Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1913-12-05

vT is more than a hundred years
q since the first ferry began plying
81 upon the Hudson river between
N New York and Jersey City, and
in that period how many TRACE
dies have been enacted on the bosom
of the turbulent water about Man.
hattani Since that time many ferry
lines have been established and from
time to time each boat has been the
scene of occurrences which in turn
stirred the heart or excited the risi-
bilities of the spectators-all COM
bining to make up romance of life
to which the fiat dweller in the big
cities are complete strangers, but with
which suburban residents are quite
familiar
Il have witnessed many strange &C.
currences during my forty years ex-
perience on the ferry boats in Man
haitian waters" said a retired cap
tain to a reporter The life of a
ferryman is not prosiac one, you may
be sure. If | could write a book in
cooperating half I've seen and heard
aye, even a third of the happenings,
humorous, sad, tragical and other
wise-the best seller in the book stores
wouldn't be in it. After all, it is the
relation Of the little things of life
which come home to us forcibly,
rather than the big things, which
affect us most. :"
Meeting of Two Brothers.
The veteran ferryman recalled an
incident on ferry in the early '70s
which interested him immensely. He
saw two men seated opposite each
well dressed, the other evidently
worker in some factory. Suddenly
the we'll dressed man raised his eyes
and found the worker staring at him.
Both leaned forward and presently
they arose and approached each other.
Il had an idea they were going to
mix matters" said the captain, and
I was standing by to take a hand to
prevent bloodshed, when, to my sur
prise, they fell into each others arms
and embraced like couple of old
women. The mystery was soon ex-
planned, for they were brothers who
had lost track of each other for more
than thirty years. One had got rich
in Montana while the other kept peg
ging away at his trade and got poorer
every day in proportion as his family
increased Those two brothers went
away arm in arm and l later heard
that the family of the poorer brother
was living on Easy street somewhere
near Huguenot, S. l.
Perhaps two-thirds of the people
who go to Staten island often OBJ
served, some years ago, a pretty WON
an dressed in black, who never was
seen on the boat without small bou-
quet of orget-me-nots, immortelles or
roses. She would take her seat on the
port side of the upper deck aft and
just as the boat passed Governors VS.
land she would kiss the bouquet sew
eral times, then toss it into the water
as far as she could throw it, She was
pretty little woman, with dark eyes
that shone like brilliants and which
filled you with inexpressible sadness
every time she looked at you. She
wore a crepe bonnet with a fringe Of
white illusion, which gave to hel
Madonna like face lofty expression
of deep sorrow yet calm and patient
resignation, such as I've never seer
before nor since"
What was her secret?"
Il heard one day that her husband
had jumped off one of the Staten is
land boats near the island, and hi!
wife, whom he had left destitute, wa!
prompted by her love to take thii
method of decorating his water!
grave.
One day she threw her bouquet int
the water as usual, and as | watched
she vaulted over the rail suddenl.
and sank like plummet, never to ris'
again. We got boat out, but all tina
we found was her little crepe bonnet
and | have it at home now amonl
other sad souvenirs which I've beef
collecting for forty years"
Philosophy of Suicide.
The relation of this inciden
prompted the veteran ferryman to dis
cuss the weaknesses that lead pee
pie to suicide. Why do disappointe
men and women destroy themselve
by leaping from moving craft int