The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-29
VISION OF COUNTDE La MOTIF
DE Ia TOUR DE La POINTE
DARENE OR SANDY HOOK.

IT'S Not Every Day That Such n Fleet Goes
by Him., and n Only 1t Had Borne the
flag That Onoe 1t Would Have Borne.
Why We'd he Ruling These Seas Again.
The spirit Of the indolent ohshore wind,
from woods and fields stirring under the
impetuy Of the newborn spring, drifted
vestArday into the tower Of the Count Do
Ia Motto at Sandy Hook and put him into
drowsy mood. The sunshine made q golden
mirror of the sea. Reflected on It's surface
the Count, who has been Watching the
marine panorama at the Hook for moro
than a generation, seemed to see an old
time argosy pass. Gallant Yankee clippers
there we're In the procession that carried
eyen moonsails, and stunsails were as
common as royals are now. There was
not a pennant OF smoke from unpoetio
funnel to mar the beauty Of the vision.
The thrill Of seeing floating over every
taFrail the ensign Of Uncle Sam aroused
the Count, and he rubbed his eyes. Surely
he could not be dreamingl Yes, there
was an argosy, but 1t was a little shy on
the American flag.
The shifting wind and clearing weather
had caused shippers in port to weigh an
CHOIR and sail for the open. The Count
said il seemed like q revival Of the old days
to see ten square riggers actually pass In
and ten out the Hook in O few hours, and
A fleet Of twenty fore and alters, with all
canvas set and the gentle breeze on the
starboard quarter, bowling down the coast.
There was the London ship Arno, bound
for Calcutta, with sides painted in imita-
IL 20 - all faabiona1 pap-of-war Az n
distance her black painted ports look like
the real thing. The Danish bark Dag,
of for Bahia, also with painted ports, led
the Arno out. These ships recalled to
the Count the period when the painted
port, now Seen only occasionally, was the
fashion Of the sea-. That was in the days
Of pirates and privateers, who were often
fooled by the ~merchantmen's disguise.
The black squares on the gray background
give a sort Of r%akishness and an impression
of power to the cargo carriers.
Others bound seward were the German
steel ship Nereide, destination Japan, and
the Norwegian bark Hertha, which, like
nearly all the smart Yankee packets In the
glorious lays before the war, went down
the bay to the open under her W sail.
There were three American square rig
gers among the squadron going out, the
barkentine Daisy Read, now in the lumber
trade and bound for Georgia for a cargo;
the barkentine Mabel I. Meyers, on her
vav 10 Rosario, and the barkentine Mary
c. Hale, off for Brunswick for pitch pine.
The Hale is somewhat of a relic, having
been built in Maine away back In 1875.
Coming in were the British bark j. I.
North, nearly 100 days from Auckland, one
of the last of the old iron sailing craft built
in England; the British barkentine Stranger
and the Nova Scotian bark Hamburg, both
from Buenos Ayres. There was compen-
sation for the patriot in the schooner fleet
In which were four big four masters. None
is foreign bound.
The oldest Of the four masters when she
first appeared was regarded as one OF the
most wonderful creations Tor coastwlse
trade. She is the Cassie F. Bronson, a
c~entreboarder, built twenty years ago.
Two wears later, when the Gov. Ames, a five
master, came out, it was predicted tha1
that was the limit for fore and alters. Now
we have one seven master and more In con-
formulation. The Stone lisa collier, like some
others Of the schooner feet, most OF Whlch'
however, are lumber carriers.
A the Count made a note OF the last OF
the square Triggers fading in the sea mist
he dozed again and dreamed of the saucy
clipper ~Dreadnaught charging through
whitecapped seas before half a gale to make
her record trip of nine days to Queens
town, excelled later only by the steamships
that came after the war. When he
opened his eyes he saw a clipper, indeed, but
her masts had been cut down, no lofty or
any other sort OF yards helped toadd beauty
to the symmetry of her model, and she
was in tow. She "a a coal barge passing in.