Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-12-25
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MARINE journal ,-cails sntpt~sf.'s4
Days "a Ca~tine.
srPer-snal "Reminiscences" by &earse e
N rtsn, editor o8 she II triss sts-,t New
York
I wonder Il there is anyone lvsaS 20
Castine or West BroOksv'lle. Ne.
writer's native viilagel who remembers
tive brothers, expert caikers. tamtllArt,
Gated ''Unele Robert" and "Uneie JOB"
Tapiey, at time when Casune was qore
shipbuilding port. ana where some OF
the finest ships that sailed the ocean, sach
as the Ostervaldt, Picayune, Castine and
Others, were built. The Tspey brothers
worked on these ships, leaving their home
in Wea Brooksviile before daylight IN
their boat, reaching the shipyard in Cas-
tine in time to "turn to-" work ali day at
that back breathing task, cslktng, then row
back totheir comfortable homes, a warm
supper ana the TO bed many times too
weary to even sleep soundly. This was
their routine, day ia ard day out, summer
and winter. Little wonder, then, that at
the age Of sixty or seventy their backs
were curved and their faces deeply
wrinkled, while neither could attain The
erect position that youth gave them.
Anyone " no has ever used a calking mall
let ana iron on deck or under vessels
bottom for living will understand how
it will in time misshspe the strongest of
men.
These were thoughts that came to me as
/ read and saw in last weeks Marine
Journal an article and illustration OF an
autonistic cslking device, operated hy one
man, that was able to calk 1920 lineai feet
In one day, while an expert calker, in the
days refer to, with ms!let and caI&ing
iron. did well il he covered 500 feet in q
day. Recently this machine was tested 10
its limit with an experienced operator ana
assistant, who in thirty four hours eslked
1900 feet single strand oakum, thereby
ests blishing a record of $50 feet psr hour.
What would "Uncle Job" and ''UncIe
Bob Tapley, both OF whom | remember
well, say, could they see, as we have. the
day the most tiresome job in the construc-
tion OF a ship-calking-w made COM
parstiyely easy9
nut 10 Eelufh W ouE VAu iEAtiuSs tue
elder "hrothers rapley,'' who psssed d away
some years ago, both of whom had large
families. Uncle Roberts we're all boys,
while Uncle Jobs we're girls. The entire
group were bright and intelligent, the
iatter's young women ticking care OF the
stock and doing the chores of their farm.
while their father followed his trade in
Csstine in winter, and IN summer, hen
necessary, he worked his farm with the
help OF his girls, whom ne jocularly called
"my boys"
The Older readers OF this publication are
more or less familiar with Uncle Roberts
boys, eight in number, who became
mariners as soon as they were able t.
climb aloft, after having learned the
necessity OF the first rule in going to sea;
keeping one hand for themselves aud The
other for the owners" As We write, the
familiar faces Of these eight Tapiay broth
ers are before us IN one photograph puo-
lished in this paper, April II, 1903, under
the title OF IAN nlustrious Family Of
Shipmasters," viz; Robert, William,
Simeon, Abram, Thomas, John, Jerome
and George Taplsy. Tn latter is the only
one living now. these hardy New Eng
land mariners had sll been IN charge of
fine vessels in their day, each owning az
interes; in them. The writer sailed before
the mast with four OF them. Each was
every inch q sailor and the pride OF nis
many relatives and the village they hailed
from