Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 December 1889 — Child Life on the Canal. [ARTICLE]

Child Life on the Canal.

One of the curiosities of life displayed along the water-front of this city is the way children are reared in absolute safety aboard canal-boats, writes a New York correspondent. Any person who takes the trouble to visit Coenties slip or the neighboring docks where canal boats lie up can witness every day the common sights of a group of toddling children playing on the open decks of the low’ bulwarked boats, but he never hears of one falling overboard. On one canal boat, the Betty Ann, of Whitehall, that lay in Coenties slip the other day, was noticed a novel arrangement for keeping the little ones within the bounds of safety. On the after deck a regular play ground had been fenced off for the youngsters by building a high picket fence over which they could not climb. This had a swinging gate secured by hasp, staple, and padlock. Inside of this inclosure were four children who made the air ring with their shouts, telling of their unalloyed happiness and contentment with the arrangement. On another boat a little way distant in the same slip was another queer arrangement to keep the little tots from falling overboard. In the center of the deck was fastened a stout ring bolt, to which were fastened three stout but small ropes. At the end of each rope was a stout leather belt buckled about the waist of a rugged, sunburnt youngster. The ropes were just long enough to prevent the children reaching the edge of the deck, but were not too short to allow them ample room to play in. The children seemed happy, too, and were not disturbed a particle by their tether. On nearly all the boats the children are allowed to roam about the deck at will, both while coming down the river in tow and while tied up to the dock. Many of them are born aboard the boats. There they grow up and, in many cases, marry, selecting their mates from aboard other boa*s and immediately taking up the life followed by their parents.