The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-17
TOSCHOOLF FROM 4 COAL SC0W.
LITTLE JIMMY M'GRAW'S SHIFT
ING AND UNCERTAIN HOME.

It's Easy, but Whcn us IN HODOkeh OF
Elizabethport That's Another Thing.
The feast Of the lights, Chanuka, when
It came last week made a desert Of the
big East Side public school 10, at Broome
and Cannon streets, filed on other days
90 full Of little Jew ish pupils that they have
to come. in two shifts, One class OF fifty
seven had only three pupils p~reseit. Even
the teacher was away, 80 the three were
sent in TO another teachers room. That
was how Jimmy MoGraw's case came to be
found out.
The teacher asked a small fair boy Of
eight, n of the three, whatnwa his name.
James McGraw,' he said. Where did he
come fTom2 From Hoboken." The
teacher was puzzled by the small boy who
hailed from Hoboken. She asked more
questions, and he explained: -We're over
in Hoboken just now, you know. Some
times we're down at Elzabethport. About
half the time we're at the foot of Delaney
street. Ma brings me TO school because
she says I'm not old enough to come alone.
When we're in Hoboken we come over
by the ferry
The boy Ives on the Burns Bros No. 3
coal scow, wherever that a happen
to be. just now the boat is in a tangle of
500 ton scows and 5000 ton barges that lie
north OF Lackawanna Pier 4 in Hoboken
waiting their turn at the elevator. His
trip to school starts with breakfast at half
past Q and a bundling up in comforters
and mittens by his mother before they
leave the little cabin with the lamp in the
corner. I'VE nave &c leave by halfpast ~
explained Mrs. McGraw yesterday, be
cause ii takes all Of an hour to go to school
IL we catch the boats and cars just right,
and we're apt TO miss the ferry The
mother and son bid Capt. McGraw, senior.
good-by just about sunrise and start over
the ~neighbors' roofs. The soows are riding
light, waiting their turn to load, and they
float with their rails only a step apart but
twice a mans height above the water.
Sometimes the MoGraws are near the
dock, and sometimes they "a to pick
their way over acres Of other decks to
reach il and past smoking stacks and
coaly holds and cabin windows with clean
curtains. Then there is the windy walk
down the edge Of the wharf. withthe scat
folds and ears above on one side and the
water below on the other. The way to
school follows the wharves past the engine
house and some tracks and a Waterman
and various piles Of lumber to the big basin
where a cable runs across. A Swede draws
q fiat bottomed ferryboat along the cable
from side to side OF the basin with his hands,
and the mother and boy get in n are
hauled across. Then they zigzag through
a corner of the freight yard, doubling the
ends OF freight trains. They come out
behind the Lackawanna passenger depot
and join the crowd of early commuters
making for the ferry.
The ferry pulls out for Barclay street.
It lands them after q fifteen minute trip.
The two walk up to the surface cars. They
transfer here and there. Finally, with
good luck they reach the school in about
an hour after starting from their cabin.
But ' Mrs. McGraw says, it not the same
trouble at all as when | bring him in by
train from down the harbor."
Boatmen eat dinner in the middle OF the
day. As Jimmy's pa is, and his pas pa
was a boatman he has 20 have his dinner
In the middle Of the day-dlnner in the
evening and he could hardly grow up
into a webfooted boatman. His mother
has thought Of this. There are some rela-
tives who live near by. At noon Mrs.
McGraw gets Jimmy and takes him over
to their place, where she has cooked a sort
Of dinner a la scowman Tor his eating;
They let her cook and use the plates and
table there. Then the pupil is taken back.
He works at school for two shifts. His
mother said that IL was a shame TO come all
tina way for only half a day at school. So
Miss Simpson, the principal, got him per-
mission to come both morning I'M after
noon, even though a good many boys who
live nearer can't do 80.
His pa" argues Mrs. McGraw, had but
q short bit OF schooling, and a good lea OF
his learning he's studied since we're mar
ried, and as for this lad OF mine, he's got a
lot TO make up
She waits for the boy and brings him back
to the home moorings in the afternoon.
Its easy hanging around town the day
this time Of year" she says, going around
the stores, ana so on, besides doing the
shopping for the boat
The elder McGraw does his share to help
In the boys schooling. He has to stay and
mind the boat, but he cooks his own dinner
and minds the younger boy, who is arriv-
ing at the age when children first tumble
overheard and get what scowmen parents
call a good first scare. So he takes some
watching.
Jimmy has only missed three days thus
far this year, and those were when he was
sick. His mother solved the problems OF
transportation at all other times. There
were some tussles with complicated time
tables on certain evenings TO ind ways to
get in from unexpected berths. Also, Mrs.
McGraw says, il there is ever a real fog
on the river, she will stay home. for she is
certainly timid about going out on the river
I'm a fog; and indeed all the bostsmen are
20. There has not been any real fog so far,
however, LuO TWO nave CIOSSCu IhO NANOl
every day, at all events. The result 10 that
Jimmy Is developing-there Is her own
word for %it-into quite a startling bright
boy, and a great credit TO his mother and to
his father. He has overcome an early difi-
Guilty with the problem of handwriting,
which threatened to give him a hard tussle.
His examples are mostly right. In general
he stands away above the average OF the
ffty-seven. His mother admits that she
has heard his studies at home. and he con-
firms this by piping out through the cabin
window that they make him study at school
and then his ma makes him study some
more at home. A few weeks age his teacher
told the principal, Miss Simpson, and she
called in Mrs. McGraw when she came one
afternoon TO tell her that they thought
OF letting the boy skip a class. Mrs. McGrsw
and the principal are quite friendly, but
Mrs. McGraw couldn't be o over to the
Idea OF skipping.
IF he knows what they teach in his class
let him know il; that's good enough" she
repeated.
Here il a sort OF moral to the case OF
Jimmy. There are scores Of boats waiting
30 load at Dock S all the time. Folks live
on nearly every one. Mrs. McGraw thinks
that there must be hundreds Of families
or the boats in the harbor; yes. and more