Log Book-

July 22 87

I arrived in Port Republic at 11.30 A.M., July 22. Inquired of the Stage driver as to Tom’s[1] where abouts. He didn’t know, strange to say, but heard the week before that he was in Atlantic City. I asked several people and Uncle Dicky,[2] but they didn’t know anything about him. I took dinner with Uncle Dicky, and returned to Port where I learned that he was at Island Beech and likely to return with a beech party that evening. I fooled around the wharf and harbor all the afternoon talking to Arch Hickman. Took supper at Clark’s. Tom Arrived at 8.00 P.M. He couldn’t get a suitable boat for two (Tom had been using a sneak box.) Saturday morning[3] we went to see Ike Smallwood, who loaned us his garvey providing we would rig it up. We calked her up and put new halyards on her, new sheet, rigging, etc., in the Afternoon. Spent the evening at Ashleys. Sunday afternoon[4] we went down the creek in her to get my clothes, wind blew hard and carried the mast out of her, and we drifted ashore a hopeless wreck – just back to shell landing and walked home. In the afternoon at 4.00 P.M. we took the sneak box with the necessary tools and fixed our boat and returned with her to the draw-bridge went home – washed up – took a promenade and spent the evening with the Ashley girls. Monday morning[5] we finished our boat and started with one weeks provisions, at 1.00 P.M., for Island Beech – raced the sloop Mamie – Got beaten – arrived at Island Beech at 5.00 P.M. – finding the hotel shut up and no one there we went out on the front veranda and ate our supper. (Bread, butter, prunes and beer) Went over to the beech and shot six snipe, lit our cigars and waited for Elmer Channels – Elmer did not come. Chas Horner the Capt of the live saving crew was not there, so we broke the window and got into the parlor. Tom slept on the floor and I on the lounge. Awoke at 7.00 A.M.[6] I, with my neck out of joint from sleeping under the window – drank a bottle of beer apiece on an empty stomach – lit our[7] pipe and went along the beech gunning – saw a few snipe but didn’t get any. Saw three blue heron, –couldn’t get within a mile of them. Came to house – ate breakfast, lit pipes and sat down to read last months papers. Elmer and family arrived about 9.00 A.M. Tom and I went fishing, found we only had one line with us. I caught six week-fish – In the Afternoon we went again with Elmer and Mr. Bowen – no luck. – When we came home I tried for some marlin – no luck – Came home ate supper – our register was as follows. T. J. Collins, Elmer Channels, Port Republic. Mr. Thos Bowen, Phila Elmer Channels daughter and two of her girl[8] friends from Port. Capt Horner from Tuckerton (Capt of Life Saving Crew) and myself. After supper we sat down and played Sancho Dom Pedro. – About 10.00 P.M. The girls came running down to inform us that rooms no. 1 and 2 had been locked from the inside and they could’nt get them open – That they looked in at the window and saw the bed all messed up as if it had been used.

To continue I must say something in regard to Geo. Johnson, a notorious burglar and black-leg. – a regular outlaw who swares he will never be taken alive – The week before he had been traced to our island by Atlantic City officers who lost him and left word for Capt. Horner to be on the look out for him and to Telegraph them if he saw them. Charlie had’nt heard anything about it before, and as it was a nasty, wet, rainy night, this extra duty combined with the thunder and lightning to make him very nervous.

As soon as the girls told us this we became immediately interested – in order to properly scare Charlie and the girls. Asked the girls lots of questions, looked serious, formed suggestions – we suggested he might be dead in there and asked Nellie if she smelled anything. After the thing was well worked up I jumped up and put a couple of shells in my gun, said – this thing must be investigated – grabbed a lamp and the whole party proceeded up stairs. The girls of course would’nt be left alone down stairs. We arrived safely at no. 2. – could’nt unlock the door – looked in at the transom – saw somebody’s legs under the bed. – The girls and Charlie began to look white and breath hard – Well! the thing was serious. – we tried the windows from the porch roof – they were locked from the inside – We fooled around looking scared – making remarks to suit the occasion – blew out an occasional lamp. Etc. Etc. Until they were pretty nearly crazy. Bowen put on a big straw bathing hat and jumped out in front of the girls, standing bow-legged. They screamed and dropped the lamp. After a while Elmer went out and in some way succeeded in opening a window from the porch roof. – No one saw him but Tom and I. I was up on a chair looking in at the transom – He immediately on his arrival in the room ran to the door taking care to make a great noise – unlocked the door – knocked me over and broke a lamp chimney. That capped the climax – The girls screamed – Charlie turned white as a sheet, and cocked his gun and if we had’nt caught it, would probably have shot somebody. – Then we went down stairs finished our interrupted game and laughed over it. – After half an hour trying to bring the girls back to their former composure – we went to bed. I woke about 6.45 A.M.[9], dressed, came down – lit a pipe – ate breakfast, bailed water out of the boat. – pulled up the sail to dry – cleaned my gun and read the rest of the morning. – After dinner went after marline with Capt Horner did’nt see any so we went to the beech and shot ten snipe – Came home had supper at 7.30 P.M. played cards – sat on the porch and talked until 10 P.M. – the girls not seeming willing to catch on – we must have some excitement so we did their beds up – pie fashion – Tom, Bowen and myself went up to hear what remarks they would make when they got in bed after while we heard the bed creak one of them said – I cant get in – We exploded with laughter and went to our rooms. We came back in a few minutes however to hear their plot for revenge – The transom was open – they got up on chairs to see if we were out there and we grabbed two of them by the nose They screamed – of course – and we turned in satisfied. In a few minutes we heard them going down stairs. We got up – woke Bowen – went in their room and piled every-thing – wash stand and all – Then we took their pillars and went to the head of the stairs – As soon as they came out of the Dining room we dropped two pillars in front of them. They fairly shrieked – ran back – their lamp went out – and for over an hour were afraid to venture out again – You go first – No! you go to. At last they ventured but delayed a long time in coming up – Everything was quiet in our room. We heard their bones cracking as they came along the hall. Tom got up and shut our transom just in time to prevent our being soaked with water. Then they came back supporting each other. Tom pulled a sheet over his head and walked into the hall groaning I helped him make hideous sounds, I never heard such shrieking, they ran up the hall and fell into a heap all on top of each other.

Then Elmer put his head out of the door and wanted to know what in the devil was the matter. Of course we were asleep then. Everybody went to bed – mosquitoes as thick as they could be – Got up at 7.45 A.M.[10] opened a lot of clams – played cards – until breakfast time. After breakfast went clamming on the bar – got 300 in about 1/2 hour. Toms pants became torn – I caught hold of them and ripped the whole seat out of them and he was a long time getting up to the house. Bowen started for Port at 1 P.M. After dinner we went to life saving station – played back-gammon – gunned etc. until 7 P.M. I got two millets at one shot on the wing. Ate supper – played cards mosquitoes never known to be thicker on the beech. Had camp meeting until 10 P.M. Turned in in the 3^rd floor finding everything in our room piled on our bed. Not sleeping there the girls had to take them off again. I awoke at 7.30 A.M.[11]– ate breakfast – took a bath (buff) in the surf. and played cards and sketched until dinner time. At 1 P.M. we started at for Port Republic in company with Elmer – Arrived safely in two hours – 20 minutes ahead of Elmer. Went in swimming off draw-bridge. Received a telegram from Stevenson wanting me to play trombone at the Fortescue Hotel Atlantic City for the balance of season. I telephoned him of my refusal – Met Ashley girls – got some ice cream and spent the evening with them. – Went to bed at 12.30. Awoke at 8 A.M.[12] – Ate breakfast – cleaned the organ – monkeyed around the dock all the morning – took a walk in the afternoon – read the Sunday papers etc until supper time – hot as ______[13]. In evening we got up a party hired a sloop to go down by way of Little Egg Harbor inlet to Atlantic City to see the ruins of Pompeii – on the following Thursday to return Friday. Monday[14] morning at 9:30 we started for the fish factory at the inlet. There was’nt a breath of air and as hot as Gehenny[15]. When we struck the mouth of the river we saw a squall and storm coming up from west. It struck us at swimming over point. I never saw it rain harder or blow stronger – We anchored at first and got under the sail but it leaked so badly that we soon gave it up – put in three reefs and started on for the bay – bailing out as fast as we could. We were about half full of water but soon got most of it out. We saw Capt. Saml Higbee and John D. Rose anchored in the mouth of the river being too rough for their sloop in the bay. We started for them. It soon stopped raining and we put out into the bay – They were about two miles ahead of us. We went aboard Olivar Hickmans sloop – ate dinner – built a fire and dried our clothes.

Then we got under weigh way and went to see Sam and John D. – spent a couple of hours and some beer with them and put off for the fish factory. Ate supper on the sloop – fooled around spinning yarns with the tars [16]– shot a rat weighing 1 ¼ lbs. Turned in about 2 A.M. – I found it so hot that I went out and enjoyed the stench in one of the seine[17] houses. Awoke[18] at 4.45. Went down to fishing sloop – ate breakfast and started at 7.30 A.M. When we got just outside the bar, a squall struck us with full sail set with topsails – And it rained like smoke –Tossing around in the storm shook up the bilge water in the hold and the stench arising was terrible. It rained all day, and all day we tossed around – we went about 20 or 30 miles S.E. from Atlantic City and back – didn’t see a single school of fish. So there was no excitement of any account. Came home at 4.20 and piloted the Vanilza of Quaker City yacht club in the inlet and arrived at factory at 5.00 P.M. Ate supper and sat around talking and shooting rats until 9.30 when we turned in. I slept in one of the seine houses again – very few mosquitoes – Awoke[19] as they called breakfast at 6.00 A.M. Ate it and went down to the sloop to get ready to start. At 8 A.M. we hove [20]anchor for Cape Horn. Found Gill Cavilier and Henry Bates out in the bay working. The wind blew hard – not finding anyone at the Cabin we went off in the bay about two miles stopped a few minutes – ate some oysters – put in two reefs on our sail and started home making the water fly – Tom got off at Chestnut neck to get his “cello”. I took the boat on up. Arrived at 11 P.M. Ate dinner at 12.00 got powder and shot – loaded some shells, painted name on sloop Emma, — Calked the organ and finished her up. In the evening I stayed home and played. McMahon came in about 9.00 and asked me to put on my hat and go out a minute. I went out and we found two girls on the draw-bridge. I introduced him and he got their photo. I came home and turned in at 11.30. Awoke[21] at 7.45 A.M. got up and put my things on board the Emma[22] read to start for Atlantic City. Started at 7.45. wind to Eastward. When we struck the bay we had a first class wind. Went across in good shape. Went through grassy bay – got stuck just as we were going into deep water. All hands overboard. Our Crew were T. J. Collins, Mr. Hardcastle, Mr. McMahon, Mr. Williamson, Mr. Jeb Indicott, Capt. Sam Higbee, and Capt. John D. Rose, –myself. Failing to get her off – we hove too and ate dinner.

Mr. Hardcastle is a mess. We almost died laughing at him while fishing and catching crabs. At 6.00 we got off the bar. Came on down and arrived at the Inlet at 7.45 P.M. Anchored in the mouth of clam creek ate supper and went ashore. I went immediately to the Fortescue o see Stevenson then came down to Schoefflers to wait for the rest of our party. We then walked up Atlantic Avenue – Tom and I met Miss Minee Leeds and Mrs. Reed took them home and went to bed in the sloop at 2.30 A.M. Woke[23] at 7.30 and came on up to the stern. Fish factory at 10.30. Saw them hoist and boil fish. Left at 3.30 for Cape Horn to fish – we fished – and fished and fished and that was all we caught. Started at 5.30 for Port again – Arrived safely ate supper and went into town to take a walk and get our mail – Came home and went to bed. Awoke[24] at 8 A.M. ate breakfast –went swimming off draw-bridge – ate dinner played Peanuckle[25] with Mr. Bunnell – went up to Craus’s to get some wine and went to school meeting – They decided after various rows to tear down the two school houses and build one in a central location. Came home and layed around dock and read until suppertime.

After supper sat around until 8.30. When we took Mr. McMahon up to Ashleys (look what I got out of my nose) turned in at 12.30. Awoke[26] at 8.30 ate breakfast – Capt. Ene Smith came up in his schooner with coal. Went down to see him – talked etc until 10. Were talking about getting up a beech party for the following week. – Somewhat cooler this morning played “cello” & organ – Trombone, etc. took a walk over the “damn”—met McMahon as he came from Church – Slept part of the afternoon and talked to Eva Bates and Annie Collins the rest. Spent the evening at Ashleys. – turned in at 11.30. Awoke[27] at 8 A.M.

Wind N.W. procured provisions for a week. Bade McMahon good bye. Bunnell also left us. And we started at 1.10 P.M. for Island Beech. When we arrived at the mouth of the river Tom said he was going to Atlantic City on the following Wednesday – I said – Why don’t you go tomorrow by water, get Capt. Jimmy’s sloop. Anchor in the inlet and sleep on board. So we returned to Port. – Struck a bargain with Capt. Jimmy – He also promised us the loan of his sloop for that evening (Monday 8^th)[28] for a sailing party. We started about 8.30 P.M. After waiting for over an hour for a blue heron – It was one that had been flying over almost every evening when my gun was in the house. This evening I had my gun but the bird was non est[29]. We started down with no wine – we poled her down against wind and tide to Shell Landing – saw fireworks in Atlantic City and drifted back. Went into the cabin and made whiskey punch and had a good time generally – took the girls home and turned in. Awoke[30] at 530 – dressed packed our clothes. Got provisions – filled our flasks and started at 7 A.M. for Atlantic City. No wind –we poled the boat down the creek. – Arrived at mouth of the river at 11.30. Took a hummer – ate dinner and put out into the bay – Arrived at Main Marsh and started into Grassy Bay at 1 P.M. Having been ebb tide about an hour. We managed to scrape through after getting stuck three times – we gave it up once but put out an anchored and heaved her off. We scraped through “tear trousers” channel and struck deep water with houls[31] of joy. Arrived in Atlantic at 4 P.M.

Went up into Town – Saw Stevenson – walked down the boardwalk – Saw Howard Griffeth at Inlet House. Came aboard at 630 and ate supper. Went ashore again. I went to see ruins of Pompeii with Sallie. When it was over we walked along boardwalk. Saw Tom and Sam Perkins. Three of us and Sallie went around to see the family at 10.30 P.M. Came aboard at 12.00 and turned in. Awoke[32] about 9 A.M. Ate breakfast and went ashore at 10 A.M. Went down to Fortescue and played a piece in the band with Stevenson’s Slide Trombone. Came down the boardwalk. Saw several poeple I knew. Got up a party to go sailing in the afternoon. Came back from our sailing party – which was comprised of sixteen people – ten Gentlemen and six females. Went ashore and sat around the Inlet House talking to some Captains we knew. Came aboard again. Climbed to the mast-head to reave the jib halyard. Ate summer at 6.30 – went ashore. Called for Sallie and Minne Leeds and spent the evening at Schoeflers – listening to the music and drinking wine. Minne was remarking how she wished she was a man – She said she would sell her womanhood for even a dollar. I layed one on the table in front of her – We beat time with our glasses to Nickersons Solo. Took them home about 11.30. Stopped and talked about getting up a crabbing party – and finally went aboard – wind blew hard to S.W. it was dark as could be and threatening rain. Awoke[33] at 8.30 cooked breakfast – took a bath and layed around expecting Henry Meyer and Mr. Gotlieb Mueller, with friends to go sailing with us. At 10.00 Mr. Mueller came down alone.

Capt. Jimmy not being around we took him sailing – we went outside of the outer bar and returned and went up the inlet – beat the Red Bird bad. When we came back we met Mr. Al Smith – proprietor of the Brigantine Hotel – we talked a while with him – He asked Capt. Jimmy to take a load of coal up to Brigantine. Capt. Jimmy said no! But we told him we might as well make that money as not. Besides it would give us a chance to stop at Brigantine. Consequently there was a great heaving of coal. In the afternoon we went to see Capt. John Endicott a friend of ours and captain of the A. C. Harmer the largest sloop in the inlet.

He invited us to go out with him. We went – It was as rough as could be –we passed the outer bouy[34]. All hands soon became soaked – we had the pleasure of holding the bucket for two pretty Jewesses from Phila and saw them on the train when we returned. Ate supper and went up in the City. Heard the City Band from Camden. Talked to some of them a while and called to see the Clark girls. Found Wood Smith and party. Had a good time – Sam Kirby (proprietor of the Margate) came around. Turned in at 2.15. When we awoke[35] the next morning and looked out we found that Capt. Jimmy had come aboard – pulled up sail – hove anchor and was half way to Brigantine. – Cooked breakfast. Ate it and ran on a bar – the tide not being up engouh – we scraped on sticking every now and again. Arrived in stake thorofare. Not being water enough we stuck there.

Al Smith came aboard in his gunning skiff – we took several hummers and sat smoking and talking until the tide rose. Went ashore about 12.30 P.M. went to the Hotel. Smith introduced us to some boarders and we had a good game of Cribbage. Ate dinner and started about 3.00 for Port. Ebb tide – not being able to get through grassy bay we went by way of Island Beech. Wind died out. So we put into the cove and cast[36] anchor to stay all night. Ate supper and breakfast at the Hotel – our grub having given out.