Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1912-11-15
Captain of Liner Censured for
Setting New Time.
Commander of Steamer Illinois Tells
How He Arrived Day Ahead OF
Schedule, and Is shanghaied
to Land Job.

New York-It is perfectly possible
TO shanghai a seaman and make him
work on the land, although the posi-
bilities appear never to have occurred
to writers of sea stories. Anyway, 1t
not only could happen, but 1t did hap
pen, and Capt. Harry Hartman. post
master, and most prominent bust
ness man in Massapequa, Long Is
land, Is the man to whom 1t happened.
Captain Hartman followed the sea
for over 40 years, rising from appren-
tice to the position of captain of one
of the Red Star Line steamers.
One day he came to Massapequa to
visit his brother-in-law, who was en-
ployed by real estate company here.
While on his visit he got into CONVEX
eation with the owner Of the little
store and postofflce, near the railroad
station. The storekeeper and post
master expressed himself as being
dissatisfied with the place, and yearn-
ed for the coming Of some one who
would purchase the store. In spirit
of fun the captain offered him an abb
surdly low price for the store-and
the offer was accepted.
Not willing to back out of his bar
gain, the captain closed the deal then
and there and decided to install his
wife as storekeeper and postmistress.
He found that Massapequa's rapid
growth provided more work than his
wife could attend to, so, with leave
he Is still at his little Massapequa
store, selling postage stamps and po-
tatoes, and occasionally hustling a
bag OF mail upon train.
The captain is going back to his
first love, the sea, but he says, when
he brings to mind some of his anus
ing experiences as postmaster, he de-
cides that work as postmaster In a
Long Island village Is almost as ex-
citing as anyone could wish for.
But, for all that, when Captain Har-
riman tells how he came to take up
his work in Massapequa, he solemnlJ
insists that he was shanghaied into
the job of being postmaster.
Captain Hartman, whose last com.
mand was on the Illinois, the Red Star
Line steamer which plies between
Philadelphia and Antwerp, was n per.
sonal friend of Captain Smith Of the
Inflated Titanic. On the day the tt.
tanic sank, Captain Hartman and
Captain Rogers, late Of the steamship
Freissman, were planning vacation
in Maine on which Captain Smith was
expected to accompany them.
The Illinois, anyone can see, is the
ship of ships in the eyes of the post.
master-captain.
That's the ship that beat the Phila-
delphia-Antwerp record" he said, with
q grin and a chuckle, but the com.
pany never seemed to approve of the
way we beat it. 1t was the eighty.
fourth trip Of the boat, and the wealth.
er was glorious-you wouldn't find
more favorable conditions for a trip
In a lifetime. When I took my OBJ
servations the second or third day,
found that we we're about 16 hours
ahead Of the schedule. l called up
the engineer and he said that no ex
ira amount of coal had been burned
and we decided If we didn't have to
use any extra coal, to beat the rec
ord-if we could.
Anyway, we were due in Philadel
phia on Monday and we steamed in
on Sunday, "a hours ahead of SEIZED
ule. l had thousand emigrants on
board and no arrangements had been
made to receive them before Monday
oh, we threw things into a merry
mess. AS l came into the dock,
called out to Captain Fuller. our ma
rine superintendent:
Where shall go with this boat?'
You can go to hades with her. he
yelled back. What business have you
got in here today?'
When l reported at the offices of
he company, they called me down for
bringing the boat in so far ahead OF
time, but showed them my orders to
proceed with all possible dispatch,
although they didn't seem to want or.