Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1913-12-03


~ t is mere than hundred years
rs since the first ferry began plying
n upon the Hudson river between
W 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 rlsi-
bilities of the spectators-al 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
i have witnessed many strange Oc
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
ferryman is not prosiac one, you may
be sure. If l could write a 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 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
accident on a ferry in the early '70s
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 we'll dressed man raised his eyes
Snd 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
l was standing by to take hand to
prevent bloodshed, when, to my 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, S. l.
Perhaps two-thirds of the people
who go to Staten island often OBJ
served, some years ago, a pretty wom-
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 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
WIZ q NiSpS OOuu0l With 1r1nRG 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
lad jumped off one of the Staten is
land boats near the island. and his
wife, whom he had left destitute. was
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 l watched
she vaulted 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 it 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 leaprng from moving craft into