Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1925-12-02

headlands, and scores upon scores of
islands, some of the farther ones fif-
teen or twenty miles out to sea. The
actual mileage of the parish has
never been computed, but it is sew
eral times the airline distance be-
tween it's outposts, Seguin light and
Libby island. Nearly forty town
ships, plantations and unorganized
plantations are reached by the Sun
beam, and about fifty lighthouses.
With few exceptions, these places
are wholly dependent on her for
whatever pastoral care they receive.
1t is out of the question to make any
but the most general of schedules, for
emergency cases can throw the best
laid plans to the winds in about five
seconds Not to mention the trifling
matter Of weather. We found it tip
toe work.
The Sunbeam met us at Rockland
She looked very smart and pretty
coming up the bay with her white
paint and her flags flying and her
yachtlike air. On board were the
five who make up the band of regular
workers.
Meet the folks! First, there is Mr.
Guptill, the missionary pastor, who
is as long on the human virtues as
he is short on piousity. Mrs. Alice
M. Peasley, our chaperon, guide,
philosopher and friend, is also min
lister, and lot more besides. Har
vey Peasley has sailed the seven seas
in many ships, and is own brother to
NJ,t II al
with Cappy Ricks-he is a hero in
his own right, incidentally. The cap
tain is George Alley, and he is also
the cook and leads the singing at the
services. His brother Edwin is the
engineer, and otherwise useful. Both
the Alleys are islanders born and
bred, and they know the sea like a
book. | don't know what we'd
have done without Edwin. Some
Of the stories we heard were little
tail. But we always knew that if We
asked him he'd say yes" or no Or
Il don't know" and we could believe
him.
There was, for instance, that little
matter of the chain. Ted picked up
few links from piece of chain and
asked somebody what it was. They
said it was a dog-chain. Yes, they
used to chain the dog watch to the
deck when it was rough. Sure Ask
anybody-they' tell you. But Ed
win never took advantage of our
youth and ineXperience.
They are a fine, clean, outstanding
lot of folks, with no clutter Of cant
or dogma but endless courage and
patience and lovingkindness. Every
one of them could be earning lot
more money in safer ways ashore,
but that doesn't seem to occur to
them. They work for the JOY of the
working and take their chances as
they come. The rest of the party
was the two of us, who soon became
known as Ted and Kay.
Our first port was Stonington,
where we passed a comfortable night
tied up to the wharf, after a moon
light walk ashore. Next morning,
we were off to Ellsworth and a
promised trip up the Union river.
With us was an additional clergy
man, whom we had taken aboard for
| the day The boys shook their heads
when we started.
"Too many parsons, they SAID.
Sure to have trouble.
And we did
II was very low tide when we hit
the Internationally hit it, too, for we
began bump, humping on something,
and pretty soon stopped altogether.
The engines baked, and there was
considerable speculation. The little
Beamlet-as she was lovingly called
when we liked her-having no water
tight compartments, it is quite i'm
portant not to puncture her How
ever, she had only picked up plank
and tucked it under one propeller
and was dragging it along over the
rocks.
| We had lunch aboard at that