Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1913-11-28


HUDSON K
RT is mere than hundred years
81 since the first ferry began plying
| upon the Hudson river between
I'LL 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.
| haitian! 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 com
bining to make up a 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 oc.
currences during my forty years ex.
perience on the ferry boats in Man
! haitian waters" said retired cap.
tain TO a reporter The life of a
/ terryman is not prosiac one, you may
be sure. II | could write book in.
cooperating half I've seen and heard
| aye. even third OF the happenings,
| humorous sad, tragical and other.
| wise-the best seller in the book stores
wouldn't be IN 1t. 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 2
Meeting Of Two Brothers.
The veteran ferryman recalled an
| incident on ferry in the early los
which interested him immensely. He
saw two men seated opposite each
other on the lower deck. One was
well dressed, the other evidently a
worker in some factory. Suddenly
the well 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
/ was standing by TO take hand TO
prevent bloodshed, when. to Ing sur
prise, they fell into each Others arms
| and embraced like a 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 | later heard
that the family OF the poorer brother
was living on Easy street somewhere
near Huguenot. g. l.
Perhaps two-thirds OF the people
who go TO Staten island often OBJ
served, some years ago, pretty WON.
an dressed In black who never was
seen on the boat without a small bou-
| quet Of forget-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 is-
| land she would kiss the bouquet sew.
eral times, then toss 1t into the water
| as far as she could throw II. She was
a 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 crepe bonnet with fringe OF
white Illusion, which gave to her
( Madonna like face lofty expression
/ Of deep sorrow yet calm and patient
/ resignation. such as I've never seen
before nor since.
! What was her secret?'
Il heard one day that her husband
had jumped of one of the Staten is
laYd boats near the island, and his
/ wife, whom he had left destitute. vas
| prompted by her love to take this
/ method OF decorating his watery
| grave.
One day she threw her bouquet into
/ the water as usual, and as | watched
she yaulted over the rail suddenly
and sank like plummet, never to rise
again. We got boat out, but all that
we found was her little crepe bonnet,
and / have 1t at home now among
other sad souvenirs which I've been
collecting for forty years
Philosophy Of Suicide.
The relation OF this incident
prompted the veteran ferryman to dis
cuss the weaknesses that lead peo
| pie to suicide Why do disappointed
men and women destroy themselves
| by leapIng from moving craft intc