Vol 3 Section 0601

In the evening Sam played billiards until 10 p.m. with the Benjamin’s, the Coe’s, Harry Rogers and wife at the Rogers home (see insert).

Sam’s ship log: August 5, Monday. Chicago billiards, with the full strength of the company.

5 p.m. the corner-stone laid by Mr. Rogers.

Addresses by Dr. Collyer & Dr. Savage; remarks by Mr. Rogers and Mr. Clemens.

Billiards in the evening until 10. Guests went on board. Payne [sic Paine] Rice, Harry Rogers & Clemens [MTP].

August 6 Tuesday –The Coes, Benjamins, and Mary Benjamin Rogers stayed in Fairhaven. The next twelve days were filled with excursions from port to port, poker, some light horseplay, good conversation, and jokes [MTHHR 468n1].

Sam’s ship log:

August 6, Tuesday. Sailed early; delivered the clergy [Rev.s Collyer and Savage] at Gloucester.

This was in order to make room & a right atmosphere for ex-Speaker Thomas B. Reed & his morals. He brought no other baggage.

The permanent garrison was now complete—to-wit:

Rogers / Reed / Payne / Rice / Harry / Clemens.

Sailed to Booth’s Bay & lay there all night. The garrison remained on board, by request of the police.

The ship was again searched, by command of the Captain. Nothing found.

A service of sympathy proposed by the bereaved. The motion was not seconded [MTP].

Sam wrote en route to Livy. The letter heading shows him “Off Cape Cod, at sea,” which denotes the yacht had been in route for at least two hours.

Livy darling, it is lovely weather & a beautiful sea.

I have been making various changed in the routine, the meal-hours, & one thing & another, & Mr. Rogers has been countermanding my orders & trying to reinstate his own; therefore I am getting up a meeting, tickets two dollars, anybody allowed to join except Mr. Rogers! If it succeeds I will buy you something nice with the money. That is, if I get it. Rice is collector.

Sam then told of the billiards party the night before and their passengers bound for Gloucester in the afternoon. He’d been talking with Savage, whom he said “made a noble address at the corner-stone-laying yesterday. He is a fine man; we have been talking together for some hours today; they will soon be ashore, & it’s a pity” [MTP].

Note: Savage coincidentally had been pastor in Hannibal, Mo. (1869-1873) and was now leading the flock at the New York Church of the Messiah. He advocated an optimistic Darwinian evolution, and was the author of many sermons and books. See Gribben p. 604.

August 7 Wednesday – Sam’s ship log:

Went to Bar Harbor [Maine], & cast anchor. Drove about the region, acquiring information by pumping it out of the driver. The pump was manned by Col. Payne, spelled by Messrs. Rogers & Reed, subordinates.

Rain.

Dumplings.

Reflections upon the perils of property when it goes down to the sea in ships & encounters certain of the wonders of the deep.

SLC used mourning border for most letters from Susy’s death on, then from Livy’s death on.