Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-05-13
A SAILORS RETREAT.
Haven in Which Worn-out Salts Car
 Find Refuge.

s;sisorC .v ....,-~.. .,,...-.d, New York,
 walking along the. shore road near
 New Brighton find themselves sud
 denly in the presence of large tract
 of ground separated from the outer
 world by massive iron fence seven
 feet high, within which five great
 stone buildings like Greek temples fill
 the eye, their pediments supported by
 row of lofty columns with Ionic cap
 itals. Broad flower beds embellish
 the lawns, which are sufficiently pro-
 tected from the summer sun by many
 fine old elms, and an actual village of
 smaller but equally massive buildings
 are clustered in the rear. A brick
 gateway stands in the center of the
 north side of the grounds. which i'm
 mediately dispels any lingering mys-
 tery, for on the arch above are the
 three words Sailors Snug Harbor.'
 Here disabled sailors who have
 passed the sixtieth mile stone of life
 and who have served five years un.
 der the American flag may find de- lightful refuge from the storms and vicissitudes of life. It is not neces. sary that this five years be served dur ing five successive years; all that is required Is the knowledge that the SO months have been sailed under the 5tars and Stripes; and if the man has lost a foot or hand or has been in any way so injured as to render him incapable aboard ship. and is in- digent and destitute, he is accepted at a far earlier age than the 60 years of the physically sound
 Perhaps the grandest part of the endowment is found in the fact that the institution is open to the races of the world. Sitting within it's halls the Norseman brushes elbows with the Englishman. the Dane holds the match that lights the pipe of the tottering old man who claims the port of Bremen as his birthplace. Indeed, the Ameri- can seaman does not appear to pre- dominate on the roll of the Sailors Snug Harbor; at least more broken English is heard in a day spent there than the simon pure article.
 Daniel Delehanty. late commander in the United States navy, is at pres. ent governor of Snug Harbor. and since its foundation in 1901 there have been only four other governors. The first was John Whetton and the sec ond was Augustus Depeyster. and in these modern times, when the prop erty has grown to such fabulous value and when the number of inmates has reached total of nearly a thousand, a man of great executive ability is re- quired to administer the general gov ernment of Snug Harbor. The exec utiye offices are situated in the mid dle one of the five great frontal build. ings, where Gov. Delehanty sits at his well-litered desk. with his clerical staff hard by.
 This splendid institution was the gift of Robert Richard Randall. whose father was a master mariner, accord. ing to history. who tlourished about 150 years ago. privateering the Gulf of Mexico and probably on the Span fish Main as well.
 His headquarters were not far from the present site of New Orleans; and the Spanish vessels bound 10 and from the Gulf and other ports and the mother country in Europe constituted the booty or prey of Capt. Randall. For this was fully 25 years before the war of independence. when it was common thing for governments to grant permission to privateer-a sort of licensed piracy, which would not. ! of course, be tolerated in this era.
 When Capt Randall died his son Robert Richard inherited his prop erty. and subsequently formed a 1 strong friendship with Alexander 1 Hamilton. having met that statesman l in New York city. where Randall l finally established himself. though ! most of his land and estates remained | in the south.
 One day he was introduced in New York to a large land owner. who. in l broken health and unable to with l stand the asperitles of the northern winter. offered to exchange a portion of his real estate to the northvard Of the old city for RandzIIs land h the south This vas subsequently acs complished; and 1t is this property that st the present time yields the enormous income that supports the l Snug Hsrbo7.
 With all the skill of his brilliant l Alexander Hamilton prepared the will of Robert Richard Randall, and to such purpose that to the pres ent day it remains impeccable. Ike sa citadel built upon a rock It Is felony. according to the word ing of the docunent, to sell any pc-. tisn of the estate. and 1t is also a fss | rrr frr r-wr~. "a ~arxfw- fs