZ
cycle. The subject was preached
soon after the Cap'n' entered.
Yes" said Cap'n Peleg," l did
try to learn to sail that new craft.
l didn't want to do it, but my
granddaughter, Phoebe Ann.
shipped me for cruise, and said
she'd teach me how to navigate it.
She's es handy in sailin' one as an
islander is in managin' a catboat."
How did you get along?" in
quired Cap'n William Paddock,
third.
We'll" said Cap'n Peleg, 81
must own up that can do a good
deal better on ships deck. II
Phoebe Ann rates an able seaman,
amt much better than a lubber.
even now"
"But how can a girl sail one
with woman's rig on?" asked
Cap'n Zacheus Pitman, who hadn't
been off the island for more than
twenty years. doesn't she get
her lower riggin' in a snarl round
her legs?"
Mebe she would if she wore
petticoats," said Capt. Peleg.
"She's got beyond that. You see,
a bicycle is funny craft. Every
thing is slowed above the water
line, and cap'n, crew and passen.
ger-and these three are one-are
way up loft. So she's topheavy
at the start. On such a craft a
woman wants to spread mighty
little canvas; and for tophamper, it
needs to be light-just enough of
it to let other craft know that it's a
woman in command. A bicycle
hasn't got any centerboard to keep
her from driftin' to le'ward, and
she doesn't carry any ballast. So,
if the girl has got big lot of can
vas spread over her lower spars,
she may heel over to le'ward when
working against the wind, and
mabbe capsize, unless she brings
her bows to wind. Sailing a cycle
isn't mans business any longer.
When woman undertakes to do
anything out of her reckonin' she
means to do il as we'll as man, if
she can. Girls nowadays think
they are smarter than their
mothers, and guess they're
more'n half right. Phoebe Ann
saw that she was hampered by the
canvas she carried. She had taken
reefs in her skirts, but even then
she couldn't board and land as she
wanted. She saw that many girls
had bent their courses altogether
and put on closer rig. So she
said she'd do it, too. She put on a
new kind of breeches-a little
baggy above the knees-which she
dashed round her stern plankin.
l tell you she looked trim in it,
though the rig was good many
p'ints off course, as women carry
sail nowadays. But now, when
Phoebe Ann jumps aboard a BIZ
cycle, she can run before the wind,
sail close hauled, beat to wind'ard,
or 60 safe with heavy wind on
her beam and not show her keel,
though there isn't a pound Of
metal slowed around her kelson."
but how did you get along
learnin' to navigate the craft?" in
quired Cap'n Ahab Folger.
Well" said Cap'n Peleg, II
didn't tackle kindly to the thing at
first. Seamanship don't help a
man to sixpence worth in sailing
that kind o vessel. But Phoebe
Ann told me I'd got to learn. Ifa
man takes his wife on a voyage,
she promotes herself to be master
before he's day off soundin's. A
daughter won't wait as long. As
for a granddaughter-well, she'll
work to wind'ard of cap'n, mate,
bo'sn, boat-steerer, carpenter, coop.
er and all hands before von've