The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-10-29
A "Reminiscences.

How the Writer Came to Leave the Sea,
and Other incidents in Connection There
with.
[Capt George L Norton in TheMarine Journal
The incident that caused the under
signed to leave the sea as profession
when in command of the steamship
Crescent City, in the employ of the
largest shipowning firm in the Unite d
States, William F. Weld & Co. of Bos-
ton, who at that time, 1871, owned
thirty large sailing ships engaged in the
East India trade and the Merchants
Line of steamships plying to New Or
leans, composed of the Crescent City,
Western Metropolis, Mississippi, Cen
eral Meade, Sherman, and Emily B.
Souder. An important item in connec-
ton with this story, is copied from our
scrap book from the New Orleans Re-
nublican. and bears the date of May 6,
1871:
Estate Senators H. L. Swords and
Thomas H. Nolan, with E. Cady Stanton
of the House of Representatives of
Louisiana, depart on the fine steamer
Crescent City for New York this MORN
ing. Her popular commander, Capt.
George L. Norton, was yesterday the
recipient of perfectly matched span OF
sorrel horses, none other than the team
which Senator Nolan had made famous
on the shell road during the past season.
Those present on the occasion made it
merry one, and before the party broke
up State Assessor John W. Swords gave
Capt. Norton an order on Brewster &
Co. of New York for light road buggy
in appreciation of the pleasure afforded
him on recent trip from New York to
New Orleans on board the Crescent
City,"
This token Of friendship and apprecia-
ton was the cause of abandoning the sea
for a livelihood. 1t was this way. After
arriving in New York on the trip refer
red to, we Immediately ordered our
buggy to be ready the following Satur-
day. which was sailing day, planning to
have a good time our next week in New
Orleans behind the sorrel trotters, which
were beauties and tolerably speedy.
After our cargo was all on board, the
matches secured and battened down, the
buggy, we'll covered, was placed on board,
and secured over the matches on deck.
Taking up no cargo space and weighing
less than 500 pounds, we did not even
think it necessary to report or ask per-
mission from the Office to carry this
vehicle. Judge of our surprise when we
arrived at the Crescent City to receive
a rather curt letter from the New York
agent instructing US to"pay the freight
on that buggy we took on board in New
York without permission, to the New Or
leans agent" We were naturally indig-
pant, as the space the buggy occupied was
never used for any purpose on any trip.
! We showed this bill to those of our
| friends who we're present on the occasion
of the presentation of horses and buggy,
each one being member OF the State
legislature or government. There hap
pened to be vacancy in the Board of
| Harbor M asters. Our friends took us to
the Governor, with whom we had very
Observation-Disclosures, who assured them
/ that he would be pleased to appoint the
writer to the vacant position as soon as
we were ready to accept it. Dur feet
hardly touched the ground on the way
! back to- the steamship agents office,
where we Immediately wrote and mailed
our resignation, to take place upon ar
! rival in New York.
! Our fellow shipmasrers unanimously
agreed that we had lost our mind. That
| the harbor -mastership was political po'
sition under the State, which we were
liable to lose at the next election. They
didn't predict right. We held it fer five
wears, after which the State was turned
over to the opposition party. The writer,
$50 it was said by our friend, United
States Senator William Pitt Kellogg,
rom Louisiana, who was party to the
trade, was one of the faithful and earn.
est workers for the change, deserved
recognition. As a consequence, we were
nominated by the President of the Uni
ed States and confirmed by the Senate
as Supervising Inspector of Steam Yes
sells for the Gulf States, with headquar'
tiers at New Orleans, decided promo
ton, and which Office we held for eight
years, losing only two months in the
thirteen years, spent largely in the beau
tiful city of New Orleans, resignine
when Cleveland was first elected Presi
dent.
In less than a month the writer pur
chased half interest in the Marin,
Journal, then published in Cincinnati
moved 1T to New York, and on January
; l, 1885, its first issue here was published
from 1872 Nassau street this city. A
the end of that month it had used up al
i the money we put into it and was in deb