The Republican journal., 1910-05-26

/ At the age of II lost my mother, who
died at the age ofs40 years and months,
leaving nine chlldren-seven girls and
two boys. Five of them are now living
and they were all at my house at little
i S3rd birthday dinner party. They were
Miss S. D. Farrow of Rockland, aged 80;
myself, aged SO; and three widows-Mrs.
E. P. Herendean of San Francisco, aged
so; Mrs. ]. N. Pendleton of Rockland,
aged II; and Mrs. J. H. Raymond of
Bath, who was but two weeks old when
our mother died.
After my mother died | went as cook
of coasting and fishing vessels for two or
three years. At Is | was skipper of a
40-ton fishing craft and drew the fisher
mems bounty from the government. At
II. /, with two other boys a little older
than myself. shipped for southern
cruise at $40 a month each. My father
had half of my wages. We sailed on the
schooner Democrat, Capt. William
McClintock of Belfast. The vessel was
owned by brother of the captain, j. Y.
McClintock, who, | think, was sheriff of
Waldo county at the time.
We left Belfast the day before Christ
mas, and were Is days to Key West, then
went to ApaIachicola Capt. McClintock
had a brig there which had been dismast-
ed in a hurricane. We had for her a set
of spars, except mainmast and bowsprit.
a whole suit of sails and any amount of
rigging. We stopped there and helped
rig her, which took some time. We then
went to New Orleans, where we loaded
sugar and molasses for Richmond, Va.
The schooner did not register much over
100 tons. She was loaded very deep and
was under water about half the time.
At last we got to Norfolk and left our
deckload of molasses. The sugar we took
to Richmond and then loaded coal for
Sandwich, Cape Cod bay, thence coming
home by the way of Boston. | think we
got home in the latter part of June in
time to help my father with the haying.
He bad a farm, but that was all the
farming l ever did. l went to school
most of the winter, and as | wanted to
go to sea in the spring | struck out for
Rockland, then East Thomaston, in sea-
son to be there when lime coasting began
in March.
l shipped on the schooner Franklin,
barrels of lime. The vessel was owned
by Charles W. Snow of East Thomaston.
! l went with him three trips, the first as
as mate.
did not seem to like going to sea and
came ashore for change. | engaged
with my brother in-law, A. c. Tibbetts,
for three years, to learn the sail-making
trade at $40 and two months schooling
the first year, then little more. The
first year was a change There were
three apprentices of us and we used to
saw wood nv lantern-li uht haforo hro.ly
fast, then go to work. and there was lots
OF work then. l managed to get through
with my trade; then my boss took me in
company with him in February, l848, and
| was in partnership with him three or
four years.
In May, 184S, was married to Marcia,
daughter of Capt. Nelson and Olive Spear.
We went right to keeping house and took
the two apprentices to board.
In the winter of '51-'52 got the Cali
fornia fever and sold out my interest in
the sailmaking business to fny partner.
A party of eight of US started for Cali
fornia in January, went to New York,
and found that the passage tickets were
all sold for six months ahead. Two of
our party, Lyman P. Collins and James
Cox, went around Cape Horn in a ship.
The roads being in poor condition for
walking, the rest of us left our money in
New York to buy our tickets when there
was an opening and came home.
Mr.. Tibbetts, my former partner, did
not want me to go, and said if l would
not that he would sell out to me and do
something else. thought it over and
concluded to accept his proposition, and
for only about three weeks have been