The searchlight., 1912-11-15
CAPTAIN of Liner Censured tor
Setting New Time.
Commander Of Steamer Illinois Tells
How He Arrived Day Ahead OF
Schedule. and 10 shan9haied
to Land Job.

New York-lt is perfectly possible
10 shanghai a seaman and make him
work on the land. although the posi-
bilities appear never to have occurred
to writer's of sea stories. Anyway. II
not only could happen. but 1t did hap
pen, and Capt Harry Hartman. post
master. and most prominent busr
ness man in MassapeQua, Long ls
land, is the man to whom II happened.
Captain Hartman followed the sea
for over 10 years. rising from appren-
tice to the position Of captain OF one
of the Red Star Line steamers.
One day he came to MassapeGua to
visit his brother-in-law. who was en-
ployed by a real estate company mere.
While on his visit he got into conver-
sation with the owner of the little
store and postoffice. 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 alb
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 a leave
of absence from the steamboat line
he Is still at his little Massapequa
store, selling postage stamps and po-
tatoes, and occasionally hustling
bag of mail upon a train.
The captain is going back to his
first love, the sea. Dut 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-
r.man tells how he came to take up
his work In MassapeQua. he solemnly
insists that he was shanghaisd 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 a per-
sonal friend Of Captain Smith OF fhe
Inflated Titanic. On the day the II.
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-
dslph,a-Antwerp record" he said. with
q grin and a chuckle. but the COM
pany never seemed to approve OF the
way we beat It, II was the eighty
fourth trip OF the boat, and the wealth
er was glorious-you wouldn't find
more favorable conditions for trip
In a lifetime. When l took my oh,
seryations the second or third day.
found that we were about l6 hours
| ahead Of the schedule. ! called up
the engineer and he said that no ex
| ira amount OF coal had been burned
| and we decided il we didn't have 70
| use any Sosi. W uSot tAS Nv
ord-if we could.
| Anyway. We were due in Philafel
phia on Monday and We steamed In
on Sunday. "a hours ahead of sched
ule. had a thousand emisrants on
board and no arrangements had beer
made to receive them before Monday
oh, We threw things into a merry
mesa. As l came into the dock.
called out to Captain Fuller. our ma
rine superintendent:
Where shall I 60 with this boatr
You can 60 to hades with her hs
yelled back What business have yol
got In here todayf
When I reported at the ofiices o
the company. they called me down FOL
bringing the boat in 50 far ahead o
time. but I showed them my orders q
proceed with all possible dispatch.
| al,leusb rhav didn'f seem IN ynnt oP