Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-05


bridge You would have stock of goods
which in extent and variety would make
the vastest modern department store seem
like village knick-knackery by COMPARE
son. 1t would include all sorts of things
from brass pin to q full-rigged ship
frmed, provisfoned and manned. Indeed
II was only half dozen years ago that
some workmen, eXcavating for subcellar
IN Water street, more than two blocks dis
tant from the present water line, came
upon a ship which evidently had sunk at
or near one Of the early-day r1oorinss.
Arms. ammunition ana the skeletons of
men were there, but nobody has been able
to make them tell with certainty what ship
she was or how she sank.
Not Layybrcakers
+ Only a short time ago the Waterman at
one of the big piers on this river sent in a
hurry call for the harbor police. A steam
launch was sent quickly to the place. where
some thieves were reported to be GENERATING
under the pier. The policemen ran as close
as they could and threw the rays of a dark
lantern under the pier Sure enough. there
We're some men in a boat, keeping sus-
picicuSly quiet
Come out of there" called the rounds
man.
"sh-h-h.' answered the men "yourl
scare every blamed eel out of the river"
When they did come out they showed the
policemen half boat load of cells, and said
that it a condemned shame that n
peaceable and honest occupation sbouId he
destroyed by plaguey policemen who were
paid to protect just such industries.
asked an old boatman the other day if
he had ever run across anything of value
floating in the river.
well, yes said he. II once found q
fioater and the family gave me a hundred
dollars for rescung it." Then he fetched a
tremendously long wink and added: "There
was over two hundred dollars in money
and gold watch, too that nobody ever
peeped about"
The HnrbOr's Dead
But the harbor does not always give I'D
It's dead so easily. There is one little bay
on Staten Island near to the governments
revenue and quarantine station however.
into which an average of a hundred human
derelicts float every year. This is a har-
vest not to be despised for the local coroner
VINO Is also an undertaken He watches
the New York, New Jersey and BROOKLYN
lists of missing carefully and tries to bring
about identifications If he succeeds the
friends of the dead usually give him tbe
work of burial, and these fees added to the
ohlcial payment for inquests, have made
MN very prosperous His subjects are
mysteriousiy taken to him by the currents
OF the harbor. although, strangely enough.
tney land little other drift in Dead Mans
Cove, which Is the name which has not
uhhatuTaHy been given to the little indenta-
ton in the coast.
Less EruesOme, but sometimes much more
GHcitihs. are the events in the lives of the
legitimate harbor boatmen. Much of their
work Is commonpiace-the transfer of peo-
PIE 70 and from ships anchored out and
such things. But there is a boatman near
the Battery who had Il lively experience
one night. which he reported to the police
later It was blowing gale and was quite
dark. He was making his boat fast to her
moorlnss. well-dressed man rushed up
and wanted to be taken to the New Jersey
shore
Take the ferry growled the boatman.
This Is no weather for a small boat
I'll give you hundred dollars for the
job
The boatman did the work without an
other word, although it was a dangerous
night. Then he reported it to the police
They knew who the man was, but they have
kept quiet the identity of the criminal who
slipped through their fingers into another
state so clevery. The man knew that the
ferries were watched, and also knew how
to dodge them.
There have been other big fees and other
exciting trips.
naval officer exceeded his shore leave
and caught his ship just as shes was round
ing the Battery with the assistance of
boatman from that historic point. They
We're nearly run down in doing it.
In one day, three years ago. when five
big steamers had gone ashore in dense
fog, one newspaper alone paid to these
boatmen and to tugs $500 to carry it's re-
porters around in their searches for the
stranded vessels.