Norwich bulletin., 1921-03-22
LOCATES CoNTENTED MAN
 IN CAPT. CHARLIE POTTER


 A wealthy New York summer visitor and writer went around the village of Noank, not exactly with a lantern like Diogenes looking for. an honest man. but pencil in hand ready to tot down the name of one whom his mates would call contented man. Impulsively and Of one accord the men queried exclaim- ed: Captain Charlie Potter" The in- quiring writer heard this answer so many times that, through curiosity he travelled up to Norwich. where Captain Potter now makes his home In due time he met the captain and came to the conclusion that what his ..ishin 2. town friends had said was absolut tely correct.
 Later the New York writer inspected the captains strange summer home, on the shore of the Mystic river as odd as ever Dickens misht describe and chris tened with the imposing name of Beth saida. The foundation of this hot wealth err retreat is, what was once the cabin of VandeI3 3ilt yacht, acquired by Cap tain Potter after so many pleasure trips between New York and Newport. It is perhaps 9x12 feet and for Is years has stood on the Noan;z shore, while the owner has added successively a kitchen, dining room and sleeping rooms. as well as wide wharf that puts off to the edge of the channel
 It is surely quaint, queer retreat, which can shelter nine persons in com fort for the ingenius captain. has ricged up an attic into which the Small fry 1 of any visiting family would dote on climbing into, via the ladder route. The stocky, sturdy captain was born 1 In Noank. Sept Il. 1S45. At the agt of F he set out to make his fortune. | going to sea at the princely wage of ! . i on the taunt and staunch fishing smack Sultan.- That vas in the era of excit- ing times, and in 'S3 the schooner Al l meda on which the young salt was earning his living was taken by the | privateer Tacon;. which southern craf-
 set fire to the little fishing boat, turn. l ing her seven men loose on the ocean
 in small open boats. Captain Potter ant | his ill-ma ted mates all escaped Dav,
 Jones' locker that time by safely reach q ing the Nantucket light ship
 The years after that younhful adven } ture were quite unmarked by any ex ' traordinary happenings Young Potte } came back to his native town where h. married his childhood friend, Hiss Mar
 tha Weeks. They had four children, tw | of whom are living. The fishermen ' trade still supplied the young 'usban 1; and father with ready money al afte |. hours he fell into the habits of he nie : of his time and, as he will peritently tel 5 could drink with the worst Of them
 Then something told him that he wa
 wast( both his time and his life 1
 that way and after a hard fight he su,
 ceeded in breaking the habit. Findin that strength was given him to me, ! and overcome the temptation of inten l perance, he was anxious to urge othel ; to reform. His scripture reading ha - convinced him that the Adventist belt 3 was what he best could subscribe to ar e in his honesty of purpose, lie took U ] preaching, working for over six yea n as superintende.t of the Bradley Sure s Mission in New London.
 @ Twenty-four years ago he went l. Norwich. opening a little mission roo |, in a side street back of a cigar stor e He has since continued his mission wo O there. Sunday mornings and Friday ai if ernoons with occasional extra meeting # Throughout his experience in preac
 ing Captain Potter found that even Bit n students. knew comparatively little abo ], the famed tabernacle. so he set to wo n to make a model of the structure, whi I took him a full year. Since that tir st he has completed over 40 of these N1odt r, which are scattered in all parts f t L world having been taken by missionari le to South Africa, China, Korea, Ind
 l it Japan. Sumatrc. and into the gre l. Northwest
 ee These models are most interesting a Id ingenious. duplicating all the sacred g
 ticles referred to in the scripture es whe B. the tabernacle is mentioned at all, t h. trumpets, altar. holy of holies, censor $ gold, candlestfdIs are there No pay le ever taken by the captain for the e1 models.
 es The New York author learned h ti h. that the sailor man of Noank, who ai
 to be a modern fisherman apostle h he the record in the village of great gt ne erosity; gave away his own rubber bo ed, to another ice cutter who sorely ne nc ed them; adopted five or six friendl IT, and homeless children and opened SC he kitchens and she,aars in New Lone he during the panic times, although his c of ital wes nothing more tangible than fl to faith In his sympathetic wife, Capt mt Potter has true helpmate