The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-29
LAUNCHING OF THE
 ANGEL POLLYWOG Dad Barber's New House Boat Launched in the Housatonic
 in Northeast Gale
Special Correspondence.>


 stratford, May 29.-And so they com mitted her to the frowning deep This is not the account of burial at sea but simply the story of the launching last night of Dad Barbers new house boat on which he has been working for several months at Miners shore house on the Housatonic. Although it has not yet been noised abroad Dad is a Viking when it comes to ship build ing and it does not matter to him which side up he builds them. He is part printer as well as artist for the Sunday Herald and can read stuff either side up. So when he built his house boat he built it bottom up. When the planking was on the bottom cauIked, Dad was obliged to call for assistance to get his pride right side up for launching. Bill Futile suggest ed that Dad use dynamite but Dad, having had deep water experience saw at once that this plan would blow the oakum out of the seams so the plan was abandoned. Capt. Flip Goodsell shears which neatly set the big boat right side up. Then Flip went home and to bed for he had to be out at 3I clock the next, morning to meet the tide.
 This left Dad to oversee the work of launching alone. He was ably assist ed by. Capt. Sherry Day whose title has a salt flavor, but was acquired ashore. Capt. Red Murphy and his mate Jim Brown were the principal actors in the dramatic scenes which l accompanied the launching. Tom Lal- 1y and an old newspaper man pulled on the ropes and offered gTatuitOus advice which was not accepted. Af- | ter several balks the boat was got ready to slide into the Housa tonic. Thei props were about to be knocked from the boat when Dad rem embered that he had brought a bottle of champagne to be broken over the bow The wine | was not found but the empty bottle i was discovered where it had been carelessIy left by the attache of the outfit who had emptied it.
 Then Dad remembered that there was a. case of beer in the boat house l left from last falls outings and he procured a, bottle. In the meantime | Capt Day had stood in the water over [ the tops of his rubber boots holding the craft in position for Dad to make | a graceful debut the master of vessel. Dad arrived with a bottle Of beer and a votes for women banner. Let her go,'' he cried as he mounted the ''gunnels.' Capt. Day retired just in time to escape the rushing mon | ster but lost his glasses in the water. He is over here to-day at low tide looking for them Waving his suffrage banner in one hand Dad broke the bot | tie as the boat slid gracefully in the muddy water of the creek. sI christen l thee Angel Po1lywog''> was heard aboved the roar of the sea before the North | east gale and the rain which was fall l ing in torrents.
 h the excitement Capt. Red had for got to have a line ashore and Dad found himself adrift on a. rudderless boat. He called for a block, meaning 1 a t'Iine." Capt. Red had the situation | well in hand. He met the drifting boat at the pier and deft1y 1assooed it as it rushed by and Capt. Dad Barber i and f1is vessel were saved from utter destruction. The company repaired to a, neighboring hostelry where ban quet was served at Dads expense. Over the den1i- tasse Dad explained | that the bevy of beautiful young la dies who had promised to scatter roses on the ways before the launching and | ehisten the boat had been kept away ! by the storm The Coast Artillery | Band had refused to face the music of the gale and had aa1so disappointed him Just before the company broke up Capt. Day caught the attention of Capt. Dad and asked: Say Dad, do you know that you broke. that bottle over the stern of the boat. The rules call for the wine to be broken over the oows?'' Yes, T knSIwl replied the doughty captain, 'sI did that on pur- pose because it was nothing but beer. ''
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