The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1912-12-26

l
M consist of planning to go some
| ~ where and going. Most men
are seeking happiness, and an
ticipation is said to be the climax OF
happiness In most cases. However
that may be, going somewhere and
getting ready for the journey Is the
means Of happiness for most persons
To have no place to go is tragedy.
Lightships do not go anywhere.
They stay in one spot, day in and day
out, month in and month out, year in
and year out, save when the tide or
the wind forces them to swing around
their shackles and instead of pointing
east their ;stubbed .prows point north
or south, or southwest-by-west as the
case may be. They bob up and down
in the seaway, and IL 1t Is choppy they
house men" describe them. The Scot
land lightship makes double pitch In
seven seconds. To be forced to watch
the steamships sailing past, within
hRiling distance, on their way to all
parts of the world, or gliding in from
the sea with their burdens of Ameri-
cans, homeward bound and joyful in
the realization of the fact that they
will soon see their friends, and immi
grants seeking and expecting to find
that which should make the circum-
stances of life more satisfactory, Is
like placing a Barmecide feast before
mariner who has been floating in an
open boat without food for a week.
That is what the crew of a lightship
outside OF New York harbor has to
face.
A General ProVider.
At Tompkinsville, Staten Island.
Uncle Sam has maintained for these
many years a depot of the lighthouse
service. 1t is the chief one in the Uni
ted States. Not only has it a great
deal to do with the supplies for the
entire service, but from its wharves,
crowded with buoys Of a hundred
shapes, ocean-going vessels, called ten
[ ders, put forth with all kinds of sup
plies for the maintenance of the pre-
cious lights along the coast and In
the harbors between Narragansett Bay
and Cape May. The tenders take com.
pressed gas to the gas buoys, coal, oil
and food supplies to the lighthouses,
and coal. water, oil, vegetables, eggs.
Ice and other supplies of the kind that
would be required on. a vessel that
makes port. perhaps, only once or
twice a year. There are four or five
Of the tenders, all bearing names of
flowers, such as the Tulip, the Lark
spur, the Gardenia and the Pansy.
Sometimes they are gone for a week
sometimes for dey only. but there is
always one designated to go out on a
Saturday to the lightships at the
mouth of the harbor. There are two
of these lightships-the Ambrose
Channel, No. 81. and the Scotland. No
IL. The former lies outside the en-
trance to the Gedney channel, OIL
main gateway, while the latter swings
in the seaway at the mouth of the
South channel, the passage used by
coastwise vessels and barges on theil
way into the harbor.
It behooves those who have secured
the privilege OF making the trip from
the once Of the lighthouse service, IN
Washington, to be on hand bright and
early in the morning. for the tenders
get away almost with the sun.
!. On this morning. however. the sur
10 invisible; It is foggy. The cook pro
yides cup OF coffee as an appetizer
and in a little while a grocery wager
rattles down to the gangway. Severa
!. barrels OF green STUFF. fresh meat. and
a case OF eggs are carried aboard. Tn,
breakfast bell rings and as the tendel
works her way through the marrow
passage out of the basin. the youthful
waiter serves the meal.
4 Slowly the tender picks her wa,
down the Narrows through the fog
which seems to become denser rathel
than thinner. The breeze drives thu