The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-04-18

accumulation OF Maria'S fiOwerpots
savored OF permanent occupation. Au-
tu!.n came. then winter. and the Ra-
ven was still OH the sands.
The next spring, year after the
schooner went ON the beach, certain
rich men took steps to formally assert
title TO the natural increase Of land.
on portion Of which the Raven lay.
Then came lawyers. writs and consta-
bles. whom Maria turned over to Eben-
ezer, and with whom Ebenezer dealt
through the medium Of his friend,
Lawyer Flanders.
In the first court to which the men
who owned the land on the bluff took
the matter, Ebene2er won. Title was
not proyedH and the skipper of the Ra.
ven. so far us this tribunal was con-
cerncd, was confirmed in his right as
claimant of government land. An
appeal failed to reverse the judgment,
and. although the rich men declared
their fixed purpose to carry the case
to the highest court In the land, Eben-
ezer considered the victory won.
Thereupon, under the advice Of the
farseeing Flanders. he began the most
wonderful improvements on his land
that ever were seen on that coast or,
perhaps, any other. To repay some
small nnnoyances that he had been
subjected to, he caused to be erected
a staring sign, where every dweller on
the heights might read: Captain Row
ellis shipyard."
)und the captain there one even
ing Walking about his queer domain,
pipe alight and putting like tug. Half
dozen cottages Of remarkable archi.
tectyre had sprung up about the Ra-
ven!
"Snug anchorage" said the captain,
with a comprehensive wave Of his pipe
in the direction Of these new posses
sic1s. "Mnriar IN are landlubbers
now. Yes, we've squatted on guv'ment
land an carlate to live here. Ri.
Bingham, UP on the hill yonder, an
some O. the other shore folks got after
me in the courts, but beat them. Tried
to bother me with the charge o. put
tin up shanties within the fire limits
an sent q lubber down here one day to
pull my houses down. You see. every
house in this here shipyard is boat,
built boat shaped an registered at the
custom house."
The captain had, in truth, built as he
said. The architecture dii not appeal
to ones sense Of beauty. whether the
structures were considered as houses
or boats, but any one Of them, properly
bottomed. might be set afioat and made
to serve rs scOw or tow barge. By
way of tenants the captain had few
of his sailor friends, fisherman and q
laborer who liked the situation because
it was near the railroad yards where
he worked. The shipyard was paying
expenses.
EYES," Captain Rowell went on, "the
Raven has done pretty well for me-
Bout the best cruise ever made was
the one that ended with this here
wreck. It's made me rich man. But
was tellin you bout that attack on my
fleet. They sent the fire marshal, m
he says, says he, Them shanties Is in
the fire limits. an I'm ordered to pull
them down. Then gets out on the for
rad deck o. the Raven, an says, says
I, quite like as though was whoopin
in blow outside the mint: .sh::1 ahh0yy, ahh0yy
therei Every one O. them shanties is a
boat an registered in the Yewnited
States custom house. Any man that
tears down one o. my boats is a pirate,
an Uncle Sam 'ud rather hang a pirate
than eat pie.'
"That fire marshal looked at my ship
yard carefullike then an kinder open
ed his eyes. He went round behind
one O. those craft, an when ne seed her
name an port o. hull painted there,
plain Us on any steamboat In the har-
Dor, that settled him. He went back
to the lawyers, an they've been figger-
In ever sint.e on how to make this here
feet put to sea. I'll keep 'em dggerin,"
added Ebenezer confidently, ''until my
title to all this new lands as solid as
Spectacle reef"
Conceive q double row of buildings
which upon front view appeared to be
cahalboats, xabied windowed and clap
bearded, with q little picketed inclo-
sure peSsud each enc. and you have the
shipyard la mind. At the end Of the
street nearSs. tbs watet, lay the Ra-
7an, dismantled with respect to rig
cling, propped with timbers and kept
Immediately painted ana scrubbed.
as aagahip should be. Thus the feet
lay, a squadron to be depended on I'm
: any Kind Of weather.
TO the shipyard came sightseers,
small boys and even the Salvation
Army. Ebenezer Rowell was friend
Of religion, although his language at
times might give rise to O contrary
opinion, ana he welcomed the gelya.
tion soldiers to the beach ne 1s...:: 1s...::::
performed on an accordion one night
In honorof the open air gospel meeting