The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-10-17

mira's. and one night. at little hotel in
small Southern city, CHANGED to dine
beside most interesting man, the ca
dence of whose wonderful, magnetic
ity until the end of the long table d'hote
dinner. when in reply to my inquiry he
slyly pointed his long middle finger to
head line of the evening paper which lay
unread before us. Then / learned his
name; it was that of famous actor who
had charmed Broadway all the previous
winter. Then, few days later, l
stepped into Broad Street, Philadelphia,
just in time to see President Taft's big
automobile swing out from the station
and run smoothly down the wide, as
phalted way between lines of eager spec
tators. To see Major "Archie' Butts
accustomed seat occupied by another
officer in uniform gave me distinct
shock, for had seen him in Washington
on my way South while visiting at
house where his name was, and is,
household word.
1t was here in Philadelphia. too, that l
had the keen pleasure of dining and pass
ing the evening at the house of man
who, for quarter of a century, has
been one of the master minds of the
world famous Pennsylvania Railroad,
whose black coal elevators and sheds
and long docks seem to line Philadel-
phia's harbor front to the exclusion of
everything else. Besides being an en-
gineer. he is lover of the sea, and to
practical experience on it he adds the
splendid training of a lifetime OF study
of the best masters in navigation and
nautical science and astronomy. If the
conversation and experiences of almost
any man who loves the sea and has gone
down ui.to it in ships is interesting to
those Of us who also know its charm, it
may well he imagined how completely
absorbed l was by the conversation of
this man, who was not only lover of
the sea and born sailor by instinct but
a scholar in addition, and incidentally
the president and patron of more than
one learned society in this country and
in Europe.
Among other things we talked of Lord
Kelvin and his discoveries and theories,
and their bearing on the deviation of my
little compass, and OF amplitude and
azimuth, and l felt, when he accom-
long, winding, shaded avenue, through
breaking out of clouds black from the
recent "sea- turn" and at the lodge of
his estate left me to return alone to
Myrtle's little cuddy latter pointing out
the by-path at the foot of which she lay
at anchor) that he, of all the many and
various men l had met en- route had best
understood the difficulties the tiny cat
boat had encountered and overcome.
So, take it all in all, trip Of this kind
is an education, and an eye-opener;and the
training a man must inevitably get in
agility of body, alertness of mind, power
of observation and general resourceful-
ness and self reliance, are, it seems to
me, worth many times over all the diff
culties he has to put up with. And so l
would say again-go! Go soon, before
you are too old to rough it and enjoy it.
Go while the very feel of the long, slow
swell and surge of the Atlantic under
your keel is happiness! Go while you
still can take satisfaction in the thought
that, however tired you get, you will "be
granted in the end the gift of Sleep; for
even in your wet oil clothes and with
your rubber boots on, as soon as the
dusk falls you will be ready to sleep, on
deck, even, if necessary, if you are sure
of only one thing-that you've got her to
safe place where her anchors, with
plenty of scope, will hold without drag
ging till daybreak. Then, your riding
light turned low so that it won't blow
out in the gale of wind that's humming
through your standing rigging and slat-
ting and humping the halyards against
your mast as you pitch and roll with the
waves tapping and ripping just outside
her thin planks, close to your ear as they
rush by and up along her run in pro-
longed gurgle and murmur of rhythmic
lullaby-you sleep. And towards morn
ing you will spring up, invigorated by
the salt winds, eager for the salutation
of the dawn, alert for whatever adven-
ture the new day shall bring to you.
The "Red Gods and the wide seas call
US all at times, and the boys spirit of
adventure is one of the things the man
never quite loses. Happy that man who,
when the call becomes imperative, can
drop all and go.
Happier still, perhaps, he who could
make the very going part of his calling,
and bring back something of it's pleas
WORDS OF ADVICE AND A "REMINISCENCES.
One cautious piece of advice l would
give 10 all 1ellOW SAILORS Oul Ol my OWL
experience; i. e., do not run nights any
more than is absolutely necessary This
applies of course particularly to INLAND
waters ana coastwise sailing. Wher
making long runs outside you expect te
"keep going" night and day. But along
the shore, at night, especially when one
is not very familiar with the locality,
things look very differently from the
way they do in broad daylight. 1t is
often difficult to judge distances at night
and at times you do not see the shore al
all until you are piled up on it. The dan.
ger of running into logs or other floating
objects is greatly increased at night, too
1t is much pore difficult to handle youl
sails and ropes and the chances of losing
man overheard are greatly increased
The different degrees of darkness, ane
the atmospheric conditions vary to ar
almost illimitable extent from night te
night and with the changing seasons.
have, for instance, noted remarkable
differences in the distances could see
out over our Penobscot bay on different
nights, though | have not studied the
matter sufficiently as yet to be able tt
explain them satisfactorily to myself. Il
seems to be curious fact that brigh
moonlight nights are not always the best
: for distinguishing objects on the water
The 'moon blaze" can be both binding