The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-09-14
FALL SUITS CLEANED.
Hollis Dye Works. 100 8. Court.
THE MAINE COASTER.
He Is a Combination Of Sailor, Far
mer and Business Man.

mer and Business Man.
Brooklyn Eagle.
OF all the sailors on the sea, the down
East coaster does the hardest work,
poorest rewards. His occupation has been
aptly described as tempting fate at
SIS MONTH" The coaster Is an unsung
hero, but he 10 unconscious Of that and
fairly coed from Bangor to Boston and
there were not more than ten consecu-
tive days of easterly wind in any one
month.
The Maine coaster is a queer mixture Of
sailor, farmer and business man, and
frequently he is also an expert deep sea
fisherman. Many Of the masters OF the
little schooners have In their younger
finally settling down in some seacoast
village and buying a small craft Of
which they can be at once the managing
owner and skipper and In which they
can make a living by eight months sail
ing, hauling the vessel up and taking
comfort at home from Thanksgiving or
Christmas till spring. Some of the mas
tiers sail vessels owned by other people.
and occasionally it happens that the
vessel Is a sort Of family affair. being
owned and manned by father and sons
or by brothers. In times Of disaster this
when the vessel goes down the whole
family is likely to go with her. leaving
behind a pitiful array of widows and
orphans. Such case occurred in the
eral Of the Peabody family of Jonesport
having gone down in that vessel in the
great November northeastern last year.
The natives OF the Maine coast towns
and from Portland to Quoddy Head. are
among the finest sailors in the world.
They are sailors from force of circum-
stance. hardy from Inheritance and
cute because they are Yankees. No
IlyyI,-~ -
coasting in these waters. and how the
natives do 1t Is a source OF wonder 10
Everyone who ever studied the subject.
The coaster begins going when he Is
is too old to stand a watch at the wheel,
If he manages to stay above water that
long. Man or boy, he Is generally lank
and lean, with a skin like leather, con-
great hardships without complaint. His
vessel is generally of great age and
small size--50 to $50 tons and 20 to 60
years old, rio'ged as n two-masted schoou-
leaks like a basket. Only the fact that
she carries lumber account for her being
so long afloat-hundreds Of the old hook
ers now going would have been on bot
tom long ago only their cargoes wouldn't
let them sink.
An average size coaster trading between
Maine ports and Boston carries a master
mate, one seaman and cook and
mana, many OF IneID make TRIPS LTOtH
Bangor to Boston. with hut two or three
men all told. and last summer the
schooner Angler. S tons. was navigated
from Boston to Calais and half way
back again by her master. single hand
ed. The coasters cargo is. nine times
in ten, lumber and she gets 81 80 to- Sis
a thousand feet for carrying it from Ban
gor TO Boston. Out of this she has to
pay for loading and discharging. for tow
ages commissions to brokers, crews
wages and stores. The stores are salt
pork salt Goldfish. -four. molasses. pota-
toes. bakin~ powder and kerosene. there
may be a chunk or two of corned beef.
and in the fall of the year the skipper
will add cabbages. apples. onions. etc.
to the menu. but at no time is the fare
so rich or varied as to worry the cook
or invite the govt. A man who wants
to "go' must be both strong and willing
not only to reef, hand and steer. but to
work cargo as well, for 1t frequently
happens that there are no stevedores
available or that the skipper Is unwiilins
to pay for loading and discharging. II
a man sailing before the mast manages
to put in six months in year at ss5
a month. he is doing as well as the av-
eraEe of coasters: tho mate and the
Cook and hand get little more. and
the captain gets whatever circumstances
weather-luck and his business abilities
allow This may be considerable or 1t
NAV he nothing at all.