The “ Hoodooed ” Yacht

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVII, Issue 21, 22 May 1912, Page 47

The “ Hoodooed ” Yacht

By

M. V. PRESTON.

Illustrated bjl

W. E. Wigfull.

A “hoodoo," in American parlance, is a curse, a kind of malignant fetish —■ attaching to sonic person or thing; and if ever any object was “hoodooed," it teas the motor-yacht that figures in this story. He would be a bold man who, rafter reading it, declared that there is no such thing as bad luck. From first to last the worst of ill-fortune dogged the vessel and her owner, and even shipwreck and foundering did not satisfy the relentless “hoodoo.”

I WAS the proud owner of a forty-five-foot gasolene launch, fitted with auxiliary sails, electric lights, copper gas-tanks, galvanized water-tanks, and a four-cylinder twenty-horse-power engine. Tiiis outfit cost me £BOO, and, by chartering, furnished my wife and myself with a comfortable living. On November Ist, 1910. I secured a sixmonths’ charter to take a party south for the winter. At the same time, although I did not know it then, I acquired a persistent and hard-working hoodoo. A foolish little dispute over a bill of less than £2 led to a lawsuit, that kept me in New York until November 25th, and lost me the charter. On November 28th we decided to go to Florida and take a chance of getting charters. We were lying at anchor off College Point at the. time. I winched in all the slack of the chain, but could not budge the anchor. I therefore started the engine, and, with the timely ■help of a swell from a passing Sound steamer, managed to break the shank of the seventy-six-pound Babbitt anchor. We started to cross the East River to get gasolene at Classon Point, but our hobdoo promptly placed a submerged mobring-log in the way. When the propeller had ceased its argument with this obstacle, the engine was racing at about a thousand revolutions per minute, while the propeller was only making about fifty. The tide being favourable towards an adjacent quay, we managed to keep steerage-way, but. having no anchor, had to trust to luck in stopping. Our hoodoo had left a nice new rowboat on the near side.of the landingstage This lessened the blow somewhat, and after ploughing through the planking of the unfortunate skiff we stopped at the stage. 1 left instructions to repair the rowboat, haul out the yacht, and put in a new propeller key, the old one having been sheared off by the blow against the log. Someone told me that I could get information about the canals from the information bureau of a certain paper. I called them up, and learned that the

Raritan ami the Chesapeake Canals closed on December Ist. By sailing night and day, we could get through to Cluwajieake Bay before the canals closed. (A few days later 1 found that the canals closed only when frozen up.) It was up to me to get busy, so 'I hustled down town and bought £2 worth of charts. Chart No. 126, from Bordentown to Delaware City, was out of print, I was fold. When’ I got back to the shipyard I found the yacht lying at mooring, all

ready. I tried to get an anchor, but there was nothing doing. Then it started to rain. My wife had gone to a friend’s house to get our trunk, and to a tailor to have two of my suits pressed. Away in the distance 1 saw a large moving van, rolling and pitching along in the rain, with my wife perched up on the top, directing the driver as to the best course. After my wife, her trunk, and my newly pressed clothes had been safely landed at the wharf, and the trunk covered with.

an old piece of canvas to keep out some of the rain, we rowed out in our dinghy to the yacht and put on dry clothes. By the time I had settled my bill and put the trunk aboard it was dark, and we started out again for gasolene. Ordinarily jyou cannot get gasolene after dark, but I convinced the man in charge that there would be no danger in using my electric lights, so I ran a sixty-foot extension-cord to his tap, and made it light enough for him to fill his cans. We took on two hundred gallons of gas and rain. This combination did not bother me, however, as there was a separator between the tank and the feed-pipe capable of holding half a gallon of water and dirt, without interfering with the flow. A run of half an hour brought us to the Harlem River side of Ward’s Island, where I filled the water tanks with city water and rain that ran off my oilskins. About 9.30 p.m.. with a fair tide, we started through Hell Gate and the East River. At eleven o’clotk we were abreast of the Statue of Liberty, when a sleet squall swooped down upon us, and then the engine began to back-fire through the carburettors. Sheets of flame lit up the engine room, but as we were in a heavy sea and could hear the bellowing of tugs, and ocean liners all round us..l let the engine keep up its cannonading until wo passed .Robbin’s Reef light and were in the shelter of the Kill von K-uli. Then, as we had no an hor. we ran in to a Standard Oil Company slip and tied up for the night. Both of us had been soaked through for houre. so we got outside of a hand fill of quinine pills and some whisky. Now, my wife is a good sailor and can handle the wheel better than the average man, but she lacks experience in carrying a combination of quinine ami whisky. The cold grey dawn of the 29th found her “down and out.’’ While the yacht was on the ways our Industrious hoodoo had led some kind friends unknown to inspect my carburet tors. They forgot to screw the tops on tight when they had finished, and the vibration of the engine hail loosened the bolts, so that the tops of the carburettors were almost falling off. Sheets of

flame had shot across the exposed gasolene, but our hoodoo had prevented it from igniting, evidently saving us for more extended attentions. We turned into the Raritan River at ten o’clock. The rain was now beginning to have some effect on the ice-covered decks and cabin, and just as we sighted New Brunswick the downpour ceased. We locked in, and while my wife went after a supply of eatables 1 scouted for an anchor. The best I could gef was a watch charm kind of thing weighing about twenty-five pounds, so I decided to wait until we reached Trenton. Aly wife long ago adopted overalls as a comfortable sailing costume, but always put on the conventional skirt when going ashore. As her skirts were wet, however, she rolled up the legs of her overalls and put on her long coat. After she had been shopping for about half an hour, one leg unrolled itself, and she was escorted back to the yacht by an inquisitive crowd. We disappointed them by getting under way before my wife removed her coat. It was almost dark when nearing Bound Brook Lock, we met a craft towing down. As the canal was very wide at this point, we kept to the middle of the canal to let the other people have the tow-path side. Guided by our hoodoo, we ran hard and fast aground. Then it rained some more. After supper we turned in. We had breakfast early on the 30tii., and I commenced removing the ballast. There was four thousand three hundred pounds of it to be lifted out. carried up the five steps of the companion, lowered to the dinghy, rowed ashore and dumped, while the rain poured down in sheets. About ten o’clock the Pearl of Taunton came along and tried to get us off. but she only succeeded in getting herself on the rocks as well. She got off in a few minutes, but had to leave us for something with more power. About noon a tow came along, and I rowed out to meet them with a hwavy cable. They did not stop but threw the eye of our cable over a bitt, and the yacht climbed over boulders and submarine hills to deep water. We had io return for the ballast, however, so I started to back up. The stern-line had been coiled on the aftdeck, but, using the bouncing and tilting due to our submarine mountain climbing as an excuse, our hoodoo kicked the line overboard, where it proceeded to make a bobbin of the propeller. Al! things come to an end, however, and so did the rope.

I formerly wondered why women wore high- heeled shoes. Now I know. After breaking through the frozen crust of the bank, they made a fine anchorage in the mud. With my wife holding the stern of the yacht close to the bank, her heels sunk deep in the mud. I used a boat hook with a knife lashed to it, and cut the rope into small, frayed chunks. 1 also used some language. And still it rained in torrents. By the time the rope was frayed off and the ballast replaced it was three o’clock, and we started on. The yacht, as the result of our shipwreck, was now somewhat shaky. The three-quarter-inch iron shoe had been torn loose, the rudder-head torn out, and the new propeller-key cut halfway through. We wobbled into Griggstown at dusk, just as it stopped raining. Two deserted houses and a gaping small boy were all we could see. Owing to the rather rapid succession of events, my wife had not made any bread, and I accordingly bribed the boy to get us a loaf, for which he had to walk three-quarters of a mile. > Just as it started to rain again our hoodoo led a native along, and I invited him aboard. He told me that the nearest shipyard where I could get my damages repaired was at Bordentown. After looking the boat over he went ashore, leaving e. little remembrance, which I found the next day. On December Ist the sun came out for half an hour, but got disgusted at the prospect, and retired for a whole week. I discovered that a valve was out of commission, so spent a few hours taking it apart, and found a tinfoil of tobacco in it, evidently dropped by the native, who said he was a plumber. After dinner we started for Trenton, and reached there at sundown. While it was still light enough to read a newspaper, the lock-tender refused us admittance. until I lit our green light. We then locked through and tied up for the night. The rain was now succeeded by snow. December 2nd was very cold, and threatened more snow. We went ashore to do some shopping, my wife to get food, and I tobacco and an anchor; but I found there were no large anchors to be had. While returning to the boat my hoodoo played a little joke. I was arrested and almost locked up. being mistaken for someone badly “ wanted ” in Ohio. We got under way about halfpast ten. and locked out at Bordentown. I failed to find anv shipyard, however, and was told that' there was only a three-foot tide, so beaching tiie boat would not do any good. I bought an old, rusty mud-hook for an anchor, as there was nothing better to be liad. We started for Phil'adepbia at two o'clock in a driving sleet. This cut our faces so badly that we were compelled to face aft, with only an occasional glance forward to direct our course. No matter what kind of weather we had (and we had everything on the calendar, except sun), my wife always stayed out side with me to take a spell at the wheel. When about ten miles south .of Bordentown I smelt smoke, and opened the cabin doors. A cloud of dense black smoke poured out. I jumped inside, and found that the large oil heater was one mqss of flame. Fortunately, my frozen mittens protected my hands, and 1 <arried the stove out on the aft-deck, where 1 left it to burn out The exce»

slve vibration, due to our damages, had shaken the oil out of the stove. Of course we had now to open all ports, as the smoke was thick enough to curt. A batch of dough for making bread, pies, and all the rest of our supper was so full of soot that we had to throw it all overboard. Our hoodoo danced with glee. We arrived in Philadelphia after dark, and tied up at the B. and O. dock. The cabin was too cold to sleep in, and smelt vilely of smoke, so we went to an hotel for -the night. Here I found that three of my toes were frozen, while my wife had one of her heels in a similar plight. Early on Saturday morning, December 3rd, I telephoned all the shipyards on either side of the river, but found none that could haul the yacht out before Monday afternoon. We accordingly started down the river for Shepard’s shipyard at Essington, where we arrived in Hie afternoon and were immediately hauled out; but, as all the men had left for the day, found we should have to wait for repair’s until Monday. On Sunday -we had a number of visitors, but did not get a call from our persistent hoodoo. In fact he took a vacation until Tuesday. On Tuesday morning the yacht was launched, but was unable to proceed, as the engine was frozen up. The condensation in the gas-tank had formed water that froze up. I had to disconnect the gas pipes, and with an icepick punch holes in the layer of ice covering the bottom of the tank. Of course I got drenched with gas before I could get the pipes connected up again. The watertanks and feed-pipes, the engine and circulating pump, and the toilet were all frozen solid. I waded through snow, knee deep, to -a frozen up pump; then went to the engineer of the shipyard and borrowed enough hot water to thaw out the pump. I filled a few pails with water, and waded back to the boat to warm the water on our stoves. Then I applied hot water cloths to the different frozen pipes until they were thawed out. I had to run the engine all night to keep it from freezing up again. On Wednesday, December 7th, after breakfast, I tried to get out on deck, but found the doors -blocked with snow, and had to crawl under the cockpit deck and raise the aft-hatch to get out. I spent the whole morning shovelling snow with a dustpan and clearing the davits and rowboat of ice. We got under way after dinner, and made Delaware City at sundown, where -we locked in and tied up for the night. Jove, wasn’t it cold. We did not know when we should be able to shop again, so we laid in a store

of supplies. We also bought warmer clothes and boots, as our frozen feet were bothering us a good deal. We had met a little lump iee in the Delaware River, but he had been accustomed to bumping on ice on long Island Sound 'the winter before. Large iee-floes were no novelty to me, but 1 was now to get acquainted with the thin-skin variety. I would rather meet iee a foot thick than the mean, insignificant Little window-pane looking stuff about an eighth of an inch thick; ripsaws are nothing to it. On Thursday, December Bt-h, after filling the gas-tank and the water-tanks, we started at 9.30 a.m. We had waited for a tug ito break the way for us, and now had one about a mile ahead of us. It looked as though the way was clear. My wife, contrary to her habit of staying on deck with me, was below mixing bread. The yacht had made her way for almost a mile, when my wife rushed up on declc and tol l me that the water was pouring in. On

examination I found that we were cut through at the bow as clean as a knifecut cheese. Below the eabin-fioor was flooded, and forward a pair of shoes was waltzing around in the incoming flood. I headed the yacht for the southern bank, thinking to get out of traffic an 1 into shallow water. The yacht struck the bank at an angle of about fortyfive degrees, and I dragged the rowboat across the roof of the cabin to the port side to give her a list towards shore. Then came a mad rush to get our things off before the boat went under. I passed blankets, pillows, and clothing to my wife, who threw them ashore. The yacht was now listing quite badly, so that to get our trunk up to the cockpit through the narrow cabin-doors was quite a struggle. We worked our way forward on the slanting deck to the bow. My wife jumped ashore on to the ice-covered roeks, landing heavily and breaking the arches of both feet. After dumping the trunk over the bow, where it broke through the ice and lay half in the water, I managed to pull it up the steep, roeky bank. I left my wife seated on a pile ot blankets nursing her broken feet, and made my way through the snow back to Delaware City. Here I managed to get a dilapidated one-horse rig, and and drove back to the wreck. The boat was out of sight. A few minutes after I left, the suction of a passing tug had listed the yacht to starboard, and she began to slide into deep water. Just as sne went under the ice and out of sight the ship’s clock rang her own funeral knell—four bells. After getting my wife (her hands still covered with dough from breadmaking) into the rig, with our trunk and blankets, there was no room for me, so I trotted alongside behind till we reached an hotel. Both my wife and I were dressed in “Arcties,” overalls, sweaters, mittens, and caps. The hotel-keeper looked us over and decided that he had no empty rooms, but after hearing my story he found that he could put us up. We were the only guests, and the rooms were so cold that our wet clothes froze overnight. I received a number of offers to raise the yacht, but, as my cash was very low, I had to apply to friends in New York for the necessary funds. Receiving a promise of financial assistance, I contracted with two men to repair and pump out the yacht. My wife and I decided to give up the Florida idea, as our hoodoo seemed untiring. AVe had covered only a hundred and forty miles in eleven” days, and there still remained eight hundred odd miles to go. It was necessary for me to commence earning money, instead of spending what little remained; so on Saturday afternoon we took the train for Philadelphia, where I secured employment that just about kept us alive all the winter.