Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1907-03-29

WAS u lie. A~ lft w IT. .' .. '...
asked the captain how. 100 rs ."'n'al.
Obed Nickerson had l,avUel t'aJ iHer
had the contract
"Phanrd the SALVAGE c'"'"nN".' ~.
plici Captain Ezra decidedly "IN lot
on it. You see. Brad. this iu.'s his
one. aud the salvage f3l''s r'ir' { have
figured there was sugar en3uEh In u
70 drop lamp in friend tant& tea
cup prpvidin' lac Stirrea ~ TIER Sp''a.
We'll. good night, or .'rd mofAlA,
rather Its double or quits with D5
this time. son, for sartm, lGt u ut
comb 4 Nickars1u do 20 under II u
be with colorS Gyin'."
Within the week SctGcMt Point, from
q lonely. gull haunted sand pit, hhAbi''
ed only Ivy the life saving crew ana tNe
lighthouse keeper and his family. be-
came small town, the population OF
which left each morning for the na"or-
back shoal ana returned at night to
eat and sleep in the big shanty a1d
those surrounding it.
Captain Titcomb saw the people at
the Wellmouth bank ana placed mort
gage Oh the Diving Belle. ~ the
partners owned her free and clear. he
was able to get her cost price, 5000.
Placards announcing that men were
wanted at once and ut 50 day ana
board were hung in the poSto.iices and
railway stations in Orham. South or
ham. West IIarnisS, IamisS Center
Wellmouth and other towns; also an
advertisement appeared in the Item,
The response was Immediate. Work
at good wages was scarce in the win
ter months. and men came from TWEEN
ty miles away to obtain it.
The Diving Belle carried them down
to the Point There. under Barney
Smalrs supervision, some set TO work
- building extra hunks in the bic SIantE.
singing hammocks. putting up stoves
the partners bought five sncoAah3nI
ranges-and making three nelghhoring
abandoned fishing hutS in1I5.ta1'e.
The rest worked over the stranded coal
barge. getting out the anchors strip
ping her of all unnecessary ironWo.N
and r-gug and preparing to bring the
coal from her hold and dump it over
board.
Seventy men were hired altogeth"r
and to feed them it was necessary t.
buy large quantities Of provisions
Captain Titcomb managed tbs part OF
the business, and the bargains lie made
with Caleb Weeks and other store
keepers were wonderful and in some
cases not too profitable for tie sellers
As Mr.. Weeks said: "E2 Titcomb spent
ha'f the forenoon with me today an
afore lie got through tal.in' he'd tan
gled me up 50 with fgg2rs that dom
know whether sold him salt at cent
pound or cornmeal ut Il dollar d
barrel. I'll have to pat in the res
of the day callatin' and a1d'n' UP
SOS to know whether I've made money
or lost it."
Soon the work on TIE freedom wa
in full swing and the great hull hum
med like beehive. Men We're sand
ing by the matches and by the Garric&s
Men were working by the rail trans
ferring ropes and ironWo"k TO the Div
ing Belle. Down in the holl gangs o
men with faces s0OtE black e%cep
where the sweat strC0ked them Wit
palld channels were ShoyeliuG TIE Goa
into the big iron buckets tIat tn
creaking derricks lifted ana awun
ti,n In Tho llrl't.r ~
puffed ana whistlel, the chains rattle,
and ton after ton Of good hard CO;
roared from the opening buckets IN
splashed into the tumbIng waves {
the channel.
The captain and Bradley, tJ%etAi
for a moment STOOD il the bows. Wh2i
the heavy cable led, taut ana riGit
from the windlass out to the &1JMer!
ed anchors. The Freedom hld move
slightly in the last few days, and ii
partners were encouraged.
by crimds, Brad exclaimed Cal
tain Titcomb, pointing, VITA grin c
his grmy face, to the stout LILLE hi
ing Belle just then shooilg OF to Il
Point with a load OF strippingS fro
the Freedom, that's tie li,tle critt,
that has made it possible for us
handle this job. don't know Wl,t We
"a done if we hadn't hal her. Sec Ii
go, will you? Flies round like a L,
in fryn pan don't She? N0l new
put your money into aaything bc.u
for the size than hcr. and don't You j
that fact slip your mcm'ly."
The new schooner had proved h
worth twice over. Equipped. as 81
was, with the engile. she perform
the part OF Il steam launch, tn an!
ferryboat She had carried out al
dropped the anchors in the cham,
she took her owners end a few OF
hands to and from O-ham eycry l-tG
and morning; she was always rca,
and always useful. In fact, as the ca
tain said, they could scarcely ha
handled the JOB without her.
Bradley dirty and barehe ;dea, loo
ed at the little vessel.
Il shan't feel easy until we Day
that mortgage" he said. "ALI, 9
other thing, you mustn't FORGET to 6
Obed and close that insurance deal
worries me to thinl: she is not p.ote
ed at all"
THAT'S so. Fact is, I've been
everlast.n' busy lately that ia FOR,
to eat if hadn't got in the habit of
But | must settle that right OF. r
only thing mats kept it from 60
through afore is on account OF Ii
dynamite in the hold. The papers q
ready. only Obed wont dicker TN
we take that stuff of; his comp
won't insure against explosives"
A little of the dynamite int III
had been using in blowing Up the i,
containilg the tar was Sill 5 O"nd
the Diving Bellies hold. Capt IN Z
comb had promised to se2 that 1t "