Document text
tA
Forms to be Filled out for Each Interview
FORMA
Circumstances of Interview
STATE New York
NAME OF WORKER SAUL LEVITT
ADDRESS 27 Hamilton Terrace, New York City
DATE October 31, 1938
SUBJECT "LAIIDLUBBES CRUISE" --CHARLES SCHAEFER
2
/FOLKt6RE
NEW YORK
1. Date and time ori' interview October 27, 1938
2. Place of interview Eastchester Bay, L. I. Sound, Vicinity Pelham Bay Park
3. Name and address of informant Charles Schaefer, Eastchester Bay (lives on a barge)
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in
touch with informant.
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you
(See previous interview with Nr. Schaefer (9/28/38) titled: "Local life and
Industry --Schaefer"
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
(See previous interview)
Note: When I first called on this informant, he told me that he had written on
account of an expedition in a lifeboat from the Bronx to Long Branch (N. J.) which he
showed interviewer after exacting promise that none of it would be reprinted or
made use of in any 7ilay as (so he expressed it) "I expect to sell this to some magazine
or publisher." He said he would hand me a brief summary of the manuscript (of about
35,000 mords)4,-and has now done so, with this brief condensation of approximately
1,000 words. As I stated in previous interview: "The story is not well done, birt it
has some amazing touches. It was a most quixotic exploit, done in 1932, when informant
was dead broke. He studied maps of the East River down to the Bay, and also of the
Jersey shore to I.,ong Branch —a fifty mile trip each way. It was done in a lifeboat
with a companion, using two pairi.of oars. This is a complete adventure in its awn right."
Interviemerts object in getting this summarized version of the rip was to have it with
this informant, in an endeavor to control informant's oral rendering of the story forour
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms, each co7lection of
bearing the proper heading and the number to which the material refers.) folklore studies.
FORM C
Text of Interview (Unedited)
STATE New York
NAME OF WORKER Saul Levitt
ADDRESS 27 Hamilton Terrace, New York City
DATE October 31, 1938
SUBJECT "LANDLUBBERS CRUISE" --CHARLES SCHAEFER
PREFACE
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
This story is written in memory of a real experience had by the Author.
In fact the Author was in charge of the entire undertaking, crazy as it all may
seem after reading this story. Everything in thia story really happened in the
year of 1932, between April and the end of August; all but the authors names are
fictitious; all places and spots are given in truth and as accurate as possible to
the knowledge of the author; all descriptive matter is true to fact, also nothing is
exaggerated in its entirety. To whatever critics I may have, I would like to
say: It's nothing to go cruising in a young battle ship, with every modern gadget
on your ship and a special crew trained to every phase of modern navigation; at
that rate one surely will have nothing to write hone about, or much to write a story
about.
The Author..
CHAPTER 1
"WHY THE CRUISE GAME TO BE PLANNED, AND HOW
Victims of the depression. Work of any kind, we could not find it. As
landlubbers preparing for this little cruise, we already began learning some important
things. We immediately engaged in putting her (the boat) in trim. (a description
-2
follows) Oh, charts and nautical instruments of all kinds were conspicious by
their absence. The only things we had for that purpose were the following
As for myself I was nothing better than a book navigator, having studied navigation
for local piloting from books, and this was to be my first cruise. So with such
equipment and such a crew, proceeded the cruise of the landlubbers.
CHAPTER 2
THE ST.A.2.T OF TEE CRUISE
My wife and son and some friends were at the dock to see us prepare for
our cruise and say adieu The date, May 30, 1932. The starting point East
134th St., Port Morris in the Bronx, New York City. Right next to the Hellgate
Power House. Our first real port of call was to be Highlands, New Jersey.
We said goodby to everyone as if we were going to Europe In about thirty
minutes we found ourselves nearing the Astoria (Long Island) shore, a little south
of the gas works. Caution should be used in the matter so as not to get too
close to shore, as the current becomes ever stronger on nearing Hellgate, which
has a strong side drift so that large Sound steamers slide sideways, so much so
that one would think they were sliding on ice, and woe betide the small boat that
gets side -swiped by such a vessel
We approached Hell Gate with apprehention, as it was our first passage
through here, and were quite conscious of the terrible currents as we had heard
many a tale of this place, most of them bad. But we cleared with ease.
In a few minutes we were passing Welfare Island, the current carrying us so nice
now that we only had to raw to keep steerage way. It then dawned on us that we could
use some music, as we opened up the phonograph and put on some of our Hawaiian music and
Q.
other dreamy music you know, sort of sentiments.; I guess the water brings it with
its rythmn, and it must be admitted that while we were passing that Island of
Institutions, with our serenade, we could not at any time make out an honest-,to.g
goodness Lorelei. Hawever,wereflected on the fact that we were birds on the out side
-3
looking in, and glad of that. For as it was interesting passing under New York's
giant bridges, Entering Upper New York Bay at 9 P. M., we were at first a little
perplexed by the array of numerous and varied lights, buoys, lighthouses, and lights
of ships passing this and that way. We were landlubbers with no experience, going
night sailing in one of the busiest harbors in the world, with rough water to add
to our problem 0 4, The current movement, aided by rowing, carried us along under
ideal weather conditions. Which suggested this peon:
The moon and stars were shining bright,
The breezd was blowing cool and light,
We puffed our pipe and felt serene,
And sang "My Isle of Golden Dreams 11
Continued in this direction, passed Erie Basin 10 P. M. with a few
planks which we took along we prepared to sleep, by laying them over the best seats
b.(06(?fand placing our life-EZET—.ts over them as mattress. We covered ourselves with good
woolen blankets, praying that "Good Old Father Neptune would be good to us and not
sever our wonderful 1/4 inch manila rope that held our improvised anchor, or
rather iron slugs."
CHAPTER 3
OUR FIRST OPEN WATER
(Following Morning)
Our anchor was holding fine, so all was taken care of in a moment. The
boat that had whistled turned out to be one of Uncle Sam's revenue service boats.
We set up our gasoline camp stove and made a pot of coffee for breakfast. (Story
goes on to describe day on water. They cross the Narrows and go fishing).
Soon the bay itself became rougher. To add to our discomfort, the current was now
moving against us and the banging of these chimes, all but drove us crazy. The
battle against the wind and current was more than we expected. IN heaved for two
hard hours without stopping, meanwhile the current getting stronger by the minute.
(They finally make the Coast Guard Station) I felt like a drunken sailor my
-4
legs just would not behave. After a few smokes we went on relating parts of
our story. with many a laugh between.
CHAPTER 4
OUR FIRST PORT OF CALL
As for me the fish just did not like me at all and relused to bite at all
We rowed downstream toward the Old Highland Railroad Bridge. Hardly past
the bridge, we discovered that the river was very shallow except in the channel,
and there the current is the worst. Going about one mile due south on the Shrewsbury
River, then turning to starboard or westerly into that arm of the river going to
Red Bank, and up that about a mile which is in the Highlands, New Jersey, we
made our first true port of call. (They camp for the night on shore) (Describes
fishing near Rumsen next day): However when it was done and we had supper, I
caught some killies with our seine. That was my best catch up till now. Sh-sh-sh-
I'm blushing. "The killie box waits, sirs" said John. 1Lnd into it went the poor
little fish -how cruel these mortals beeand into the river went the killie box,
with a nice mire to a stake to keep it from drifting away; and again we close
another day, and as time went on we lost record of dates and days, and almost time.
Dates now became periodical. I immediately proceeded to tell them a ghost story
of the woman in white who wanders through that particular woods at night. The
story went that a woman was found to have hanged herself in a tree up there not
far from where we camped, and that every night between twelve and one'oclock she
could be seen wandering thru the weeds. I particularly impressed them (some boys)
that it was a bad omen to see her.
CHAPTER 5
OUR NEW HOME
(They live for a tine in a tent, and later use a pump house. Every week
the wife and son visit informant. They fish to supply addition to larder. But
the fishing doesn't work out Bowen.) Everything was going fine when one day the
-5
the owner of the property asked us to leave, for no special reason but what
I could see is that we had been there long enough. MY now made preparations to move
on to Long Branch, New Jersey.
CHAPTER 6
THE SEA GYPSIES MOVE ON
MY rowed all morning and afternoon down the Shrewsbury River, and passing
the town of Normandy, Sea Bright, and Mammoth Beach, we then came Port Au Peck,
Green Gables, and at last Long Branch. (Describes building of rigging and sail
for lifeboat. Then they practice sailin)S) MY made a few short trips to break in
our hand at sailing. However, we found that sailing with the wind nearly everything
went pretty good but against the wind, that was something different. It was
getting near time to depart for home.
CHAPTER 7
DESCRIPTION OF STORM ON 1111 HOME
The tempest broke like a blast; it turned into a hurricane of some sixty
odd miles an hour velocity that is, according to the weather bureau report of that
day. Lightning such as I have never before or since seen lit up the night, and
thunder rode the sky. To make matters worse, it began to rain as if we were under
a fire hose. Every light blinked and danced, and my eyes could hardly see where
I was going as the rain was running like a river down my face. The waves rose and
fell; they were churning white caps 20 ft in height, and draughts as deep, which
made steering my course very hard, as when in the draughts I had to run blind. MY
were making tremendous speed for a tub like ours. All the lights seem to blink
crazily; the next thing I noticed the lights seem to be rushing towards me. As we
neared one of the buoys of Ambrose Channel a sudden calm after the storm, such as I
cannot explain, happened (Ends with a short description of the return to
our "home port".)