Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-25
haw a Prominent Factor in Success of the Athletics This Season
Along the Water Front
BY Carol Klotzbach

NOTE+Sea pig. q perpoise; a dudong.
First meaning intended. A radio an
nouncement, poorly reproduced, Of an
orchestral suite named 1.-The Sea Kings
Daughter" 10 the source Of inspiration
for the following:
The Sea Pigs Daughter.
70 the King Of the Sea Pigs. once there
was born,
A slim dark princess IN the reefs of
Child Of the tide rip, sister to Storm,
Famed far and wide for her shapely
form;
No sheltered u~pbringing, her convent
the wave,
Her Cathedral. sea bottom, with in
verted nave.
wooed by a Prince. shsrpnosed ard
Black shining torpedo, seven feet long
Seaweed for altar cloth on her nuptial
day,
The Wedding song. crash of the seas in
The wedding feast done, the guests
wfned and dined
On sea water and squid, the best they
could find.
Then North to the Stream. thru leap
ing seas
Rearing her brood IN the blue Carl
bees:
South with the Pack, once more to glut
Sea appetites on the fish of the Gut;
East of the Portland, West in the keio,
Seeking for food for her hungry whelp.
Thru crashing seas and for company
The ships of the World as they pass
thru the Deep.
And. tho her path be troubled water,
Who envieS not the Sea Pigs daughter?
1t is odd that in this age of Stats
ticians ard ~fact-inders, no one has
! come forward with a set of figures
showing the number of people making
the water their home, that is. living
aboard boats either the year round or
merely "part-timing." Data Of this va
riety would be difficult TO obtain. the
subjects being usually on the nov and
often of a shy and retiring nature.
1t has been stated that If all the boats
afioat were placed end to end the own
ers thereof would reach for pad and
pencil and Immediately start q general
argument as to the respective merits of
their craft. BE as 1t may, the water has
an appeal that draws devotees from
every walk and condition of life.
Even j n renOtest antiquity man was a
| f~reouenter of the waterways. Witness
the fact that relics of Our hardy fore
bears are found thickest near the beds
of streams, or along the shores of those
! whose courses have not changed
through the centuries. Traces are
found Of the lake dwellers in Switzer-
land, the ancient Romans had palatial
houseboatS, pictures of Cleopatra in her
barge on the Nile are familiar to all.
and Noah might be called the original
"shanty boater."
The Chinese have for centuries lived
aboard giant sampans in the rivers and
we may all recall the pictures in our
Biographies of the crowded Yangste.
Libations were made to propitiate the
OF the launching of o modern vessel
have their O igin in these rites. For
years no newsreel has been complete
without its battleship or racing sailing
| craft and the advertising men have not
neglected the eye appeal OF things naut-
ical.
No sports wear department is with
out its lifebuoy to add the yachty touch,
and boats of all sorts have furnished
background to everything from auto
mobiles to zwieback. 1t is impossible
Navy from the famous Resolute and the
Americas Cup. and Sir Thomas Upton
probably Is better known as a yachts
man than as a puryeyor OF tea.
The great rivers of the. Mississippi
| Valley have a large quota of river
| dweilers, here the shanty boat is SUI
preme, and celebrated in picture. song
and story. Trappers and trippers. hunt
ers and hunted, college men and "po'
trash" all make their homes in the
thousands of miles Of rivers, gaining
livelihood. health. shelter and refuge on
the surface Of old Father OF Waters and
his sons.
Many are the houseboats and auxiIi-
aries that serve as homes for the wealthy
and the not SO well to do that make
Winter. returning in the Spring of the
year with the robin and shad. And
many there are, not so footloose, that
stick 1t out through the cold weather
with much less discomfort than one
might imagine, free from the squalling
of auto horns and would-be sopranos IN
the next apartment. free from the
water-loving friends whose enthusiasm
Is only stirred during the hot weather.
They who make their homes upon the
water, whether 1t be in houseboat. cruis-
ing boat. tramp. liner or battleship, gain
an affection for their homes that the
Iandlubber never feels, . sentimental
attachment that might be only expected
from live beings.
Hard boiled bosun,s mates have been
seen to shed tears upon leaving a YES
sci that 1t has been their special delight
to malign, yachtSmen have been known
to sink their craft rather than see them
in other hands or the b~oneyard, afec-
ton for a vessel has caused many a man
to stick 1t out when the going was bad.
food cor owners tight and the officers
making life miserable.
Ships are individuals and as such &C
quire personalities, nicknames and fol-
lowings. Some are malign. others
motherly, many are Sweethearts, some
dignif1ed. some slovenly, obedience and
| perversity are often attributed them,
we find ships described as lucky, cranky,
hard and mean.
Locally. the number living aboard is
small, possibly not more than a hun
dred. However. facilities here are poor.
Water front improvement would ac-
count for a large increase in our float
ing population" II and when improve
, ment comes.
America is going wet" though not IN
a manner that might cause conSterna-
ton in the ranks Of the Anti-Saloon
League. Beach colonies are on the in
crease, swimming Is q major sport
yachting rapidly becoming me-. boats
and engines are being built on q produc-
ton basis, enormous sums are being
spent ON water front improvement,
fleets race where but q few competed,
the water bug, like the Japanese beetle
Is everywhere. No stoplights annoy the
boatman, traffic jams are unknown, his
/ journeys are limited only by his purse
courage and the capabilities Of his ship.
Arthur Seagren has sold O new a.
foot Elco to Harry Bralove and has pur-
-
|