The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-13
THE MUSE ON THE CANAL.
RHYMES IN WHIoH THE BoATMEN
TOOK DELIGHT.

Sentiment ana muunor mat were Exhibited On
Canaibonts In the OLD Day-sokes at the
Expense OF the Cook-Love Tales In Notices
-Csnallins Net what II Used to Ne.
HoNEsDALE, Pa, June 12.-"There don't seem
to be no fun nor no sentiment In canallers on
this limo no more d~olefully remarked q veteran
boatman on the Delaware and Hudson Canal,
while his boat was waiting its turn for q load Of
coal at tho dock. when I FIRST went TO boatin',
long before the war, people know'd how the
boys stood on matters and things In general,
cause they always painted their sentiments on
the stern or on tho bow or along the sides of
their boats, 90 that q man had to be ter
rible blind. or else powerful short of
schoolln', IL he couldn't mako out the
rules and regulations that them boats was
run on. But nowadays things in all changed.
Maybe it's cause the boys Amt maxim no money
and their hearts consequently amt light, and
maybe it's cause they don't run their own boats
any more. but have to sail on the company's own
craft. Anyhow, no one sees any poetry on q boat.
or any cheerin' proverbs and the like. any more.
/ can remember when there was hardly a boat
that didn't sail under some sort o colors, or a
name that made tho boys either laugh or feel
good in other ways.
"I can call up some of the sentiments Of the
old.time boats that was prcttier than print.
Como smarty fellows use to nnd q little fault
with the spollin'. and said the stops wasn't
slapped in Just right, but them sentiments was
beautiful for all that. An the funny verse; the
boys used to think up and paint on their boats
was better than any joke I can sec in these
solemn days. Now and then a canaller who had
idees bigger than he could handle himself would
git o town boy here, or down in Rondout, may
Be. to nx it up for him. and then he'd put it
in big letters on his boat and feel prouder
than Q towpath boy on q new mule that
hadn't lost an eye yet. and was sound in every
leg. Now what do you think OF this for proper
talk r said the old boatman. shutting his eyes
and scratching his head, rs he recalled one Of
the 'way-back canalboat matters. 1T goes like
this: The misories Of life First, I want to
tell you,' put in tho veteran. interrupring him
self, and opening his eyes to explain, ct want to
tell you that this poetry was writ by Squire
Elting Of Ulster county, and it's my sentiments
to a dot:
"Ths mlseries of life and the torments of HAdes
For the canaller that won't 60 his Last centon the
ladies.
"How's that for proper doctrinei OF course,
you know what Hades meansi That poetry got
q cheer every time the boat that carried it went
through o lock, and all the boys agreed to It
until one season Sam Dicker. who was Captain
OF q boat. got the mitten from q gal at Rondout
on one of his trips. That kind O. soured sam,
and he daubcd on his boat, in big red letters,
this little stanzy. It was a little strong. but
then we couldn't none Of us exactly go back on
It, neither. Sam writ like this:
The miseries o. life and the torments of b
For the woman Is won't treat q canaller WELL
"The old-time canallers thought q heap Of the
fair sex. and used to write miles of poetry about
'em. Nobody couldn't find any fault with the
spirit that Capt Riley throwed into the verse he
-ryt o-l pa;,taJ ~ his bat r lo-st tb:nly Ik
ran as follows, az near as I can call 1t back
Woman, lovely woman - That's the uncom'
%promisin' way the Captain begun his lines" the
veteran broke in on the train OF his reminiscent
ces again to explain. There wasn't no two
sides TO them sentiments:
woman, lovely woman, God bless heri
We boat coal all summer in winter for to dress her
The trouble with Capt. Riley was, though,
too far. He tried to dress more lovely women in
the winter than what he made a boatin' coal in
the summer would stand, and SO the first thinS
had to step In and sell his boat, sentiment and all
Br r9Rs g. down dnS eo Us fss & Seua tS S Safe Pames !
touch up on the fair sex. I never could quite
Hnd%stsnd that poetry but the way Il used {
had the right doctrine In It and that every
This Is the way they used to run:
"So eanawler amt an Apoller.
But when q lady loves o cAnaWler,
There Amt nothin' else that can ever appall her.
said. I never could quite git 1t through
s sall sas .s Hsa :=eanavisg 4 sos hSt the jingle insS 'Ss lsGe'
Be spoiled. s,Poss r. 1t was as popular alons
THE names II that the boatm 1aG in them root
: old day days gavs Ito to the boats was sometime net me,
. Jolly Pat Collins. He had a boat that he caliec
the lightning Fanny. She was named after
! part OF the name came from her. The Lightning
+ part Pat hitched on to It. because he made
dale and Rondout that beat the recoT'
more than an hour. He didn't MARI:
. to make the weddln' trip on Pats boat as cook
80 Pat married tho widow of a soap boiler, VIII
: name 'S OF his is boat sSly 70 a" the re- aiii aha NJ Jan ee' tRs Jam an
being the widows front name. To make the re
ehristsnin' Of the boat more strikin' Pat go
: painted it on the bow OF the boat. Stand aside
o the poetry began:
stand aside. let me glide;
II What makes me such a .ktdder'
The Cap Is married, and his bride
u Was . soap-fat boilers wilder.
Them lines made the boys howl every tim
month afterward Capt. Pat had 70 paint 'er
Q one of Pats crew, there was a universal wall @
sorrow went up all along the line from Home
S S.is, to On i II. bo Sem n. OF sd taS 0o {s. w al fSun pst m ,
hat / wear n green vil.ler; It's all round my haI
n for q twelve month and q day. should anybod
v ask you the reason w I wear It, Just tell 'et
> that my true love has gone far. far away Blu
Pat said them wasn't his sentiments. II
thought up another verse himself. The spirit c
a the poetry was a leetle, reckless and Kind
" looked as IL Capt. Pat had lost confidence In hi
u boat. This 10 The way he wrote:
"Our anchors weighed, our sail IA aot,
We're on for port whether we git there or not.
"One OF tho popular boats OF forty years ag
: was the High Stepping Sally OF Ellenytlle. TT
boys were always glad to meet tho High SteJ
eye Beauty OF Shanty Hin happened to meet o
! the line, or II High Low Jack of L~ockewac
y hove in sight durin' a trip. the boys Away
. passed tho boatsmAn's horn to and fro severe
% times before they. parted. The h9atsman's hor
4 fingers. and sometimes II took the thum
besides TO measure the gauge 70 spi
o called tho Cheering Boat. Horn. Right unde
d the name he had painted In big black letter,
meyer scE vino MSst tho 2a horn ra, pn!eS Tb ySu m can i put h tn