The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-08-22

was aOle TO S0Orten up the route taken
by Capt. Whites steamer, the Miami,
some 80 odd miles; the latter being
obliged to run up around The Great Stir
rup Key and The Great Isaac, while
Myrtle could cut across, seeing bottom
for miles. She had fine, Smooth
chance" over, with fair, moderate
the engine only in the last 40 miles,
while bucking the STREAM" The prin-
cipal incidents of the trip were the visits
of flying fish, which Topped into the
cockpit over the low rail in their playful
flights of 200 yards or so in schools of
from 2 to dozen. She made the run of
ITO odd miles in about 60 hours, j. e., be-
ing at sea from o'clock Saturday after
noon until 5 O'Clock Tuesday morning,
and was obliged to 60 through as much
red tape at the Miami United States
customhouse and with the port physician
as any "real' ship arriving from a
foreign port. This was greatly expe-
dited, however, by the kind offices of
Capt. White, whose nautical and eagle
eye had recognized her as far as she
could be seen, though other seamen on
the dock who had seen her at Nassau
often were willing to wager it WASH t
the Myrtle, so small did she look coming
in from sea.
CROSSING NEW RIVER INLET BAR.
have often been asked since return
ing if we encountered any rough weather
or storms. We did. As a matter of
fact we had not sailed twelve hours from
Miami before we did get caught in a
heavy "Norther," of which we encoun-
tered several this unusually cold and late
spring. This one burst upon US with
such squalls that we couldn t make head
way against them, close-hauled, even
after putting three reefs in the mainsail,
and keeping the engine going full speed
to hold her up. The nearest apology for
a harbor of refuge within one hundred
and fifty miles was New River Inlet; so
towards the end of the afternoon we re-
luctantly decided to give it up, and put
ting her about headed south to find the
break in the continuous line of surf
which should mark it's entrance. Then
going below to consult the U. S. Coasl
Pilot, Part VII, in regard to this harbor,
l found the following on page 1873: ''The
depth on the bar under favorable condi-
tions is about 4 feet; it requires local
knowledge and smooth sea to cross the
stranger" Now the conditions could
hardly be less favorable, for the tide was
low, and the sea was anything but
smooth, and the surf apparently break
ing all the way across the bar; but it
was either go in here or on the beach,
for the little boat couldn't stand up and
look at it long enough between the
squalls to work off the coast, and when
the gusts came she shot off sideways
toward the breakers; in fact, what else
could you expect of a boat in such hard
chance, with 5 IL feet of freeboard for
ward, and drawing only 8 1-2 feet of
water aft? | took a good look at the
breakers and studied the trend of the
bar as we approached it, and after some
rapid calculations decided that, having
lived in the surf every morning for the
past six weeks, at Nassau, and been we'll
coached in the peculiarities of southern
bars before starting by Capt. White,
than whom none has had more expert
ence with their wiles and vagaries; and
remembering, too, that they nearly al
ways open to the southwark and often
have in addition a small swash channel
to the northward, decided that if the
Myrtle broke up | stood a pretty good
chance of being able to swim through
the breakers into the smooth waters
beyond. | looked at one of the life. pre-
servers in the lazarette under my feet, but
made up my mind that the cumbersome
thing would be more of hindrance for
quick action than help; in fact, the
same chance had been taken, as knew,
shortly before at Mosquito Inlet, where
small oil-carrying steamer broke up on
that bar. Two young men of the crew
swan to shore, leaving the captain and
a deck-hand, both old men, clinging to
the mast, to drown when it should fall as
the stranded craft went to pieces.
While | was thus deciding what to dc
if necessary, and was about to explain it
to the Swede, my attention was attract
ed by human figure, rare sight on
these beaches, running toward the end of
the northern sandspit. 1t was woman
waving red shawl franticalIy. |
brought the boat up into the wind to
watch her. Soon reaching the end of
the sandspit, she kept waving the shawl,
and pointing her arms to the south.
With the help of the glass could make
out in the gathering twilight. through
the spume and spray of the breakers, a
small poWer-dory, bobbing up and down,
with one man standing swaying in
the bow, gradually working its way to
WlndWard and getting out of the inner
harb0r. We understood at once that he
| was Trying 10 lnQlcdle 10 us the location
of the channel into the harbor Conse-
quently we ran down opposite him, the
breakers always between US. Soon we
, were not more than 200 yards apart, but
betweenius still was a seething cauldron.
Then he turned his course sharply from
east to south, motioning with his hat for
US to do likewise. Next, arriving oppo.
site the point, at the southern opening,
where the water on the bar was deepest,
he quickly swung back toward the shore
and to the northward again, beckoning
, with his hat for US to follow. The Swede
, was forward on lookout, his arm arouno
the mast to keep him from being rolled
or Slated overheard, his blue eyes fxec
, on the dory, and his energies bent or
keeping the butt end of his unlighted T
! D. clay pipe clinched in the aperture lief
by the conveniently located broken from
tooth. l stood by the wheel. l let the
sheet go by the run and yelled to the
Swede to pull up the center-b board, ane
then, with engine going, we flew down ;
comparatively smooth mill-race of seeth
r ing water fenced in by tumbling walls O.
> breakers 10 feet high and 100 odd fee
, away on each side of us. At first W,
shot in finely, going faster than the fol
lowing seas, but as we approached tn,
. shadows, less than a feet deep, while W,
were drawing IL aft, we got it badl,