The sun., 1898-01-09
Mr.. HITS SODIUM FLYER.
ROCKET BoAr THAT sHALL Loa
<e KNOTS AN HOUR.

-.,. E,Lanah Has Her Planned Out nnd
vt.,ty or Money 20 Baiid mer with, bat ne
a, 1r,et by a Dimcuity IN tho Matter or
,,spping uer without Terrible RESULTS.
sroyY CREEK. Conn.,, Jan. s.-Elkanah Hit 10
:. ,o,t en- the plans OF pleasure boat that is to
=, ,orty.two knots an hour. Uncle Elkanah,"
~ IA better known,is one Of tho most cheerful
"a At the same time most incorrigible Of story
,,ll,rs in tho Bantam Lake country. Mark
Trsin Is said to have dubbed him on one occa-
.,on the Col. Sellers Of Litchncld county. Ev.
,-rbody living within milos Of Uncle Elkanahs
,,intsr cabin, among the pickerel tip-ups upon
che Ice Of the lake, where he sits and watches
ths bits OF bobbng red flannel tells OF his adven.
,urrs and calmly harvests his daily crop Of fish
through the ice this cold weather is interested in
his wonderful rocket boat" as he calls her. He
h,s.alked so much about this craft, which is to
.clpse in point OF speed all other boats in the
world that he is now receiving q steady stream
A visitors from far and near, who come to learn
about her and his cabin is, II possible. q more
popular resort this season than over before.
iyncle Elkanah has always been popular man
,ocally His conversation usually runs to
mats and boating, and an additional zest is
eiren to his stories by the fact that, although
40 far as known the gray. haired old man has
always been II fisherman and sailboat skipper
an that little shcct OF fresh and placid water,
his tales are almost invariably of the salt and
sounding sea.
That's what 'tis." said Uncle Elkanah yes
terday, as he brskly flllped the skim ioe away
which was forming about one OF his tip-up
lines and preventing it from working. That's
fest what 'tis Though say It, It Is the biggest
thing in boats that's ever been dreamed of.
It'I clectrify the world. I've knowed Of this
scheme for q fast boat for q long time now, an
there's been only one thing that's held me back
from abuding Of 1t. Only ono obstacle. But
my ncighbors they've poked at me an prodded
me to go oil with 1t SO much lately that I've
finally decided to build tho minute can find
sunthInk TO overcome this obstacle speuk Of"
Uncle Elkanah replenshed the FIRE in the cabin
stove and then proceeded to split and prepare
pckere for the noontide meal. Ever since
] was child" he went on. I've always had
sunthink to do with vessels, an have been de-
termined to bring out faster boat than any
body else. I've always had good luck with
boats, too. an specially at sea. That's what
] have I'm one Of the men as you may say.
who got onto tho quarter deck through the
cabin window instead of through the fore
castle. Why, my boy, l ran away from home
at the lender age Of IL years and shipped on my
first wage as cabin boy on the clipper ship
Good Return out of Now York, an after two
yeors como back 80 well liked by the Captain
an his wife that l was a.acting second mate.
An the Captain never let me soil my hands
In no tar bucket, neither. My hands was al
ways like a pair of ltlies oil tho time. That's
what tn was. An tho Captain AN his wife
gave me silk dresses for my mother and sis
ters and two bags containing $40 silver dol
lars for my father to pay for his house. An
when my parents saw what l had brought
which they'd never seen 80 much OF this worlds
goods at ono time before. they says, says they.
'Elkiny, what does this meant How is thisl
An says. Father an mother. I've come by
'em honest. That's what said.
"An' on my very next trip but one sailed a
Demerara trading schooner out of New York
with q general cargo for Col Stuyvesant, u
rich old bachelor, an brought back n load Of
sugar an fustic, au' whiic was gone the old
bachelor died. leaving an old maid sister his
only heir, an she was very rich An her law
yer. he comes to me after gets back, an he
says, The Colonel has left no papors about this
Demerara business he says, an II he owed
you nythink, why you take the vessel an the
freight money an we'll call 1t square, says he.
That's what he says. His sisters got money
enough. says he, AN I've got all the business
can tend to without bothering with that old
schooner says he. Well. sir, tell you of
these littl. incidents to show you how lucky
I've been at sea. My luck went on like that all
the time long a. stuck to the salt water.
made money off soundinss with that schooner
till couldn't rest. an then had TO stop ashore
an spend it all. l tell ye, II it wasn't for the
traps that's set for man to lose money In on
the land every sailor would have dollars 10
SUsp That's what they would But my rocket
again. Just load me down.
Uncle Elkanah washed some potatoes for din
ner anS proceeded M to peel them and get them
Yes, my boy" be continued. 'I call her
rocket boat because she win go about as fast
y Y store for EN- In the shape of fast boat an
E for aSs eTe AeS Se anded
That's what shoulu, for I've always had the
greatest great lpck in making fast boats; Every.
Why, on my first ot-shore cruise built a min.
Mture copy Of tho ship was a-sailing in that
50 % that the skipper Gsd SGIs al
mail packet and had 500 passengers, to
An she sailed SO, sir. being regular clipper an
aharp, tnat the crew of the longboat couldn't
row row fast enough to overtake her, an before we
snot out Of sight an disappeared in the dark.
ness: an we never saw her no more. That's
se Fst the time sinee building them
Kind Of little ships that wouldn't sail as well
a. that model Of the Good Return. You see,
ESe got the eye, for the fine lines OF boat:
Ihats what l have. IN / can't help 1t II
thls ere gift In boat building Is bound to make
me Immensely rich some fne day. That's
Mnat can't; I've always said this rocket boat
"A up'up on the Icy lawn.in front Of Uncle e.
kSnahs cabin waved It's red flag OF warning
eioft vigorously, and the old fisherman was
eunisSkiy hauling out two.pound pickerel;
a. shell make me rich" he went on whom
ne nsh was cared for. AN ruther
tke the idea. j know she'll mako forty-two
Knots easy, partly on account Of the power
ma partly on account of the model. I've got
tne eye for modelling. My eyesight was al
ways wond erful. That's what 1t was Yes.
tlsshht pulled me out Of hole that Fighting Joe
hooker put me intoi That was before Fred
Sticssburg in the war time. I'd loft the salt
Pohd long enough to serve my country, an
nadn been in the ranks no time before ! was
promoted 10 be sergeant because had such
= so1d eye for shooting, an Joe Hooker knowed
H. That's what he knowed. But never
!Ss % Ylapders sa terribly, az every day lot Of
turned out to be shot, an when he was q little
Sser 200 yards away, up the hill, Gen. Hooker
nc sent for me, an he says, says ho:
No. sargent Hit, want you TO shoot that
Gofse. My friends here would like to see how