Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-04-01

II anyone cares to buy the yaw
| Siren, he may have her for soOO, or
triflc less than the worth of her ballast
as lead goes nowadays. For sufficien
reasons-to be disclosed in the cours
of this narrative-I am unable to Civ
her builders name, and for reason
quite as sufficient I must admit tn
figures of her registered tonnag
(29.56), cut on the beam of her forecas
tie, to be a fraud. / will be perfect
iy frank; there is q mystery about th,
yacht But / gave e4oO for her in tn,
early summer OF 1890, and thought he
dirt cheap. She was built under tn,
old Thames rule" that is, somewher,
between 1875 and 1850, and was, there
fore, long and narrow to begin with
She has been heightened since. Never
theless, though nobody could call he
a dry boat, she will behave hersel
in any ordinary sea, and come abou
quicker than most of her type She il
fast, has sound timbers and sheathine
that fits her like a skin, and her main
mast and bowsprit are particularly fine
spars of Oregon pine; her mizzen doesn',
count for much. Let me add the new
est of patent capstans-I put this into
her myself-cabins paneled in teal
and pitch pine and cushioned with
crushed red morocco, two suits of sail
besides big spinnalSer that does no,
belong to her present rig, serviceable
dinghy-well, you can see for your
selves without my saying more that,
even to break up, she is worth quite
double the money.
In what follows I shall take leave
here and there to offer name or sup.
press it. With these exceptions you
shall hear precisely how the Siren
came into my hands.
Early in 1890 I determined-my
health being in rather poor way-to
take longer holiday than usual, and
spend the months of July, August and
September in a cruise about the chan
mel. My notion was to cross over to
the French coast, sail down as far as
Cherbonrg, recross to Salcombe, and
thence idle westward to Sicily, and
finish mp, perhaps, with run over to
Ireland. This, say, was my notion;
you could not call it plan, for it left
me free to anchor in any port chose,
and to stay there just as long as it
amused me. One fixed intention had
and one only-to avoid the big regat-
tas. Money had to be considered, and
l thought at first of hiring. / wanted
something between twenty-five and
forty tons, small enough to be worked
by myself and q crew of three, or at
most three men and boy, and large
enough to keep US occupied while at
sea.
Of course l studied the advertisement
columns, and for some time found moth
ing that seemed even likely to suit
But at last in the Field, and in the left
hand bottom corncr-wherc it had been
squeezed by the lists of the usual world
known agencics-I came on the follow
ing coy announcements:
"Yawl, 80 tons. For immediate SALE
that fast and comfortable cruiser
Siren, lately refitted and now in perfect
condition throughout. Rigging etc., as
good as new. Cabin appointments of
unusual richness and taste. e400. APP
ply, Messrs. Dewy and Moss, Agents
and Surveyors, Portside Street, T."
On reading this took down Hunt,
and Lloyd's Yacht Register" and
hunted for further details Sirens
crowd pretty thickly in the yachting
list, only little less thiclsly than
UndSnes, and including Sirenes and
SlrendS, found some fourteen-and not
a yawl amongst them, nor anything of
her tonnage. There were two more in
Lloyd's list of American yachts-one
centcr-board schooner, the other a
centcr-board sloop; and in further
list | came upon Siren that had
changed her name to Wirage--a screw
schooner of one hundred and ninety
tons, owned by no less a man than the
marquis of Ormonde. On the whole it
seemed pretty clear that neither Lloyd
nor Hunt knew of the existence of this
fast and comfortable cruiser" of
thirty-five tons.
However, if half the promises of the
advertisement were genuine, the
chance ought not to be lost for lack of
further inquiry. So / sat down there
and then and wrote a letter to the
POLITICALLY named Dewy and Moss,
asking some questions in detail about
the boat, and, in particular, where she
was to be seen.
The answer came by return of post.
The boat had been laid up since the au-
tumn in sheltered creek of the r
river, about three-quarters of a mile up
from the harbor side, where Messrs.
pewy and Moss transacted business.
G'he keys lay at their Office, and she
could be inspected at any time. Her
sails, gear and movable furniture were
stored in roorny loft at the back Of
Messrs. Dewy and Moss own premises.
Their client was lady who wished to
keep her naEie concealed-ata any rate
during the preliminaries; but they had
flil mower to conduct the sale. Tha
yacht was a bargain. The lady wished
to get rid of it at once; but they might
mention that she would not take
penny less than the quoted price of
e4oo. They would be happy to deal
with me in that or any other line of
business; and they inclosed their card.