The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-30

to wave from there to friends aboard elelr
parting bon voyage. ,
$50 there we stood now. on the end OF
the wharf, all waiting for her 20 sail and
about three minutes TO 4 an officer q the
ship appears on the deck, aft, and ltepe
at the rail. All we could see Of the steamer
from where we were now was her Ptern
| projecting along the wharf beyont the
end Of the wharf shed, and now we tould
see that officer standing. up there high
above the water and looking down over
the ships side like a man looking down
from the roof of a house. lookingLdown
now at the ships stern lines that stA held
her there to the wharf. .
And Of course we knew that about
the forward end Of the ship, thefe wa
another officer standing looking down
over the side, looking there after tie bow
lines, and we knew the captain must be
standing on the bridge. There wasn't
any racket anywhere, no uproar tr con-
fusion, everything very quiet. hat sui
everything getting now pretty emp,
Then in about a minute-thit being
at about one minute to ave 5w our
officer there at the stern step of fis plat
form to a telephone there was there. on
the deck away aft, and put it to his ear
for a moment, and then step badk TO his
platform and look down again over the
steamers side. n then we knfw that
the officer up forward must be dling. the
same thing, looking after the ,bdN lines
and we felt there must be somebody amid
ships looking after the breast hne4 Sailing
tim was pretty close now.
And u nan there at the stein hadn't
much more than come back up onthe plat
form and looked down over the sife before
we saw those two stern lines sl3cken; we
didn't hear him give the order7too high
UP he WAC and too far away for1that, and
he didn't shout anyway-but te knew
he'd passed the word below becarte we saw
those stern lines slacken and I'VE knew
they must be slackening so now all along
the ship, all under orders from tie captain
or the bridge. And then we folla% standing
: out there on the erd Of the wharfto see her
of stood by to see her back out.
A a matter Of fact we'd all got pretty
well keyed up by this time. because to see
one of these ocean giants start thR way they
do nowadays is really something more
than just interesting. II pretty near
to being thrilling; and to get the full effect
a friend Of mine standing there ind myself
fixed our eyes on a stanchion using from
the steamers upper deck, th4 stanchion
just overlapping, to our eyes from where
we stood, the perpendicular cfrner Of the
wharf shed, we doing this ID catch her
the instant she started,
when light opened between that stanoh-
ion and the corner Of the shed we'd know
she was moving; and we never could have
told in any other way when she did start,
she started so slowly and softly and gently.
In a minute, watching, we got athin vertical
streak OF light between that corner and the
stanehion; she was coming asern!..
shes Off says my friend pulling out
his watch, and sailing on her schedule
time Of Nj. precisely on the crack Of the
second!'
sAnd then of course l yanks out my
watch, that / thought was a good one. to
have the fun Of seeing the Hg chip start
exactly on the second by my watch too;
but by my watch it still lackedhalf a minute
of I o'clock; and
."No, sir / says, she's sailing ahead
OF time; and really her starting like that
ahead Of time was disturbing to me.
1t was a grand thing to sether sail on the
dot, but honest, I'd rather seen her a little
behind time than a little ahetd Of 1t, hurry
1'Never!' says my friend, your watch is
on; she's Oh time to the second
And then we couldn't talk watches any
more, the steamer was sliding back steadily
and in a minute her upper decks, with the
view, and then, all the timt steadily NOV
ing, she slid clear Of the wharf and out
into the river.
And then two able tugs put their noses
against her port bow and pushed and
pushed steadily, and tive more able tug
put their noses against her starboard
quarter and pushed and pushed there; and
so, quietly but quickly, they Strengthened
her out, and then we saw the water begin
TO boil under the steamers stern-they'd
started her engines. And now we saw her
begin to draw ahead. gathering way as
she went. and now abe was disappearing
down the bay.
1T was fine, very fine; and still I hated 10
Gee her sail like. that, half a minute ahead
OF time, and when / got back uptown,
not TO rub it into the steamer, or anything
like that, but just to give myself the pleasure
OF confirming the accuracy Of my watch,
]. compared my timekeeper with the par
ticular chronometer that look at in a GER
TAN Jewellers Tindow and. by gracious!
the dot, and my watch. that l had always
half O minute slowl"