TYPES ON THE WHARF

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 29, 4 February 1913, Page 2

TYPES ON THE WHARF

- " '» A FASCINATING WATERFRONT 80,Y5, ( DOGS. AND MEN. (By "Eareye.' ) All the world comes to the Wellington waterfront. That power of tlip sun, held captive in coal, brings tho galleons of the Seven Seas to Port Nicholson, with all their varied .Wealth, gathered through all, the parallek and meridians. Down th£re among -the clatter of winches and , the swing of the slings., the mind takes wing anq flies through all thp oreans, all the continents, and all the islands, and almost envies tha-man -with (.he barroWi • joined up with the trade of all races. It if sad to think 'that otic is a mere "con- 1 * gurnet," for Whom the. sun and stars' are thatched, the seas chatted, the eSrlh fan* sacked, faces arid hands tanned. Hefe is d! cframa' of which the'' whole world is 'the stag*) and the casual- visitor. is annoyed, because one corner does hot break the wind enough to allow him to light a pipe comfortably. ' * # * * * TRUST TfiE-TISLEGRAPH BOY! It is a wonder, that Amutidseh did not find' {VtelegMph' boy at the' South Pole, the khaki lad usually manages to be at any place which k at all thrilling. 'Therefore, lie as -'a* perpetual •fefttdi'G of the waterside, not Meditating on the g6ods of maiiy to«Htn<«, nit rtiihilig from one ship to another with Urgent despatches. He -hafl a twopenny line and a bit of borrowed meat, and ill, all this rolling ball of time the only patch that interests hini is tfaveMed by a "spotty." He has plenty of bait, lei-Mfc, afid patience, and some day he wilhcatch a. fish. Beside him" are urchins who &re happy' till a wily for ier Heft creeps softly behind them, devours all the b*it. ftfla wag* his butt of A tail gratefully, at a, distance, t Thfe. waterside angling indus- ' try • 'has - developed - wo'ddenul gtalkiiig prowees in various unowned dogs. ' *'• * X * * * • r .. 'it is a. very tempestuous day that fiiida him ' Missing from the King's -Wharf.' WhetheV he catches fish ol',a cold, he Is ever the came urbane philosopher, <ioiitettt to be silent Or talkative, according to, the rfiood of tho&b ttbont him. Daily he arrives with his "slush" and his net of wire mesh to haul up dozens of young Mackerel or herrings to garnish his big lifl^s. " He had Jlobks that Will hold any* thiflgr from a medium shark downwards, and lie thrown out enough kites to 6oh* vette att assembly.. of all Mi, uhionist of otherwise. * 'tf 'they bite, he is happy; if they do not bite, he is still happy, lie has a ciust in the cupboard at homo ; he is independent of the treasure of the deep. It is obvious that hie bread k hot dtr from' the -w 'ers; he. loses ho fledh when the fish are shy. Day.by day he is wholly isolated f rom the city s bustle ; he is as much apart as Crusoe was on his island. He Bays that nometilttefi he ha» lingered on the wharf for twenty-four houft* at a stf©U;h, cfttcfciiig nothing but freeh air' and , inspiration from tne vagrant wind, though all the ttMe-he had a banquet strtGad in the deep. One ibelieVes this when dhe j^ees the man, incarnation of patience ' aiid - cheerful ■resignation. "Better than loafing in a 'ptib' or toofiflg over a book,'' he 16: marks" wllde he 'heaves the lead. He hopes for' nothing better thah ( a gift of many days for his vigils and his musingson a wharfi 'ambitious Amateurs. Most' <rf the fishermen have a scorn of appearances. They go down to the sea ti-,the time-worn fashions of other days, j -'and they do flat blush if they sit Witlr the slash-Smeared!*' blood •stained. "fags" hext to a'-diVSam of figured silk- in • the car on the run home. Now and then the pastime attracts a person of, the of del 1 *' i'espect'ably dressed" He is self' conscious; nervous, half -ashamed of the motley company about him, especially, ,if he knows lass about Ash than they, know about him. An individual df> this type May spend much of his time extraetittg hooks from his splendid clothing. He puts oil too many barbs, and does not leave enough clear grip of line for a safe cast. The sinker hits i stringer, and a hook caresses a calf oi'*anelboW while ' spectators hastily 'scatter in all directions. * ♦• , ♦ * i M TRULY RURAL. He is from the country obviously, and he has not been to the port" since he 'was a boy. The liners fascinate hint} the rattle of the traffic Steals .his Senses'. He is safe enough near the steam winches, for the clatter and the clanking give him Waffling, but 1 the hydraulic cranes, Which disdain to Make a noise with any burden, threaten his life coh' stantly. Wild-eyed men yell at him; he jumps, and barks a* shin against a stack of steel rails, 'and in a- -frenzied leap for safety he; jag's a bit out of the tail of his coat. - Probably before he finds hie Way back to the tram-cars his coat will be smudged with taiv But -he will not be" mournfu l; he Will be proud ) he has t seen some life/ r fie i will <wt," hibit ' his cajat to admiring, throngs ' at Cooper's Creek. ' ; .% , * , * * • •* THE ' CHRONIC . GRUMBLER. The wool Was rtishihg from a hundred sheds to thei &c&. ; • 'fhe fatness -of the earth was all about, and; yet one water* side worker waavaad and fretful. He muttered pessimism at> the end qf line ignored by " spotties " (during the lunchhour). His mates spoke ,of_ jW-AOs and £4 for less than a week f including overtime. ".It don't s'eefll to catch me--it tfon't know my Address," Mumbled the 'gloomy one. "Thirty bob in six dfrys. ' Not thirty bob^-tWenty-nme and four pence." The others affected to.be sympathetic, but they/ winked slyly. It was a mystery to them how their friend managed to avoid . earning more thah * 30s in a week when the work tumbled upon everybody like. ram. It was easier for an average man io catch the .work than to miss it-— but the thirty-bobber wa« not an average itt&n. * *, f <* * * ' PROFESSIONAL GAMBLERS, A group of money-changers on the .wharf by the Sailors? t ßest or just around the corner is a .very common spectacle. The' passer-by easily see« the glifft ot silver, becauye owlinjmly tlfe gamblers do not take elaborate precaftttons against a raid. Now and thnn tho police get a "bag," and for a' day or two the industry suffers a slump, but soon .business is as brisk as ev"er at the old stand. Of course genuine workers— healthy, honest fellows— are drawn into the tames of chance, and 'they may be the victims of professional' tricksters. One may notice some men whose working clothes are a mere pretence, a ridiculous sham, exposed by their hard, sin-lined faces. * # - * *< „ * , MARINERS, ANCIENT AND MODERN. • Most' interesting of all the waterfront wanderers is the sailorman of many ports and ships, if he happens to be in an expansive mood. It is well for the listener to be «r"fttll of, fdtth as a five-year-old girl. tsailtft, likes credulity, which acts* as' sunshine out the flower of romance. 'Scepticism freezes him, and makes him qb'sbene and threat-ful-^and as there is much water adjacent the cynic must be cautious. Give the sailer round-eyed Wonderment and lips agape withf-amazement. . These expressions may not add to a man's beauty, buj> he can' turn ( his back to the passing "show. The sailof deserves- this tribute to his imagination ; it does him good, and the reward is worth while. Such .tales t Look tot -them* .Thp .waterfront, .waits.. • -- t ■>