The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-11-19
A "REMINISCENCES.
An incident which Caused a Shpmaster
Friend to Plunge into Courtship and

An incident which Caused Shipmaste
Friend to Plunge into Courtship ant
Matrimony.
[Capt George L. Norton in the Marine Jour
nall
Quite frequently the Bath, Maine
| Times print paragraphs from its col
umns OF many years back In connection
with shipping, noted launch, depart
ures and arrivals of American ships from
! foreign ports (of which there are none
now, and incidents in connection there
with that are interesting to its older
readers in this famous shipbuilding city
of former days. The other day, to be
exact, November 5. 1914, the Times
printed the following from its old files:
Bath, Maine, November 4, 1874: To-
day the ship Northampton sailed for
New Orleans, hay loaded, with Capt.
George G. Trask in command.
This was forty years ago, and we re-
call distinctly the arrival of the North
ampton at New Orleans month later,
as we were a harbor master at that port
at the time. A pleasant incident in con-
nection with Capt Trask while he was
discharging this cargo of hay occurred:
The fall referred to was the occasion
of the arrival of a large number of sail
ing ships from New England, and there
were present at the time, lying at the
levee, as | remember, the Invincible,
Capts. Strickland; United States, Geo.
Lunt; Western Empire, Grozier; Ster-
Gatherer, Thompson; Victory, Cushing;
North Star, Charles Owen; Portia, Nc
Loon; and others, in fact, at some points
g ~, no
these ships were lying four abreast, and
their captains with little 60 do but growl
about the slowness of their receipts OF
cotton daily.
These shipmasters hailed with keen
cal joke on one or the other of their
to make Capt. Trask their victim. Capt.
Lunt somehow became aware that Trask
had little or no money in his pocket. AS
said to Trask: 'I'll match you for the
lunch and we will treat the Harbor
Master" AS Lunt was about to flip the
penny up one of the crowd whispered in
Trask's ear: "Say tails" He did as
advised and was stuck for the lunch. We
went to Johnny" Hawkins saloon, then
lunch was served daily. After having
enjoyed fine feast, Trask called for his
check, which was something over five
dollars. He promptly whispered to Lunt
asking the loan of $40, and by the time
the latter had explained that he, too,
was broke, the other captains had left
the table and slowly passed out of the
door of the saloon.
Capt. Trask was an easy going, confid-
ing man, and hadn't the least idea he
was being made the butt of practical
joke. Writing under the modification
of his position, he said to Lunt: You
know Johnny Hawkins. Tell him l
will pay him when l come down town
tomorrow. 'All right, said Lunt, 81
will see what l can do" Going up to
the counter, he had short talk with the
came back to Trask and
said; Hawkins says he never gives
credit. He has pair of horses, how
ever, and he knows you brought out a
cargo of hay. Now you give him an Or
der on the ship for bale Of hay and he
will call it square" Trask, mortified to
an extent to agree to anything, consent
ed. Hawkins made out an order for a
bale of hay on the ship Northampton and
the former signed it. Neither Lunt or
Hawkins winked an eye or cracked
smile, while poor Trask, when he Joined
his friends outside, looked as if he had
recently undergone surgical operation.
George Lu t, who was too tender-heart-
ed mariner to see Trask suffer longer
than a few moments. informed him, be-
fore the other captains who had awaited
results on the corner, that Johnny
Hawkins would wait for the price of that
lunch until it was outlawed, if he SO de-
sired. AS our New Orleans readers will
bear witness, the late Johnny" Haw-
kins was the embodiment of generosity,
as we'll as a lovable character in every
particular, and it is safe to add that he
never YVES known to speak i'll of or cause
friend or enemy pain by any act of his.
Capt. Tfask was not what we would
call sport. He was q poor loser. As
a consequence, shortly after this event,
which he took somewhat to heart, he
wisely concluded he could spend his time
more pleasantly, if not profitably, when
he had leisure than in his brok er's Office
whiting and sitting around between
drinks with his shipmaster friends, SO he
started in counting the beautiful daugh-
ter of Capt. Grozier on board the ship
Western Empire, which had the dock
berth in the tier in which the Northamp-
ton lay and in a very short time married
her. Whether either or both are living
now the writer knows not. We sincerely
believe, however, that the practical joke
Of his friend Lunt was the cause of turn