Evening star., 1901-07-05
DEVOTION IN ANIMALS
GRATITUDE OF THOSE SAVED BY
SANDY HOOK CLAMMERs.
Cats, Dogs, Wounded Birds and Even
Rats Adopted as MascOts
of the Boats.

Rats Adopted as MascOts
of the Boats.
From the New York Mail and Express.
| 1t Is not at all improbable that many Of
| the dogs and cats and even rats which
have been denied d residence in this city.
| and have been consigned to supposed wa
| terry graves in the lower bay by way Of
! some coal barge OR schooner, are today
pacing the decks Of the clam diggers fleet
masters of all they survey" The oblig-
Ing persons who assume the role of self
appointed executioners are not always par
ticular how their condemned prisoners
| reach the water, and very often these ami
mails. after a much-needed bath, are res
cued by the kind-hearted clammers and
at once installed as mascots of their craft.
Only the strange things which are raked up
from the bottom Of the bay can rival in
| appearance the animals which the clam
| mers find. In all stages of AFFECT misery,
either on the wave or along some unfre-
Quented shore
AS there Is almost no limit to the number
of mascots which one boat can carry,
person can often see an embryonic menag-
erie surrounding the master Of one of these
small craft, unless, perchance, mascot mo.
kills off his rivals as fast as they come
aboard.
Dogs of every conceivable breed are
prominent members of the clammers' ships
company. Year In and year out, they pace
the quarterback. and now and then take a
nap in the lee of The deck house. They are
good sailors, too. No one can take a trick
at the dog watch better than they; and
this often means great deal to the master
when ''clam pirates are about.
NewfOund1aud,. novotion
Within the last two years no less than
ten dogs, to the writer's knowledge, have
been picked up off Sandy Hook, either
swimming bravely for shore or else cling
ing to some wreckage. crying piteousiy.
very recently a large Newfoundland dog
was picked up in this way. His case is
rather remarkable one, and shows the at
tachment of these animals for their old
masters. This dog jumped from vessel
into the bay and swan a quarter Of a mile
to his masters boat, from which he had
become separated the day before at the
West 10th street market The dog had
been stolen In this city by another boats
crew, and held in captivity until the open
waters of the bay were reached, when all
danger OF an escape was supposed to be
over.
The master was overjoyed when he heard
a scratching on the side of his boat and
saw that it was the lost dog returned. He
says that he originally found the dog float
Ing at sea In a large box evidently having
fallen from some vessel.
THE dog has always seemed to appre-
cfate his rescue" the captain added. "On
one occasion he plunged overheard after
me when l accidentally fell over the side
Of my boat"
The clammer has great faith in the
theory that the cat has nine lives. 1t is
only necessary for one to take a run down
the bay and see the cats and kittens creep
ing stealthily about the decks Of the clam
fleet to be convinced that the clammer is
probably right, and that the majority of
the recent feline drowning excursions" to
the river front were cases Of the cat COM
Ing back-to the surface, at least. Their
rescuers say that pussy Is often pretty far
gone when found on drifting plank or in
the recesses of some old hulk, but alive
nevertheless.
One clammer down the bay has a cat
which finds its own meat and requires alb
solutely no attention. The old man only
wishes that it was not quite so easy for his
mate to make living, for the "critter'
thrives on the rats which are honeycombing
the dilapfdated craft and causing Capt.
about the deck or take observations from
the masthead and the ''ratlines." Rats,
bedbugs and reaches are brands OF the mas
cot that the. cIammer. does not seek, yet
seems unable to get along without for
they will. in the majority of cases, take
possession Of the ship sooner or later.
Three Accomplished Rats.
Capt Tom has a friend, however, who
really loves rats, at least, the three par
ticular rats he owns. They were picked up
by him In a little wooden cage, which was
inside a box found about a mile west Of
Sandy Hook last summer. Today they
have full run of his fifty-foot sloop, and
seem almost to understand his bidding.
These rats are very methodical in their
habits, the captain says. Every morning
before breakfast they take a constitutional
up and down the mainmast, followed by a
promenade out on the anchor cable. The
rest of the day they spend curled up on
some extra canvas in the sail locker or
smiling about the newly caught CLAIMS. The
captain asserts that ever since he picked
up these three men in a boat" they have
been very affectionate to him, and always
either creep into his pockets when he starts
to go ashore, or else stand on the rail three
in row and squeak farewell.
There are many crippled birds, too. on
the clammers boats. These often the
victims Of the sportsman's rife, which have
either futtered to the decks and received
the ministration of the tender-hearted skip
per or have been picked up by him from
some floating driftwood, OF rescued while
doundering helplessIy in the water. These
ducks, crows, fishhawks and sometimes
snipe make the best of sailors. and soon
becoming accustomed to their surroundings
seldom leave them. In fair weather they
perch In the shrouds, and when the storm
RACES they seek the warmth and shelter Of
the cabin.
Oiie oiu ciahiher is very pIouu ol crow
with broken wing. which he says is
wonderful weather prophet. The poor bird,
although continually used as a barometer,
does not object. He unfailingly warns the
ships company Of storm by a peculiar
fiutter Of his disabled propeller" The cap
tain explains this phenomenon on the
ground that the injured wing is very SEN
sitive to dampness. The crows nest on this
vessel Is not near the masthead, but in
snug little corner under the captains berth.
There are two clammers in Sandy Hook
bay credited with the distinction of having
rescued two animals from the sea one day,
which were out Of the question as mascots,
but which proved Of great value on shore.
Due to accident or design on an outgoing
cattle steamer, a calf, just old enough to
look like anything else but it's mother, went
over the side. Sandy Hook was close at
hand, and the energetic youngster was
bravely striking out for the beach when he
was intercepted by a clamboat. Closely
following the incident a horse was lost