davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New Britain herald., 1922-08-11

Mir and Mrs. John Carbo, or Er- win place. left today for Washington, h. c. to visit pr. Ralph Carbo a brother of the local man. They will be gone for some time.
New Britain herald., 1922-08-11

Mrs. John Purney and children of Black Rock avenue and Clement Hart, grandson of Mrs. A. J Hart of Ham ilton street, are spending the month in Nova Scotia. They will be joined by Dr. Purney early next week,
New Britain herald., 1922-08-11

Mir. and Mrs. Albert E. Church and son Milton, will leave Saturday for motor trip to Old Orchard Beach, Maine.
New Britain herald., 1922-08-11

MT. and Mrs. Michael Svataski, of 36 Whiting street, will leave tomorrow for motor trip to New York and vicinity. They will be accompanied q by their daughters, Misses Frances, Bertha and Helen.
New Britain herald., 1922-08-11

Miss Charlotte Holloway of New London is visiting with Mrs: NJ. T. Crean of 13 Summer street.
New Britain herald., 1922-08-11

MT. and Mrs, James H. Robinson of Harrison street, have returned from Oak Bluffs.
New Britain herald., 1922-08-11
RUG SPECIALS ,

Market indications point 10 higher rug prices this Fall However, we are including our entire rug stock, no doubt the largest in the city, at 25 to 30 per cent discount. the same as on our entire stock of furniture. Room size 9x12 Administer rugs now go on sale at such a low price as 92e.00.
New Britain herald., 1922-08-11

Mrs. Gertrude " Bowen and son. Russell and Miss Emma T. Peterson will spend the next two weeks at As bury Park, N. J.
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
a Greaf-grandfathes, But
Mighty Seldom Home

"Cap" has two daughters and sen. Bel
now great-grandfather, but is seldom a |
found at his home. Day and night, except ID
the few hours he sleeps, hs I've. on the fen
boat.
The captain led The way oct to The tss'
deck Of the old boat. The sun vas sta.
behind the hills back Of Nyack. whsrs Re-
bout Van Dam tsrried too long. The rsfs
tions In the windows on the hills Of Ws
chester appeared like balls Of fre. There NJ
a few white cakes Of ice on the blue xassns
the Tappan Zee.
'"Tell me-" asked ccn6dene,aly. sAsyss
Cap you are Rambout Van Dam
II am not, sir" he replied quickly. 1T
born in Scotland, but g good Yankee eti'si
Butt" he added as his eye SKINNED he y
horizon, STD Ike to ssil the vstsEs n'
Tappan Zee forever"
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
BY JAMES j. MONTAGuE

ana nature. / began with craps when 7 was
i've years old, dealt faro when man grown.
played the gee-gees and the water stores
oucAetshops, you know-and bet on anything
that looked like good proposition. Some
times I won and sometimes I didn't. Yo,7
know how it is
AT last saw chance where thousand
dollars would buy me a nice little oil well and
put me on Pleasant Street for life, and all
had was five hundred
Well, the man wouldn't put no mortgage
on the We'll, and give me the cold stare whAn
talked credit, SO just had to have that other
five hundred
Turning ways to get it and stay ont ~ Tail
IN my mind, was passing a house near whers
hung out when I saw man rubbing the
1eet OF cat with sponge, which he kept
1aolstening with bottle Of alcohol.
Cats feet sore? says [.
No. says he; just conditioning him
Conditioning him? For what?
race, he. answers He'll win lotta
money for me now he's in shape
u was interested right away. Cat racing
was interesting to me, but so is everything
that is new. Thats why it's interestiug-ba
cause it's new
Long or short distance racing?' I saws.
Long he replies. This is hominv cat.
You've heard how they come back. Well this
cat is the ho1ningest cat there is. I cot a
dozen cups and medals off hiua-to saw noth;n'
Of money
II got him right Off. ! remembered abou,
how cats will return to their lowly thatchsd
birthplaces like bread on the waters after
many days. 1t didn't need any more expla;n-
ing, but it set me thinking.
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26

point. The channel Is on the east side Of the
river, and the west shore is lined with mud
flats, making low tides and high winds Of
great concern to the aged skipper.
In 1887 the Tappan Zee, the first ferrybcat
IN the Nyack-Torrytown service, burned to tbs
waters edge. The Rockland was built--one
of those old-fashioned (the Cap would dis
agree with that term) side wheelers-whose
front and rear runways have since been en-
larged with the advent of automobiles and
their especially attractive ferry rate. On
the Rockland the Captain has met many people
prominent in the public eye.
John Cook, for many years CHIEF engineer
of the Rockland, entered the cabin. He told
Cap" his men had chopped all che leo from
the hull and were now waiting further orders
The old riverlnan left US for moment while
John Cook assumed the role Of press agent
"Say," he said, conhdentially, 'the old boy is
corker He's one Of the best liked men in
Nyack. He has a heart filled with sympathy
many poor drunkard has returned to the side
of the river he left when sober through the
Captains orders when the fellow didn't have
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
Illustrations by MERLE JOHNSON

arrang1n' With sfs man he lived with for him
TO keep his old home. Theirs wasn't time TO
accustom him 20 new votin' precinct,
"Aftor I'D fed him up on meat and rubbed
him down with alcohol every day I'd take
him out TO harden his feet by road work
dropping him farther and farther ont IN ehs
suburbs every day.
he was little slow at range finding &C
first, but after q couple Of days he'd beat
me into The wickiup unless got good troll
ley connection coming hons.
I'VE set the day for the race on Tuesday
When there wouldn't be too much automobile
traffic for the cats to dodge. and early In che
morning We both started out In the other euv,.
Ford to plant che cats in q town twentv.ava
miles away. Meanwhile I'd transferred nv
4oasinss 70 the house where the cat iived
sos TO be there when he got In.
my cat sort Of winked at me when set
hin down, as II to assure me that bettin' on
MN was like betting on your own privsse
wheel, and back we went,
almost forgot to tell you that ia sevad
out panel in the door Of the shed whar. tha
cas slept, and put It on hinges 60 he could
come in but not out.
I'D got him used to coming home that xvsv
wnen ned been out at night attending corr
certs and fights and the diversions that cats
an'use themselves with. knew he'd slide In
ike snake when he got home.
Ihae night / walked the alley looking
1cr him, getting worrieder and worr;edsr uhe,,
Ten nours had passed and he hadn't showed.
On trials he'd made his rooa nina mia.
M hour homing, and / couldn't undarst.rd
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
Prohibition SupevAuosgs
Under che Eyor, Rule

'Drinkin's the ssme way. One day went
TO place and had few drinks. NV head
became little dizzy-but ] wasn't really
drunk. says to myself, John Lyon, y'r came
pretty near doin' it that time. Now. here
after when friend treats you--you don't
Great back to tn friend. And when YOU treats
friend-the friend don't treat back to vo,,.
An also-you never take s drink twice in the
same hour Now if everybody had done thek
there would have been no need Of prohibition.
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
Some Think the Captain
Ie Rafs1bo.xf Van Dem

The legendary superstitsoas OF the West
chester and Rockland hills, which arc wei
embodied in the writings of Washington Irv-
ing, have furnished the material for many
Wild story in the vicinity OF the Tappan Zee.
There ere still residents OF that section vino
believe cap" Lyon is none other than Ram
bout Wan Dam, whom 'some witchery compels
TO never-ending labor upon the tides of the
TSppan Zee"
Rambout, so goes the legend, rowed across
She river one Saturday night from the West
chester hills to attend froc at Kaliat, back
oS Nyack in the Rockland hills. He was
warned py nis companions that he must be
back before midnight or no would have to pay
the penalty which went with being abroad OF
the waters OF the Toppan Zee on a Sunday
The legend says Rarnbout dranl, long and
deep in the Rockland hills and did not start to
row home until after midnight He put out
in his boat on the Sabbath, but never landed,
and his craft continued to spin around on the
waters Of the Tappan Zee. It is two cen
suries now since that lo-n figure, because Of
his impiety, received his never-cnding ser
tence. Washington Irving, as he witnessed
driving storm sweep the Tappan Zee, said
'The Dutch legend provides no redemption
3or Van Dam, but recently learned The old
riverman will in time to conae change form to
st the tines
The other day we found "Cap" Lyon chop
ping ice from the null Of the Rockland.
"Rambout Van Dam," he said in rich Scotch
accent. "Never on y'r life-I was born in
Scotland, city of Glasgow, in '34. An nev'1
saw this river before 81, but I'm willin' 60
sail it to the end o. time"
In spite Of his eighty-eight years The cap
tain nonchalantly tossed aside his ice axe and
spryly led tho way into cabin. The round
beled stove, two large rocking chairs, work
bench and litter Of newspapers plainly
showed where cap" Lyon spent his winter
months. With an air Of natural refinement
ne offered the interviewer the chair from which
large black cat sidled TO rub in knowing
way against the captains boot tops.
"No, don't smoke" he said. "y ain't smoked
in forty years. Ny passengers got so In the
habit Of passin' out cigars I smoked myself
Ack.
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
Nsss' York Crowds Bigger.
He Thinks, of OLD

The Captain is convinced there were as
many people in New Yorl. during Civil War
days as to-day. When Lincoln's BODY was
brought to the New York City Hall and long
Line Of visitors paid their last respects to the
great martyr the Captain decided to view Lin
coins body. lie left his boat at Its North
River pier and iourneyed down to the City
Hall. There he found 8 line extending up
Center Street to the Tombs Prison.
Undaunted, the Captain Joined the end %
the line For several hours he shuffled alonr
with the crowd in true worlds series style. Az
o'clock he reached the door of the City Hall to
find that the guards had closed it and VISITING
hours were over.
"Do We have crowds like that to.dayf" h+
asked.
In commenting on the dress Of the woTnen In
Civil War days the Captain was particularly
impressed by the hoopskirts. He said
women wore funny clothes then, just like
they do now. There we're two funny experi
ences remember about hcopskirts. One dav
[ entered one Of the oldtine horse cars that
used to run in New York A woman who wore
hocpsllirt came in the car and sat next to me.
a few minutes later another woman with q
hoopskirt sat on the other side O. me. Ye
couldn't see me, nohcw was completely
snothcred. had to hold my nose high 60 as
30 get air"
The Captains clear blue eyes Svs!nk!ed ar
he added in Scotch tsrang, "But the conduc
Cor didn't see ME, either, and didn't have 70
pay my fare.
II had another experience with hoonsk;r*s
which cook place Oh board my boat. When we
docked at Haverstraw there was butcher who
always complained sor,eho6v sto1~ h,u.s eu,,,.
nls shipment. We watched everybody when
they came off the boats after that. but nobody
carried hams. One day gellsr came to me-
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
cap" Tells the Story
of John DIS Dollar

~These retirin' sort Of people can talk for
Themselves" he said. "John D. Rockefeller
yes, no comes on board frequently. renenn-
bers one day John D. comes on from Tarry-
town and he says: Gap, want pilot, I've
got my car here and I want to take ride
through the beautiful country back Of Nyack.
want pilot to sit In the front seat with my
chauffeur and tell him how 70 70 80 that we'll
SEQ everything.'
SWELL, sir, tells him have fns pilot. /
have feller named Louie, who sells peanuts,
chewing gum, cigars and soft drinks. An I
told John D. Louie would be Just the kind
OF pilot what he'd want.
Louie put his basket away an got In John
DIS big car. He started out 60 navigate him
round. At O'Clock they returned. asked
John D. II Louie was good pilot. He said:
Louie Is pretty good pilot--not very good
one. We passed one factory twice, and good
pilot wouldn't navigate anybody past tho same
place twice on one trip
John d. gave Louie dollar biIl for his
work. Louie always tried to keep that dollsr
in his pocket When he was almost clean
broke he would say, We'll, I'm geetin' pretty
near down TO John DIS dollar That was
sure sign Louie was broke. But ono day
Louie put the dollar in the bank. He wouldn't
spend it. An we heard no more Of John DIS
dollar.
II remember John .. once gave i;ttle girl q
dime who sang for him On the ferry I guess
he gives lots people dimes as souvenirs. He
is very nice sort OF man.
"Jay GOULD was always very nice man to
me. know some people didn't like Jay Gould,
but don't think they knew the man. On this
boat he was always companionable sort Of
fellow-nothing stuck up about him.
Gap" frequently carried Grover Cleveland
az passenger when Mr.. Cleveland used to
visit man named Porter, who ran hotel in
Nyack. Mr.. Cleveland, like others, made a
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
All Kinds Of "N;ce Fo,s.,
Haze Sailed With Him

''You know it's hard s.x
some Of the other feIlers us.. |" reaaess..
this boat. There was 50 ms,s s'se "a "a 70 rid' /
many one would rernenbe. :. :" s'sra al
nice feller would be son. ors sauss !, he W,
wouldn't care about. But .t.ss s4e 'as paper
al Smith, Dix, Miller, whitn.a.'saass vas caru''
people. They are all nice. M.ss Msn' lots G.
to talk about the river. =" ETC war,
Il vote Republican when ,s..
right man. remember onos s PUG Up I'd
crat Mayor Of New York from I.ss 49, osn'
overheard They had a Dsmocr., ,Is ss a''sr ~
OF New York once who was Msvor NJ ~ a'1ys'
rode on my boat TO Sing sias Tp "~A Ia
bunch Of Republicans on board and s.s sbs, W. ~,
like Democrats any more'n sae7 d, ~. .a,. aaa'
"I1l give anybody Who ,,,l..,..S ~
Wood overheard hundred dollars, ..s asN;
hollers. 'le ssls(
"Well, had to watch .ha. ,,,.
landed Mayor Wood safe, and - :, :. !"
trouble after he stepped ashore y 80 =
cap" Lyon remembers the opsnh, ~ -
huason River Railroad, which, assar ..,'s = s.'
cradle agitation, some legislative ais -. .a's'
overcoming Of engineering dficu,.je. :. .,.s :.
1854 opened line Of trackaes fron ". W
1ork TO Albany along the cas-. sbora a. ~ =
hudson. In 1884 cap" saw the wa,, a..
Railroad opened. With keen inter.,. ;. .,s' -
messed the rate fight which took ol.c. hs.,.. ~ :.
the two realistically the Hudson R;vs, D..
acquiring the West Shore.
Captain Lyon in 1887 sew II, ~. u.
phone line from New York to Albany hss
pushed along the Hudson shore, ons q. n
particular events he especially remepbe,, !.
the first prominent fight made between N
American cities, when On Sunday. Nav n
1910, Glenn q. Curtiss few from Alha., 4
New York over the Hudson River.
Captain Lyon Is said TO be the oldss yrr
active Mason in the State Of New York n
Joined the Stony Point Lodge In 1860 and
IN 1888 Joined The Rockland Lodr hi.
year passengers Of the RockIand Il "c.cs
thinks they viii be interested, will receive !
card bearing his picture on one side and
record Of hts career Of s.xsy.shrse years
Fre-masonry or the other.
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26

n nickel. And children, too. Kids can always
get around Cap Fresh kids always had to
pay, but nice youngster always rode with the
Captain. / don't think he lost by It, as he has
more luck than a wishbone
"Tho friends the Captain has would sufpris,
you. He hobnobs with the RockeYellers when
ever one Of them comes aboard. | suppose it's
because he's interesting and a gentleman. Last
summer William Rockefeller and his wife camo
aboard the Rockland from Tarrytown. Before
the boat started they were up to the pilot
house. where they sat with the Captain during
the greater part Of the trip.
ut was the same with Teddy Roosevelt
Cleveland, Jay Could, Caruso and hundreds Of
other people everybody knows about. Mrs. Fin
ley ]. Shepard owns that big white mansion
over there south Of Tarrytown. She frequent
~ rides on this boat and always talks with
Cap One day one of her friends took "a
picture Of hex party In which the Captain was
asked to pose. Mrs. Shepard sent Cap one
Of the pictures, but warned him never to givs
it to Il newspaper man because she didn't like
TO have her picture printed. Cap has that
picture with a bunch Of other photos he prizes
more than his meais.
Cap Is still an able seaman, and think
he will be on the job many more years. His
famous All aboard shouted up the main
street Of Tarrytown, is az much Of village
insttution as the town clock. IL he left US he
sure would be missed"
When the Captain returned and Cook took
charge of tho workers outside it appeared as
IL they had given each other the high sign as
they passed.
son River" remarked "Cap."
Il was only after arduous persuasion that
cap" was induced to talk about people Of
prominence
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
~NApTAIN JOHN LYON lie ths oldest
skipper on the Hudson River to-day.
~ He Is eighty-eight years old, and FOR
scventy-one years has been erly


scventy-one years has been employed
On Hudson River steamboats,. Daily he sits
by his believed ferryboat. the Rockland, in her
winter home at Nysck, N. X. He waits pa-
tiently until he shalt know in his own uncanny
way, better than groundhogs, aln,anacs or
government scers, that s,.e last ce cake has
1oated past Nyack and once moro he can
safely sail she Rockland on the Tappan Zee.
The Skipper of the Tappan Zee, as Captain
Lyon is known IN his home village OF Nyacl,
s short, white-haired, red-fsced Scotchman,
who enjoys the best Of health tlse year around.
lie voted for. Abraham Lincoln. Before the
Nyack-Tarrytown ferry was installed he used
TO run q steamboat which brought commuters
to New York each morning from Hudson
River towns. Among his passengers were
Horace Greeley and Admiral Farragut.
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26

"How long have been steainhoatin'g Well,
almost ever since / can remember. ! came
to America in 40, and in the spring Of 81
worked on the steamboat Frances Katey. She
sailed between Albany and New York. The
price Of regular ticket was 81, but we had
competition, and we'd take any price we could
get. Many's person went from New York
60 Albany Cor only 25 cents. Even the night
boats 'uld take people for quarter. We had
to fight in those old steamboatin' days.
"Oid Frances Katey was one Of those side
wheelers, with two hnilers ahead and two
arear. We'd leave New York at z ,'cock In
the mornin' ard get to Albany at a o'clock In
the afternoon. There wus no dancin' or music,
or fellors seliin' postal cards on board in those
days.
TN '52 I changed Ger to the steamboat
George Washington, which made daily return
trips between Haverstraw and New York We
made stops at Sing Sing, Tarrytown, Hastings
and Yonkers. 1t was at Sing Sing that Horace
Greeley would get aboard, That was ten years
before the Civil War.
Another one Of my passengers in the old
days was Admiral Fasragut, who lived at
Hastings. He used tc go TO New York often
During, the Civil War the papers were full OF
how he licked the enemy in Mobile Bay. He
was just little cutoff fellow like me and
never said much. When he took off his uni
form you'd never think he was the famous sd-
lliral
"When Farragut returned TO Hastings after
the war there was big arch erected near the
cock. All the lSids-they even had lots of kids
III those dsys--and all the people were waitin'
for the boat to arrive When E'arragut stepped
ashore they had great time. They shot off
guns an cannon and everybody shouted. Later
when Farragut received prize money from The
government for his naval victories he turned
it over TO Grsce Church in Hastings. They
still use this church, and Farragut's prize
money paid FOR most of its trimnln's'
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26

and says, Cap, just saw woman take two
hams out OF barrel down stairs and tie 'em
up under her hoops When we docled called
an officer and he found Che hams under the
hoops of the woman's skirts"
The Captain laughed es he added slyy:
"Sut nowadays they couldn't hide hams or
nothin' beneath their skirts''
asked him which style he preferred, hoops
or short skirts.
''Neither one," wss the reply. "Thess here
women ought to read little bit Of Aristotle
That fcller Aristotle was philosopher who
said extrsnles was always wrong man who
saved too much was miscr an was no good
an man who spent too much was spend
tilrift an was good. The feler in the
middle who just saved and spent what was
Right was ali right Now, if these women
would get q skirt that would be half way be-
tween hoop skirt and what they now wcax
they would be about veHrin' what the Lord III
tended they should
Forty years ago Cap Lyon became skip
per Of the Nyack-Tarrytown ferry. The Hud
son IS three and half miles wide at this
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26

A & ONE crushed by some divine despair
IN ths man in the red vest sas in the
d. Ia smoke room Of the Sound steamer
and noted tbs progress Of bridgs
game. The jokes Of the players-practicaIly
fresh from the New York musical shov7s-
passed unheeded over his head Dejecsedly
he watched the cards fall and listened to part
aers upbraid each other for neglecting signals
Even @nen stranger dropped in and said,
brightly. "Ah, gents-a little bridget" he held
mis- gloomful pose.
Presently, with deep sigh, he rose and
walked with sagging knees out on the deck
Following, | found him gazing over the rail
with wistful expression that frightened me-
''Not going to do anything rash?" said, as
he raised one foot tentatively toward the rope
net barrier.
He turned and regarded ms.
"No, son." he said sadly, "1'm too old q
bird to do the Dutch. was just out here
shinlsin' about cats and luck and things like
that; that bridge game put me in mind Of EN-
! guess cat done me out Of q lot of money
last week-not intentional, Of course-but $500
Is s500-even if losing it amt the cats fault
He resumed his morbid inspection Of tbs
black water.
'i didn't know that cats"-- began SYM
pathetically.
"Well, it's true" he said. "Now, listen"
! "I'm gambler by Inheritance and instinct
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26

what WIS delaying him He wasn't @s|
stop and philander or start trouble VIE sN''II
cats when he was on business trip
"About in the morning the oshsf s''S,
comes down the alley and nearly ivy
when saw he had his cat under bis s'@
ri took the brute and looked him ~1 III
The marks I'd noticed, SOS to be sure % -. !,
running In ringer on me. It vas sa ~ ~.
It was the same cat. There wasn't ~ '-'
conditions, so paid the roll.
Busted and beat, walked bacs !, j
shed and kicked at the psnsl "a pu!
door. 1t would not open. Il had been ~.
day and the wood hsd swelled It - ~A
Pullman car window. .sl
$50 moseyed around toward the noun I
what did see but busted psne e.
q window near fence about eigns :"
che ground.
"Back went % the shed and bang W.
door open. Theirs was my cat, soupa N
in the corner, with quart Of milk 10 : 4
him in a pan Tapped Up clean ia s0s' .,s.sts| =
hundred because Of my ignorance q
conditions on wood panels" ,.s,d3
The stranger sighed again and sna'1
toward the bridge game. =. dedl
"Son," he said, with his band on - .,s,|
elf you're gambler, you got % XIV"
thing-evesvthsng."
sr.cor.ybs 1854 yarnse ). 1aeas
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26

This wasn't much Of cat as far as 7
could see. Kind of NANCY and dyspeptic look
Ing. know form in horses and racing dogs.
and 1 could see that if this cat was winning
races he was running with lot Of selling
platers. So pulled out my roll
Friend says, this Ave hundred says
that racing cat got at my house will coma
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26

home from given spot quicker'n yourn.
weather conditions being alike. How about it?,
'Done,' says the man.
we put up the stake at bank down the
street, and went out to And me a cat.
After lookin' up all the alleys rot rood
rangy cat with hard feet and plenty O. lung
room. spent week putin him into shane