Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-31
Steamer Which Threatened to Founder
Was Feature of Old-Time Outing DAYS

the sun came through the trees on
slant and the steamer whistle blew
with great puff of white steam and
all the people came struggling down
to the wharf and pretty soon the Mari
posa Belle had floated out on the lake
again and headed for the town. 20
miles away.
/ suppose you have often noticed
the contrast there Is between an en-
cursion on its way out in the morning
and what it looks like on the way
home.
In the morning everybody is so
restless and animated and moves to
and fro all over the boat and asks
questions. But coming home, as the
afternoon gets later and later and
the sun sinks beyond the hills, all the
people seem to get so still and quiet
and drowsy.
So it was with the people on the
Mariposa Belle. They sat there on
the benches and the deck chairs in
little clusters. and listened to the regu-
lar beat of the propeller and almost
dozed off asleep as they sat. Then
when the sun set and the dusk drew
on, it grew almost dark on the deck
and so still that you could hardly tell
there was any one on board.
And if you had looked at the
steamer from the shore or from one
of the islands. you'd have seen the
row of lights from the cabin windows
shining on the water and the red
glare OF the burning hemlock from the
funnel. and you'd have heard the soft
thud of the propeller miles away over
the lake.
Now and then, too, YOU could have
heard them singing on the steamer
the voices of the girls and the men
blended into unison by the distance.
rising and falling in long drawn me-
ody
You may talk as you will about the
informing choirs of your European Ca
thedrals. but the sound of our own
singing, borne across the waters Of a
silent lake at evening is good enough
Tor those of us who know Marip0sa.
1 think that it was just as they
were singing like this that word went
round that the boat was sinking.
If you have ever been in any sud
den emergency on the water, you will
understand the strange psychology of
1.-THE way in which what is hap
pening seems to become known all
In moment without a word being
said. The news is transmitted from
one to the other by some mysterious
process.
AT any rate, on the 'MaripoSa Belle
flrst one and then the other heard
that there was six inches of water in
far as / could ever learn. the first of
1t was that George Duff, the bank
manager, came very quietly to DIR.
Gallagher. and asked him IL he
thought that the boat was sinking
The doctor said no, that he had
thought so earlier in the day, but that
he didn't now think that she was.
After that Duff, according to his
own account. had said to Mccartney,
the lawyer, that the boat was sink.
ing. And Pepperleigh said it was a
doubted it very much.
Then somebody came to Judge Pep
perieigh and woke him up and said
that there was six inches of water in
the steamer and that she was sink
ing. And Pepperleigh said it was a
perfect scandal and passed the news
on to his wife and she said that they
had no business to allow it and that if
the steamer sank that was the last
excursion she'd go on.
So the news went all round the
boat and everywhere the people gath
cred in groups and talked about it
In the angry and excited way that PEG.
pie have when steamer is sinking
on one of the lakes like Lake Mis-
sanotti.
tCopyright. 1927