Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-08-07
"YANKEE NOTION
Shoe-Maker Cottle's Ingeniously Con-
trived House Boat.

all the towns of the Hancock county
coast and on Penobscot bay, is around
this year as usual. Mr.. Cottle and his
strange craft have been "written up" for
the newspapers time and time again, but
has ever appeared than that printed in the
Deer Isle Messenger year or two ago,
over the signature OF "Scribe", of ATTAIN
tic, Me-, whom every body recognized at
once as DIR. Small. The article is re-
printed here.
n. o. CottIe is a peculiar character.
Well known and we'll liked-hearty, hale
old seadog- all the pleasant events
that happen in life around him, always
busy and happy. Such is "Cobbler Cot
tle'', welcome and familiar visitor the
whole length of the Maine coast.
He was born cripple, at Jonesport,
over sixty years ago. One Of his legs is
withered and minus foot, and the other
foot Is badly twisted, SO as to make loco
motion on crutches laborious and pain
full. One hand is nearly useless, SO that
any kind Of work he undertakes is per-
formed slowly and laboriously. Yet in
spite of all these msfortunes, he has
made better progress through life than
many another man with a sound an
atomy.
As soon as he was old enough he had to
go boat fishing. This he followed for
several years. He next tried his luck
coasting, and at one time was mate Of the
~ ri
This work he was unable to continue.
Next he went for sevsral years as cook;
finally he abandoned the sea entirely and
learned the shoe-maker's trade, and
since then has made this the means of
earning a livelihood.
He first came to Swans Island some
fifteen or twenty years ago. He took up
his abode by himself, with his two little
dogs, Snip and Sank, which followed him
wherever he went. Sank died, but Snip
has continued to follow him through all
the vicissitudes Of these years, and is now
quite sailor. Their attachment for each
other is very great, he talking to the dog
as though 1t was child, and the dog
seeming to understand.
The people at Atlantic built him COM
Portable shop in which he could live, and
although business was good yet he soon
longed for his old romantic life, free from
care, happy and jolly; he left with his
two boon companions for "pastures green
and new.
Some four or five years ago brought him
here again. He settled near Old Harbor
and piled his trade for about year, when
he conceived the novel idea that he'd
build a scow On which was to be large
house which he could use both as his
home and for a workshop. He could sail
from place to place where there was no
cobbler, in the summer, and in the win
ter he could put his scow on runners and
have it hauled to the interior towns II
necessary. So he secured the material
and went to work on his boat, and every
part OF the work, making the sails and all
he performed unaided.
The scow is 20x6 feet, with the house
ten feet long the whole width of her. She
is sloop rugged, with two weather boards
on either side, SO as to enable her to sail
to the windward. There is a door in both
ends OF the house so he can leave these
open and see through where to steer. All
of his halyards and sheets lead aft, SO he
can make sail or take in sail from where
he stands.
The house has a stove in one corner
where he cooks his own food, bunk in
the other, and on the other side is his
cobbler's shop, tools, leather, old shoes to
be repaired and miscellaneous collec-
ton. He painted her all red, will red
stripe around her, and chrstened her the
"Yankee Notion.
+. When this unique, ark-like craft was
af1oat and started on her maiden trip, it
is putting it mild to say she created a
sensation wherever she was seen coming
into port. People fiocked from far and
near to see it, cameras pictured it, news
papers described it; but Cottle worked
ON driving pegs and sewing rents, appar-
emily unconscious OF the interest created
in him.
He usually finds plenty OF repairing
which has been kept for him wherever he
goes, He does his work neatly, but the
laborious method he is compelled to en-
ploy makes his progress slow and his in
come correspondingly small. However,
he has saved from his scanty earnings
fifty cents every week for himself and
Snip when they shall be old.
In the winter he usually remains here,
and hauls his scow up In some sunny,
sheltered place. He builds high board
fence on the north to keep off the cold
winds, banks up his little cabin with
brush, and there lives through the winter
as snug as bug in rug, and very much
like one. Here you will always find him
happy and singing, always ready to do
promptly any work brought to him.
The boys like to visit him, and however
crowded his little shop may be, there is
always room for one more. He entertains
them with songs and sea yarns and the
truly wonderful adventures of his life.
AS we look at such grizzled and bat
tered old sea- dog, do we realize that he
has faced more dangers-calmly and sto-
ically-than veterans from the field of
war. The grim old sailor faces dangers
and perils, many and many time, as i'm
minent as those met on the battle field.