The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-07-31
COUNT De LA MOT1E QUITS
HAS BEEN WATCHING SHIPS
AT THE HOOK 30 YEARS.
Finds at 20 That One Of His Eyes Is >ot
So Y0unG as II Might he Doesn't
Call Himself Count a. Other People 10
saw Many Changes From His Tower

saw Many changes From His Tower
The Count de Ia Motto, who has been
watching the ships come in and 60 out Il
the Hook for the last thirty-six years.
has retired from the little tower on the
eandspit because he can no longer sea
through marine glasses or long telescore
with that clearness which he deems
essential. He noticed more than SIX
months ago that the vision Of one Of his
eyee. which he had been glueing T. a
telescope ever since he went into the
observatory. was failing. The Western
Union. which employed him. retired him
recently on pension at his own request.
He is quite capable yet Of identifying liners
with the marine glasses and even with the
naked eye at distances that m AXE the
amateur wonder how he does IL
The Count is TO- but he d oes not look
or feel IT, The SUN has received ler,ers
from readers interested in the Counts
observations and literary productions
asking II the Count is really a Count.
The Count himself says that some fellow
who had seen the seal and coat of arms
OF his family tackled the title on to him
from the nobility of France His family
record dates back to 1888. when one Of
his family. descended from a Marshal OF
France. the Count says. became a citizen
Of the free city of Bevay This was on
June 7. 1888. He and his two sons ha d
quit France because their religion Profess
tantism. did not fit the country. The
old Marshal himself was strong Catholic.
In the long term OF his service al the
Hook the Count has seen wooden clippers
superseded by steel. single screws driven
out by twins in the equipment Of liners
reported disasters that have occurred
within his vision. and he has given the
approximate time of record breaking
liners. sometimes figuring it out to the
minute that swept across his view before
the wireless came into commission and
been taken from wrecks in the neighbor-
hood OF the Hook by breeches buoy and
lifeboat within the period OF the Counts
service.
1T takes the telescope" the Count said
recently. "tO get the points by which YOU
that you viii know her name. Twenty miles
on a clear day is about the limit Of the
telescope. have seen the features Of
Miss Liberty from this tower. and she ia
eighteen miles away. She does not look
% solemn AS she seems when viewed from
the Battery: In fact she has very pleas
ant countenance. which is remarkable for
a lady who has been out all night in all
sorts of weather 40 many years"
For a swift sweep OF the horizon the
Count prefers the marine glasses to the
telescope. which requires more skill in
adjusting. Some persons cannot Use the
Counts big telescope at all. 81 IMPLY be-
cause they have had no experience with
telescopes. and almost anybody after a
little practice can see things through a
good pair Of marine glasses. The Coun
wants it understood that the report that
he has been married more than once is
false. After the publication of this
report the Counts wife and his children
asked him embarrassing questions.
The Count had the reputation of sending
to The Sun even up To the day of his
retirement the swiftest and most accurate
messages ever flashed from the Hook
He kept up to date. learning the art of
sending and receiving by wireless as Incl
dental to his ordinary telegraph work
at the Hook. That is another way he
could tell the coming of the ships