Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1900-05-31

PuDliShed by Special PermlSSlOn.)
There is always an interest attached tc
the wanderers of the world. Even the
tramp. though he is but an outcast of So
ciety, may find an attractive audience when
he relates the experiences Of his nomadic
life. For the same reason Bart Kennedy
new book, "A Man Adrift,'' published by
Herbert S. Stone g. Co., Chicago, is inter
esting.
The author has roamed over much OF
the broad world has been engaged for short
spaces of time in almost every calling that
does not require years of preparation, and
it is of this nomadic life that he tells. The
following chapter from the book is inter
esting and characteristic: a'
A FER many days tramping, I found
"a myself in the city of Baltimore
Here l shipped on an oyster boat to
dredge for oysters in Chesapeake bay
The wa es were SIS a month, and one ha d
to ship for month at least. And you
were bound by the same laws and rules
that you would be bound by if you
shipped on a deep-water vessel that
was going round the Horn-"Cape
Stiff as the sailors call it. You were
the captains machine-his slave. He
had power to strike Or shoot you if he
thought it necessary.
] shipped on a small schooner, and
sailed down the bay.
On the way down to the dredging
grounds we had nothing to do but to
task, as there were. all told, ten mer
aboard. It took us two days to get
down, OH account Of head winds.
A word about the dredging outfit of
our schooner. She had two crab
winches amidships, on the port and
:starboard sides, for winding in the
dredges when they had filled with oy-
sters. It took four men to a winch. Fas-
tened to a stout, 15-fathom rope. 4
'dredge lay on either SIDE near the gun
vale. In working time these were put
in readiness to be heayed overheard at
a word from the captain, who then
:steered the boat. The gunwales were
cut away, and rollers put on level
with the, planking of. the deck, so as
to allow the dredges to pass easily.
The dredge was triangular in shape,
and was simply strong iron frame
with steel chain bag pending from
the large end. Across the mouth of
she bag was steel bar, in which was
arrow oflong sharp teeth. These scraped
ln the oysters, as the dredge dragged
'over the bed. Each man was armed
with ''culling hammer" a hammer
with long, narrow head and a long
shaft, which he used for breaking off
extra shells that were stuck to the
'oysters, and for separating the oysters
from the loose shells when the con-
tents of the dredge were dumped on
deck. ..0 ... ...-...
One days work was much the same
AS another.
About an hour before dawn the cook.
who lived aft with the captain in the
cabin, would come forward to the
to'castle, where we slept, huddled to-
gether like rats, and inform us that
the time had arrived for us to sally
forth to toll. Reluctantly and ur-
joyfully, we would arise at the sound
of the cooks voice and put on our
'clothes-that is. if we had been warm
enough the night before to take them
off. Blankets were scarce. The cap
tain didn't care whether we froze to
death or not. All he cared for was to
get work out of us.
After creeping shiveringly out of the
manhole and on to the deck. our first
job was to haul up the anchor and
loose the sails. We anchored in any
small bay or cover that came nearest
Or handiest. Getting up the anchor
was always terrible job, because Of
the raw. danny winter wind which was
usually blowing before daylight.
@Breabfast!" the cook would shout.
land one by one we would file into the
scabin to eat.
Whilst breakfast. which usually con-
#sisted of codfsh-hash, bread and cot
fee, was being doled out in detail. the
schooner would be making all speed for
the dredging ground. Arrived there,
we would get to our places at the
"winches. .@
"Heave!!" from the captain at the
wheel, and splash! would go both
,dredgcs simultaneously, as man from
either side heaved them overheard. The
speed of the schooner checked con-
siderably as the dredges dragged over
the oyster bed, gradually filling with
oysters, which were scraped into the
chain bags by the tooth bars..
<sWind!' the captain would com
mand, when the dredges had passed
over the whole width of the bed
With a will the whole of us would
suddenly bend our strength upon the
handles of the winches, and wind with
all our might and main. During the
winding the schooner would be toss
ing about like feather and shipping
seas. 1t is well to remark for the bene-
fit of those who don't know that the
short. choppy seas OF shallow bay
are harder to contend with than are
the gigantic, awful swells that are to
he met with in mid-ocean. Proportions
lately, there are more ships lost in the
shallow, .choppy waters of the North
ssea than anywhere else.
Oh. the terror of that awful winding.!
Id sooner help to take in frozen sails
in q gale off Cape Horn. Every nerve.