The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1926-04-01
HARBOR SAILING
FULL OF THRILLS
Storms and Frigid Temper
ature, All Part of the
Days Work.

NEW 1OTk.-DurluS d TtCcut COlu
spell, when the harbor was swept by
angry winds and navigation was at a
standstill, little vessel plowed brave
ly through a path Of ice foes that
choked the narrow He'll Gate channel.
The vessel was bound for one of the
city's islands with cargo of supplies
and was not to be delayed by storm
when supplies were needed for sick
folks in hospital.
Life in the harbor is active the year
round, and nothing short Of a real
gale can stop the daily flow and ebb
of river traffic. Hence throughout the
most severe months of winter, when
icy winds that cut like knife cause
real and intense suffering, multitudes
of workers stick manfully to their
tasks in order that the city may lay
in a store of fuel. food and other
things so necessary to it's existence.
The marine workers to whom the in
habitants look for their subsistence
cheerfully submit to these discomforts
Of the weather with frost-bitten hands
and feet, bad colds and rheumatism
and dozens of other ills.
Tugboats, the bulldogs of the har-
Dor, are ever on the alert for a fight
with the elements, and it takes more
than miniature gale or bay full of
drifting ice to discourage them.
Almost any day when near zero
weather prevails they may be seen re-
turning from some distant mission,
their ice-encrusted prows cleaning
and scintillating in the sunlight.
A Lot Of Work to Be Done.
There is. a deal of work to be &C.
complished daily in the harbor in win
ter. Big steamers have to be taken
into the harbor and transferred from
their anchorage to docks or repair
shops; barges of all kinds carrying
grain, sand, coal and other types of
fuel are always being towed in and
out from one freight terminal to an
other. Scows loaded with garbage
flow in endless procession seward.
Opposite the Seamen's church mis-
sion, at rs South street, there is a
veritable floating city Of canal boats
laid up for the winter; situated at
other points along the waterfront
there are other floating settlements of
barges.
There are various types Of marine
workers. The majority Of them, ac-
cording to Capt. William A. Maher of
the Associated Marine Workers, have
steady work. The single crew tow
boat man works in the daytime. He
may me ordered to work as early as 2
a. NJ, or may not have to report until
8 a. m. He quits work at p. m.
He does all kinds of towing. A good
many vessels arrive here from Miami
and other Florida points. His job is
to help tow these vessels in and out
of the harbor. He does not have any
designated time for starting or quit
ting work, but works as the exigency
of the situation requires. Captains
average $3.50 to 5000 a month, with
board.
-, Double-crew six-Day Boats.
Workers on what are known as dou-
ble-crew boats are in continuous serv-
ice six days week. They make
trips to Long Island sound and take
garbage to sea, and also do general
towing in the harbor. Captains aver
age from 5000 to, $500 month. The
men work in shifts and sleep on the
boats.
The passenger-boat type is employed
on excursion steamers. These work
ers begin their season about May Is
and quit about September Is. They
work on excursion steamers plying be-
tween the city and Rye Beach, the
Highlands, Bear mountain, Rockaway
and Coney island. They average IL
hours day and work days week
Captains are paid from $500 to $3.50 a
month and deckhands from $40 to 500
a month. Captains on this type of
vessel sign contracts to work six
months. They spend about four
months in taking their vessels on ex.
cursions and the rest Of the time in
preparing the steamers for the season
and in seeing that the boats are prop.
erly laid up for the winter.
These marine workers include mas.
tiers, mates, pilots, engineers, oilers
firemen, deckhands, cooks and float.
men.
Naturally they know the harbor
like well-thumbed book and pride
themselves in this dearly acquired
knowledge. That all bad storms dc
not occur at sea they have ample sto.
ries to prove, and many of them have
had stirring adventures in being adrift
in the waters Of the bay when their
vessels were carried out of their
course by terrific gales. In short, they
have experienced shipwreck, fire and
other dangers in the orderly pursuit
of dirty,