The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-09-19
ABOUT HOME AND AWAY FOR ARGEN-
TINA

No doubt l have before expressed
the sentiment that though one may be
elected to pass the most of his time on
the water he should nevertheless have
a clear anchorage in snug harbor
somewhere out Of the surf-a place of
pleasant refuge, when climate-worn
and weary, where the storms of winter
may be as restful to mind off duty as
are the green leaves of summer to his
wearied eye, and where he should grace
fully accept contrslto orders, and once
a week enjoy scrubbing decks with a
carpet sweeper in his forenoon watch
below
1t is altogether doubtful if any one
who is always there can ever so we'll APP
preciate all the pleasures of home as
he to whom the situation is rather a
novelty than a common condition in
his life. THERE'S not only the attractive
ease and comforts OF house-life, and
the entire relaxation from continual
care, but it is good to be with the boys
of the village, who forget their years
and, when the defamation is far South,
to gather with them around the lodge
room fire in the first watch and whisper
ancient secrets and Omifc words
while the hail smites the pane and the
blizzard screams across the quarter
deck outside. And yet during a posi-
Bile lull in these pleasures, with the per-
versity and uncertainty of mans
nature, there may sometimes come a
longing for the tread of white pine
deck-a desire for certain surroundings
and rules. with the tools of trade which
from long use and companionship have
become life's allies and would seem like
the faces Of old friends. After con-
siderably more than year of ''strenu-
GUS idleness, tinged with little abor-
tive gardening and some pleasure fish
ing. one might feel that life is wasted
and waywardly think that it would be
good to be atioat Life on shore is so
different, that after more than four
hundred consecutive lodgings in civil
attire and a fiat-sided berth on wheels.
with no back and two fronts, with the
dining table always on the level with
out ridges or racks to hold the dishes,
it all seems little monotonous and one
may easily crave for a nap with his
clothes on and for chance to some
times catch his grub when it is alive
and rolling his way The only ship
shape practices that ! was allowed were
to set riding-light in the fore rigging
at night and to attend the signals by
day. The light was only intended to
guide and invite the visitors to the
gangWay rather than to warn other
crafts to keep clear, and the whole code
Of signals was composed of one national
flag set from a sloop's mast on the ter
race. An argument was made for side
lights (Ted and green and for two riding
lights, but the application was denied
on the grounds that ships at anchor use
no side-lights and with a measuring
length of less than one hundred and
fifty feet the riding light clears the law
a tell-tale compass overhead was
wanted but not allowed because the
state-room is always headed nor-west
magnetic In some hotel rooms in
Japan, however. the points Of a COM
pass are painted overhead so that the
strangerguest may be guided in laying
his head in accord with his religion or
his superstition.
OF course, when on shore, one should
endeavor to overcome his odd conceits
and bad habits-he should not hang his
oyercoat on the couch nor his hat on
chaiT-but whether his ways and no
tons have been allowed or not he may
enjoy the anchorage so we'll as to easily
hold his moorings too long for his own
best interests, and upon return to duty
find degree of rust and wreckage
where there should be good order and
substance.
When winter was OVERRIDING itself,
and while snow covered the bulwards
of all the land, we left the home-port
and came to at The Hub. There l
waited on wintry corner for street
car and the advance agent of the grip
came along ahead of the gripman
Those white posts where the street ears
stop! l wonder to how many graves
they point? When one of them may
knock out a model of strength who has
always been ashamed to look an honest
doctor in the face, what must be the
total sum of their unrecorded crimes
toward that part of humanity in which
the fires of health burn low?
After repairs and doctor bills we
moved the vessel over to Mystic Dock
to load for Rosario. While at Mystic |
visited the six masted schooner Eleanor
Percy-she then having on board nearly
thousand tons Of cargo per mast
the largest schooner in the world and
nearly the largest of all sailing vessels
1t would seem as though, in her, the
limit in schooners had been reached for
awhile. After the Governor Ames was
built, in IS, she remained about the