"One morning Staley, Miller and I went to the foot of Porter Avenue and rented a rowboat. We were out beyond the breakwater when a storm came up. The water grew quite rough and we headed back towards shore but could make no progress against the strong wind.

"The waves grew higher, and began to break over the boat. We were soaked. Seeing we could not get to where we hired the boat, we headed for the Yacht Club. Chet and Miller were both rowing, so I took a bait can and bailed out some of the water from the bottom of the boat, but each waved poured in as much as I bailed out.

"Some people at the Yacht Club were watching us and a couple of men came out in a rowboat, and assisted us to get to the dock. Others helped us out of the boat, and into the steward's quarters.

"There we were undressed, and our clothes take to be dried, while we were given bathrobes to sit in and hot drinks to warm us, for we were shivering. When we stopped shivering, someone brought us plates of salmon salad sandwiches, ham sandwiches, and tall glasses of lemonade; I never tasted better.

"We stayed a couple of hours and were told many times what danger we had been in, and how lucky we were to have made it, but none of us thought it amounted to much. The steward said he would see that the rowboat was returned, so when our clothes were dry, we walked home."

"During the summer I took many boat trips, to Woodlawn Beach, to Crystal Beach, the Bedell House and the Fort Erie ferry.

"On the ferry I would ride back and forth for an hour, for one fare. It was a sidewheel steamer and the passengers could enjoy the upper deck, for the first deck was occupied by horses and wagons and carriages. When the boat cast off it was carried swiftly away from the dock and downstream by the force of the current of the Niagara River, which was six or seven miles an hour, at this point.

"Then the paddle wheels would revolve, and the boat headed diagonally across the river, pointing towards a spot above the dock on the Canadian shore so the current would carry it to the landing. Each paddle hit the water with a resounding slap, and you could feel the strain, as the steam exerted its strength against the rush of the current.

"Looking through the windows of the engine room, one could watch the thick piston rods rise and descend into the huge steam cylinders, as the walking beam went up and down like a giant seesaw turning the paddle wheel.

"After arriving at the dock and being made fast, a wide gangplank was run to the dock. Standing against the forward rail of the passenger deck you looked down upon the horses as they pulled the wagons ashore, and could watch the play of their muscles beneath their glossly coats. It was beautiful to see their smooth hides ripple, as they dug in their iron shod hoofs, strained against their collars, and exerted their strength as they dragged the loaded drays up the incline.

"I knew of no other place that offered such diverse beauty. The natural beauty of a flowing river, the force of nature in its swift current, the beauty of a well kept machine, the power of steam, the animated beauty of intelligent, carefully groomed horses, and the study of the human passengers. All this could be viewed from a comfortable chair, on a warm day, with a gentle breeze blowing for hours at a time for a dime.

"All along the dock, day after day, men and boys sat with a fishpole in their hands, catching a few sunfish or perch. Contentment."

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