Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-01-04

| AL 1Ne " ClOCh there is "a DcICcPtiO'N
tightening of the sky to the eastward,
but no abatement of wind or sea. IL
anything matters are getting worse.
| At six o'clock things look bad. but
| there is little blessed light to work
by. The wash that in the night only
buried the rail now comes halfway up
| 10 the matches and fills the gangway
between house and rail as it races ait.
All hands might have been towing
astern all night by the looks of them.
| The beauty Of a double dashed dOry be-
gins to appear.
We had the company Of half dozen
| fishermen in this part of the drive
Most of the fleet. We guessed were st'il
outside the cape. We passed lum-
| herring coaster, wood carrier. wal
| lowing in the sea. Her fore topmast
was snapped short off.
Our fellows had to make fun of her
lone way to house a top-mast"
Broke your clothes-p pole, old girl.
Better take in your washing Their
| looks like rain"
go it. you beauty. I wish had my
cameraw If you only suspected how
| lovely you looked"
|
and one sheer black. offered contrast
| in looks. though in nothing else, for
| both were struggling alike with two
| barges of, coal. making desperate
| hauling of it. and Provincetown yet a
good bit away.
Hustle 'em. you husky coal-jam-
mers," roars one of ours. as If ne
could be heard beyond the rail. Il
wouldn't be abroad of you for my
share Of this trip and mackerel six
teen dollars a barrel. Would YOU,
Sim"
Them? NIv."
"Naw-nor me neither Hi-Ever
hear that Greenlaw sing?"
The man that crooncd this had an
arm hooked under the line that held
| the seine to the deck and he was slow
~ picking in salt brine.
Another haf-hour and we have no.
much cause to fiout the ug-boats.
The wind is coming faster, If anything.
and certainly ii feels heavier. We can
Judge best Of our own workings by
watching the fishermen of our own
tonnage near by. We can see To tn
bottom planks of those to leeward OF
us. while on the sioping deck Of the
vessel to wlndward ii Is plain that
only what is dashed or bolted IS still
there. When they rear they almost
stand up straight. and when they
SCOOP into it the wonder is that all the
water taken aboard doesn't hold her
till the next comber can have fair
whack at her.
r1.v,- Of ha1 az
Joke. but they know about where they
stand. and they are glad enough L
hear the skipper say: Guess we'll get
ready to take in some of that mans 4.
boys Stand by-watch out noN-waIt
all right-she'n come, | guess For
one heart sinking moment that wind
hits her broadside on and lays her
over till her deck slants like shoot
ing chute. And over, over. over yet
over. till her dory is almost buried and
the sea walks aboard as If we had no
rail at all.
Around she comes with never let
I'd by the grim man at the wheel. Ii
is your faith in him that keeps your
heart in its place He knows his YES
sci and he knows his business
Gloucester skipper. As the sea is
taken aboard, so will it be shipped
over again. by way of the rail when
she is righting. To let up on her now
would only be to bald onto her deck
sixty or eighty tons of water. There
is beauty in a low rail when you dis
charge.
Around she comes, The skipper
watches the hull, watches the sails,
watches the sea-his eye is on it all
All at once he lets go his wheel and
our lady comes to herself, buoyant and
gallant, casting off the green-white
load as she comes.
There's the girl" says the skipper,
and we are riding almost at ease.
Curl it in now, boys, Tuck it away
roll it in-double reef SO longs We're
at it-tic her up snug. Good enough.
Now. then. hoist away and see what
she'll do. Up with her-hang to it
sway away. Good enouSh-mahe
fast
Fast it is-all fast" and we were
off again in the roaring sea, the YES
sci perceptibly easier for the shorten
ing of the big sail. We were in closer
company now. Other seincrs, with
boats astern and dories on deck. were
with US; jumbo, jib, fore and REFER
mainsail. ALL and all We're piungins
g;oriously with the harbor near at
hand.
Provincetown harbor is an oval in
let making into curved ridge of low
sandhills. The entrance to the har-
Dor, as seen on n thick September
morning. is narrow. Coming from
outside, vessel wears around twenty
eight points of the compass before she
finds the tip of thin tongue of land
that sticks out into the bay ana holds
q tiny lighthouse on the end. Behind
the light is the harbor.
For the rest of that morning any
dweller on the inner Cape Cod shor-
could have seen many samples of able
seamanship. AT our time we were
only one of a half-doZen at the busi-
ness of working around the lighthouse
point. There was great trying OF
taclls and some succinct criticism OF
tactics and weatherly qualities. Thels
was one who tried to cut in premature
L.. He had to put back or run her
ashore. and a laugh went up. though
there was nothing wanting in skill. He
had only tried too much.
Trying to beat the fleet out hey?
And with that old hooker? Nothing
wrong with your nerve but some fine