Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-07-27
A LOCAL MOTOR
BOAT PARTY HAS
IT'S DIFFICULTIES
Finds Shallow Water Below Hal
lowell Saturday Night
And Grounds

I'm game" shouted the pilot.
What der yer say fellers if we bunk
right here tonight" Not so you'd no.
tice it, shouted the shorter of the
two, "Tll swim ashore first"
Four humble sailors were they.
brave and bold, cool and collected in
the pinches, that left the Augusta
Yacht Club wharf in a motor boat
Saturday noon bound for Richmond
1t was delightful day for motor
boats, a cool wave sweeping up the
river for the entire distance to Rich
mond. The engineer, pilot and in fact
the whole show going down, was a
youngster of 20 summers. Pretty
good man at the wheel, pretty good
man to follow the channel
The trip to Richmond was a de-
lightful one taking some two hours
| and 20 minutes to run down. The
boat was landed at the Richmond
wharf. The party alighted, sampled
some hot dogs at lunch counter, and
! then proceeded to the ball diamond
where a game between Richmond and
the Gardiner local team took place.
The game was over at $50, Rich
mond won II to and then two in
the motor boat party who played for
Richmond, started for the Libby House
| to doff the baseball uniform and don
their ordinary wearing apparel. On
| the way down one of the principal
| streets of Richmond-one of the prin-
| cipal streets--no mistake about that
visit to a bake shop resulted Pies,
turnovers, cakes and cookies in abund-
ance were purchased. Then the party
/ proceeded to the wharf where the
boat had been tied The engineer OIL
ed 'er up a bit, turned on the juice.
chug. chug. chug, and they were off.
Look at your watch and see what
time it is shouted the man at the
wheel. Ten minutes past Six" NUT
tered one of the party as he began to
chaw away on a piece of mince pie.
.Oh we'll, we'll make it by S.30'
Everybody had lunch and after fill
| ing up the briars. all except the pilot
settled down in the stern of the boat
and peeled off many modern song
such as, Silver Threads Among the
Gold" How Dry Am I'm the
Shade of the Old Apple Tree and
others too numerous TO mention.
One bad feature in connection with
/
oversight, the engineer forgot to take
his lights with him. OF course ey-
erything went we'll until darkness
came on. The trip toward Augusta
went fine until a short distance below
Hallowell and then the troubles COM
menced. Previous to that one OF the
party perched himself on deck with
large search light in hand in an en-
deavor to pilot the way; but mis-
take was made-mistake is good-sud-
denly without warning, when one Of
the trio was pitching his highest tenor
note in Silver Threads Among tht
Gold"-Bump! by gosh, We are or
bottom-on bottom was right-one foo
of water, plenty of eel grass and nov
and then, here and there, a rock OF
two
There, / told You we are in toe
near shore. told YOU So No.
think we are out too far. ! wonder
where that red buoy Is? Everybody
was offering suggestions. For two
long hours, and long ones they were
the grounded sailors were ffoundering
helplessly in the waters of the Ken
nebec, trying to locate that channei
The short one was spearing boulders
with the boat hook until at last the
channel was reached. With search
light in hand the fellow with the
broad grin mounted the deck, the en-
gineer hold of the throttle and the
man at the wheel. To the right OF
to the left was designated by the pi-
lot waving the light.
Augusta was reached at 1890, tired
bunch but happy to think that they
were not obliged to bunk in motor
boat one mile below Hallowell amongst
the eel grass and boulders.