The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1896-11-05
THEY ARE ODD SAILORS
BOATMEN OF NEW YORK DO WON
DERFUL TRICKS.
Old Timers Mourn for the Good ola
Days When TuEbOnts Were
Not So Plentiful.

One Of the features of the New York
water front life is rapidly passing away
with the disappearance Of the Battery
boatmen. There are some of them left,
but they form only a remnant of what
was once a thriving industry, full OF eX-
element and danger, and once in while
with dash of romance or crime
Like the rest of the workaday world
the present generation of Battery boat
men have a hard time making Il living
Two or three of the real old timers are
left and they take a melancholy pleasure
in talking OF the days when I'VE used to
knock out at least $40 a week, and some
times 500, to say nothing Of good cigars
to smoke and fine liquor to drink. Those
were the days when the customs sharks
We're not so slick and an honest man had
a chance to make something on the side
by slipping things in without the duty
stamp on them. But we can't do It now,
or anything else. Everything seems to
be slipping away from us. We get the
crumbs, and they are mighty small and
scarce. The fellows who died 10 years
ago, before these times set in, We're in
luck They lived all through the good
days and got out in time to beat the bad
ones. We were sorry when the boys
dropped Off but we know better now.
They were in luck"
In the old times the battery boatmen
formed the connecting link between all
the ships anchored in the bay and the
city. When a sailor or officer wanted to
board his ship he went down to the Bat
terry. paid his dollar to one of the boat
| men. and was taken out In the stiff little
Whitehall boat. If there were half a
dozen sailors in the party, the boatman
made 50 by a half hours work. And 1t
was rare thing II he was not hailed by
some ship on his way back to the Bat
try and another fare or two added to his
pocketbook
close Corpor"tton;
-loS ~" NJ '''e ii'',ius % '''e
ooasiie" III 'iose uays' anu tney saw "
- Ia 'U,lpe'''ion o''' no' Gu, mo l"oii
o'' Wes io suon 'ni,s 40 4"
"poi u''ion pu' .neS Pioteceeu tneiii-
pui'e eivo',Feiy' ~ oue7iuVi
80 ~ ''''S ~ u "
po%'s anu get SNARE u O"e p'o'l's,
~ sumo ooui seous sP"N
~ n'ii,se'i H. ne ""s ueSi. WIN
ny ne was toiu 70 'aNe nus DoH'
"'lu s''n " n''ues' anu II nc opJecteu' nv
va &C. upOn anu SUNNY '"i''si,eN' II
nc sun pe,s's.eu III snoWins up We was
80" 'sai', anu ms poa. si'l''sieu' al.
sunelins caiaii'ities ol inns Ninu '"e III
'e,ioper iii'aiiapiy uec'ueu 10 qui''
~ 'e ieoosiiiNsu D"''e,S poa '.i''''i
vas iesa'ueu as such soou Olins Ina
II peoaine Aah'iis helriooli' anu the JoD
was named down from 1ather TO SON
Inc ola teloWs were mighty eiannisn'
TOO ana Wheh one OF ihelr number was
drowned OF uled' leaving 1afnily 'he
man VINO TOOK MS place had TO pay
percentage oil ms earnings TO the widow
- ne lalieu 10 Keep inns pleuse ne was
kicked out OF the business and an honest
man put III ms place.
But no such system prevails nova
Gays. Inc callous march OF commerce
mas taken care OIL that. The tugboat is
the Nemesis oil the boatman. Steamins
everywhere through the bay by the hun
ared It's skipper is not opposed to adding
rev uoliars TO the days work by SLOW
ing up lor Few minutes at the side OF a
snip ana carrying Few passengers
ashore rms method OF transit Is much
quicker ana more pleasant than the old
way lheh again there are not as many
snips at ahchor IN the Day as there were
III former years. The miles and miles
upon COCKS AFFORD more expeditions
pace ior dscharging and taking In car
~ anu the agents OF the vessels see 10
II that no time is lost between the ending
OF one voyage and the beginning of an
other. me competition for freight is
100 herce for that.
fheir wonderful skill.
nc HsHei "ien Vi cape Cou are FAMOUS
~ '"eN sAiil III manning catpoats 1t
oei.s d common saying that they can
MARI ume niue crait 90 anything but
.aih' Inc outline Battery boatman,
ei' eouiu give THESE Marcy people
many poiii'ers III seaihahshlp' as applied
Si''art po"'s
tne Wiitenaii BOAT Is peculiar grace
lui u iooN a. out terror TO handle to
o"e no' iaiiiiiar with her peculiar ways.
'ne lay iilihu she Is simply a round
Oo,'onheu lo"poal' IL leet long Tour ana
q uail leel Wiue' with taperlng DOW ana
stern, She Is strohsiy ouiit' as she must
sl'itu al hinus Oh weather ana very
nasty sea can be kicked up in the bay
Nnen 'ne 'lue Is running one way ana a
st,ons winu blowing tne other'
Inc Battery skipped never uses his
o"rs Mne" n"nuiihs the BOAT II ne can
possioiy heip 1t, ana that Is where MS
sNiii SHOWS itsell' Ihere Is no center
poaru OF seniplance OF deck IN the ooat,
pu' '.at uoesn pother MN III center
ooaru were used II would take OF valu-
ooie rom anu reduce the earning eapae-
Il Al q