The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-06-27
THE GOOD SCH. NAPOLEON.


When the forty-days' fog settled
down over the coast of Maine this
spring there was nothing for the lum-
Der hoOkers to do but hang right on
wherever they happened to be at the
time, for to 60 to sea was simply to in
vite disaster-to be run down by a
steamer, or, maybe, to be piled up on
the rocks along shore. Thus, for six
weeks, there were few comings or 60
ings, and the big heaps of new spruce
boards on the wharves at Bangor grew
higher and higher every day, waiting
for the SchOOnerS to come and bear
them away to Boston or New York.
The coastwise steamers, running on
time courses, managed to make their
trips, rather irregularly, but no one ex-
pected any of the sailing fleet to show
up until after the fog had been chased
away out past Nova Scotia by smart
Northwestern. And so it caused no end
of wonder when, right in the thickest
part of the fog, the old schooner Ma
poleon came into Bangor, having made
good run down from Boston and
come right along just as ii the weather
was as clear as in frosty October.
The master of the Napoleon, Captain
Silas Grindle, was looked upon as the
greatest of all pilots, and the people
along the wharves congratulated him
when he came ashore upon his ability
to see through fog as thick as board.
How'd yon do it, Si-how'd you man
age to sneak that old sled down here in
this weather." asked the keeper of the
chandlery. And the captain OF the n "a
poleOn made answer:
'Twant me. | couldn' see nothin'
couldn't see the foremost FIN where l
stood at the wheel. The Napoleon's a
great vessil she is, and tho you mayn't
believe it, | tell you she just came
along herself. That old critters made
so many trips tween here and Bost' n
she jest knows the way-shore's you're
born. When we was at BOst' | heard
there was no vassils on this end at all,
and says l tC myself, freight must be
good down to Bangor, and l guess I'll
travel down there Well, when l told
my fellers to get the anchor short and
hist the mains' they looked at mes
tho they thought was crazy, but then
they was new hands, and they wasn't
used to the Napoleon-didn't know her
like do.
"Well, sir, when we come out of
Bost' n it was that thick you could lean
against it, nd all we could hear was
horns and whistles ALLOWING and a-toot-
ing all around us. One time off Thatch-
er's, one of the Bangor boats shaved us
pretty clost, and it made my fellers look
scairt as weasels. l kept one Of them
footing a horn for'ard, one at the wheel
and one cooking grub, and put in the
time trying to find out FIN lot O.
papers got in Bost'n what in thunder
Rusty and Japan was trying to do in
Ciliny. They couldn't see how l could
set cooked up in chair in the house,
reading and smoking, with Napoleon
going six knots and likely to bang into
something any minute. But, sir, I've
tried her before in jest such weather,
and she never went back on me. Says
to the fellers, says l, You people jest
hang to what you'er doing keep her as
she is, and first thing you know you'll
see Monhegan looming up ahead of you.
And it came out jest as | said Second
morning out we raised Monhegan, ran
cloSt in, got an echo and heard the
whistle. Then it was all plain sailing
for anyone, even without the help of
such vessil as the Napoleon, with her
good sense.
Sense: Yes, sir, some vessils has
sense. jest like dog, or a boss: and
some is slow and blockheaded, Jest like
some men and cows. The Napoleon
amt the only one. There was the
much hemlock bark outen Bangor.
Why, sir, that old hooker'd feel her way
over any course she'd sailed a couple of
times; and Tooker-that's the man
went in her-he knew it, and never
fretted in thick weather. And for
sailing-well, we'll there never was but
one vessil that'd stay in company with
the Tarrynot more'n a hour or two,
and that was the old TELEGRAPH that |
first went in myself. | mind the time
when Tooker and myself come outen
Bost'n together, me loaded and him
flying light. | bet him ten dollars that
the TELEGRAPH ID beat him into Bangor.
and he took me up.
''Well, sir, we had the wind vests
Invest, and plenty of it, and the way
we came along was caution to steam
boats. The Observation-Disclosures one o
the Bangor boats, she come out of Bos-
ton about the same time, and was due
II Bangor at two O'Clock next after
neon. Cap'n Homer was master of her
then; coming down Bost'n harbor he
sang out that he'd tell my consignee l
was a-coming. | sang back that l
guessed I'd spare him the trouble and
be there with him; and he just LATED at
me. He didn't know the TELEGRAPH.
Her strong pint of sailing was with
the wind just little aft the beam, and
that's the way we had it that night.
She came along like race horse; and
all night we never lost sight of the
katahdin's lights. In the morning, if
you'd believe it, the Katahdin was
astern of us, and what she gained run
ming up under the land, where we got
the wind lighter, she lost in Rockland
where she had to make landing. Time
she got out of Rockland we was away
up to Camden, and she had to dodge
in there, SO we drawed away FIN her
again. Making a long story short, we
had a good following breeze up the
river, and come into Bangor at quarter
past two, with the Katahdin just
whistling round High head, mile
down the harbor. Talk about carrying
news, huh!
''What about the Tarrynot? Oh, she
got along that night, SO l won the bet.
Didn't do me much good, tho. l meant
to told you that the TELEGRAPH, after she
got to going, didn't seem to want to
stop. We got sail off'n her all right
and quick, and let go an anchor; but
cha knOt riuhf on coin op1 hoprod