The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-05-05
NAMES OF VESSELS.

In the horseshoe at Larchmont this
fall there las been much in evidence a
mud colored slOOp known as the Gloomy
Gus. She had no other distinction ex-
cept her name, but it was sad enough
to catch the eye and hold the attention
of all who read it. "What a world of
hard luck may be wrapped up in a
namev' said one. Women sorroWed for
the sorrows of the owner. Yet Gloomy
Gus was Just joke. and had its origin
in the comic sheets of a newspaper.
Nearly every port along the Sound
boasts of small vessels with peculiar
names. There is the Can't Help It,
which may or may not indicate pessi-
mistic owner. The Girl Love is a
sloop owned by Yale undergraduate.
What's That to You undoubtedly be-
longs to man who does not like to be
cross-examined. Just in Time is a
rather aggravating name. just in time
for what? Did she escape shipwreck,
or did her owner put her in his wife's
name just before he went bankrupt?
There are possibilities in that name, as
in Try; Try Again. Go Ask Her, Why
Notp and Bill the Butcher are other
gems not unknown between New York
and New London.
The nomenclature of ships that sail
the sea is worked out on curions lines.
Take the merchant sailing vessels of
the United States alone, and see what
gems are in the list. The Ha-Ha is not
a joke ship by any manner of means,
nor is the Fog Eater phantom. The
Flirt of the Waves has very little right
to be at large, though there is one ship
she can not entice-the Never Touched
,o,3c Erio,,I ic unnH
name for a huckster craft, and the
Break of Day is owned in the land of
glorious sunsets. The All Fook, All
Low and All Tuck are mysteries until
one sees they are registered from San
Francisco. which has a large Chinese
population.
In the list of sailing vessels feminine
names are most popular The Marys
head the list There are 355 of them,
with and without initials and surnames.
The Annas, with PSI, are next in line,
though there are three spellings-Anna,
Annie and Ann There are 124 Emmas,
81 Alices, 81 Carries, A Adde's and so
on through the list George, James
and John are the popular masculine
names. the latter leading with 260 to
its credit.
Two is the most popular figure, with
Two Brothers, Cousins, Sisters,
Friends, Sons, Elises, kitties and
Nells. White leads the other colors,
with Black a close second. One finds
White Wings, White Cap, White
Cloud, White Star White Swan and SO
on Nearly all of the States have a
place in the sailing list, even those
which are without navigable water.
Most of the prominent men of history
and politics have memorial in some
sort of craft There are six Admiral
Deweys and the same number of plain
Deweys. Admiral Sampson has one
boat to his credit and Hobson three.
The Brigham Young does not ply on
the Great Salt Lake, but in Virginia
waters. The Coal Oil John is not
named after Mr.. Rockefeller, as most
people imagine The Cornelius Van
derbilt is a seventeen-ton schooner,
and the Perry Belmont is sloop OF SIX
tons, which some may consider rather
light craft for such heavy names.
There is no doubt that the owners OF
most of these vessels named them IN
all seriousness. nwittingly they
appeal to the comical side OF human
nature With the steamers only few
freak names can be found. After all
1.-The liner is lady," and must be
named with dignity.
Only last week a craft with tangled
name sailed into port from the Maine
coast: at least if her name was not
tangled most deople who tried to say it
did the tangling. She was the Charlie
and Willie, a venerable schooner, and
she brought granite blocks from Vinal-
haven. Some one suggested that the
4 'J,o, .l,{f h T.
of the launching of 1867, would be
fitting match for the Charlie and Willie,
if it We're not for the disparity i'll ages.
The Charlie and Willie has been finding
her way about since 1o+9.-NeW York
Tribune.