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October 06, 1983 - Dean's Near -MissF_ SECOND SECTION The *Uffolh Timr!5 October 6, 1983 Dean's Near -Miss By PAUL STOUTENBURGH It seems the tropical storm that moved up our coast was sidetracked to the Chesapeake Bay area. How fortunate we've been in the past few years, not having the big brother of tropical storms visit us. In the old days, it seemed we'd get a hurricane or the tail of a hurricane every few years. Nature can play a pretty tough game when she wants to. The first big storm I remember was when I was going to Southold High School. Nineteen - thirty -eight was the year and many of the old timers will recall that was a real blow! They were expanding the school and weeks had been spent building up a new roof which was promptly blown off and broken into pieces as it traveled across the fields. As the storm got worse we kids were shuttled off early by bus for home. The only problem was that trees were falling everywhere and the bus finally had to stop somewhere in Peconic. I walked home from there and can remember the wild and chaotic walk, as the storm brewed about. Our house was just about buried with falling limbs and trees. All along the great trees that lined the roadside were laid out in the direction the wind had blown. We had had a lot of rain before the hurricane struck and that softened the ground, making blowdowns easy. Later my Dad and I cut these and many other trees up for firewood which in those days was more common than in today's rebirth of woodburning. A few ftQMg3 mo 0� n-3 MTN people had chain saws but they were in their infancy, being large and cumbersome machines. They couldn't hold a candle to the modern lightweight saws we have today. Buzz Saw Common Then What they used in place of the chain saw then was the big circular blade mounted on a bench called the buzz saw. I still have one, buried in a hedgerow. The last time it was used was about 30 years ago when we cleared the land for our house. The buzz saw was usually hooked up to the power takeoff of a tractor. A large flat belt led from the pulley of the tractor to the pulley of the buzz saw. There was a rocking table the log was placed on and then log and table pivoted into the huge whirling blade. It screamed as it cut through the log but how it cut! Zzzing and it was through. Then the log would be moved up and zzzing another piece was cut off. It would make a chain saw look silly, it cut so rapidly. The only problem with the system was that the logs would have to be cut to length first by hand so they Soundview Restaurant 0�131 &Jl1ND LUNCHEON 12 - 3p.m. Route 48, Greenport, N.Y. For Information Call 477 -0666 DINNER 3 - 9 p.m. All Credit Cards Accepted • • Dancing Every Friday, Saturday Saturday Nights and Sunday. ®ON LEE in The Gold Room. at the Piano Bar. AMERICAN PAR RENTAL & SUPPLY CORP. Division of American Chair Renting Co. S4 Yaws ofProfesabna/Experience TENTS & CANOPIES IN ALL SIZES Conies to • SILVERWARE Eastern Long Island • GLASSWARE • PUNCH BOWL SETS WE HAVE A 2 MILLION DOLLAR a COFFEE MAKERS INVENTORYTHAT INCLUDES . LINEN • TENT RENTALS • UMBRELLA TABLES • TABLES • PARTY NEEDS • CHAIRS (OVER 30.000 INSTOCKI( • And Much, much morel!! ON ThE NOUN - gm . Costume Rentals & ON TNE MM I= Party Supply Sales 627-4848 at All of Our Party 483 -6613 House Locations! 10 Peconic Ave., RIVERHEAD (516) 369 -1577 SNOWY EGRET- -One lone egret stalked the water's edge as the inclement weather kept man and boats off the bay. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh could be lifted up onto the swinging table. In those days most of the homes were fired by wood and instead of the drone of the chain saw we occasionally hear today, we heard the zzzing -- zzzing'-- zzzing of the buzz saw. I'm writing this out in our boat where I came just to pick up something we had forgotten to bring off the last time out. It had drizzled a bit on the way out as the storm offshore was not quite here yet but when I got aboard it really started to rain. What better place to take advantage of my captivity and write. Coming out, the bay and its beaches were deserted. No longer were the sailboats or youthful water skiers in view. No longer were people sunbathing or swimming. It was a complete wipeout. Even the hardy scallopers that had been plying back and forth had left. Only Lone Egret The only bit of life was a snowy egret that stalked along the marsh edge, darting down every once in a while to grab a killie or minnow that was not smart enough to stay still until this skilled hunter passed. Then there was the clatter of a kingfisher that sat on the dock nearby waiting for his lunch to pass beneath him. My presence disturbed him. Both these birds are expert fishermen. It's truly remarkable to see how each species has adopted its own particular method for fishing. Even the common seagull has acquired ALL ISLAND Salve - �;onyccp - Etta! WEST BABYLON, N. Y. 11704 (516) 643 -2605 Fit. 56, Riverhead 727 -0434 its own special technique for getting into the hard clams it digs up along the shallows. I've often seen these gulls working their feet up and down in the shallow waters to undermine a clam. Once it gets the clam out, it then flies to a nearby beach or in this case, a black top road end and then lets the clam go crashing down on the hard surface. Most of the time their aim is pretty good; the shell breaks open and the gull enjoys his meal. Other times, when it misses the hard surface, the clam doesn't break. So up the gull will fly again, dropping the clam until it succeeds. There's really no problem with this except occasionally when man comes along with his car and rides over the broken clam shell there is the possibility of a puncture. But then the gulls were here long before we were and they have rights too. As I look across the bay there are some boats still swinging at their moorings. Up along the edge of the cove the small dinghies and sailfish are pulled up high and dry. Some boats already have been taken out for the season but most of us try to get out every time the weather permits and this can sometimes last up to Thanksgiving. Let's hope the warm weather we had before tropical storm Dean will return and we will all be able to spend more time enjoying the beautiful fall. EQUIPMENT Self Pr Asphal al _ Unequ Depen C]KOe0T0 LRACTORS TRACTORS , MSELE- Turf Equipment', THE ORIGINAL POWER BOX SECOND SECTION 04PPlitPUtPllt Dean's Near -Miss By PAULSTOUTENBURGH It seems the tropical storm that moved up our coast was sidetracked to the Chesapeake Bay area. How fortunate we've been in the past few years, not having the big brother of tropical storms visit us. In the old days, it seemed we'd get a hurricane or the tail of a hurricane every few years. Nature can play a pretty tough game when she wants to. The first big storm I remember was when I was going to Southold High School. Nineteen - thirty -eight was the year and many of the old timers will recall that was a real blow! They were expanding the school and weeks had been spent building up a new roof which was promptly blown off and broken into pieces as it traveled across the fields. As the storm got worse we kids were shuttled off early by bus for home. The only problem was that trees were falling everywhere and the bus finally had to stop somewhere in Peconic. I walked home from there and can remember the wild and chaotic walk, as the storm brewed about. Our house was just about buried with falling limbs and trees. All along the great trees that lined the roadside were laid out in the direction the wind had blown. We had had a lot of rain before the hurricane struck and that softened the ground, making blowdowns easy. Later my Dad and I cut these and many other trees up for firewood which in those days was more common than in today's rebirth of woodburning. A few people ha cam saws ut they were in their infancy, being large and cumbersome machines. They couldn't hold a candle to the modern lightweight saws we have today. Buzz Saw Common Then What they used in place of the chain saw then was the big circular blade mounted on a bench called the buzz saw. I still have one, buried in a hedgerow. The last time it was used was about 30 years ago when we cleared the land for our house. The buzz saw was usually hooked up to the power takeoff of a tractor. A large flat belt led from the pulley of the tractor to the pulley of the buzz saw. There was a rocking table the log was placed on and then log and table pivoted into the huge whirling blade. It screamed as it cut through the log but how it cut! Zzzing and it was through. Then the log would be moved up and zzzing another piece was cut off. It would make a chain saw look silly, it cut so rapidly. The only problem with the system was that the logs would have to be cut to length first by hand so they Soundvioew Restaurant Q� I I "WD LUNCHEON 12 - 3p.m. Route 48, Greenport, N.Y. For Information Call 477 -0666 DINNER 3 - 9 p.m. All Credit Cards Accepted • • Dancing Every Friday, Saturday Saturday Nights and Sunday. ppN LEE in The Gold Room. at the Piano Bar. AMERICAN PA RENTAL & SUPPLY CORP. Division of American Chair Renting Co. 54 Years of Profeaabnel Experience TENTS & CANOPIES IN ALL SIZES Comes to • SILVERWARE Eastern Long Island • GLASSWARE • PUNCH BOWL SETS WE HAVE A 2 MILLION DOLLAR . COFFEE MAKERS INVENTORY THAT INCLUDES. • LINEN • TENT RENTALS • UMBRELLA TABLES • TABLES • PARTY NEEDS • CHAIRS (OVER 30,000 INSTOCK1) • And Much, much moreill - Costume Rentals & THE SOUTH R" ON THE BONN SNORE Party Supply Sales 627 -4848 at All of Our Party 483 -6613 use Locations! 10 Peconic Ave., RIVERHEAD (516) 369 -1577 October 6, 1983 SNOWY EGRET- -One lone egret stalked the water's edge as the inclement weather kept man and boats off the bay. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh could be lifted up onto the swinging table. In those days most of the homes were fired by wood and instead of the drone of the chain saw we occasionally hear today, we heard the zzzing -- zzzing -- zzzing of the buzz saw. I'm writing this out in our boat where I came just to pick up something we had forgotten to bring off the last time out. It had drizzled a bit on the way out as the storm offshore was not quite here yet but when I got aboard it really started to rain. What better place to take advantage of my captivity and write. Coming out, the bay and its beaches were deserted. No longer were the sailboats or youthful water skiers in view. No longer were people sunbathing or swimming. It was a complete wipeout. Even the hardy scallopers that had been plying back and forth had left. Only Lone Egret The only bit of life was a snowy egret that stalked along the marsh edge, darting down every once in a while to grab a killie or minnow that was not smart enough to stay still until this skilled hunter passed. Then there was the clatter of a kingfisher that sat on the dock nearby waiting for his lunch to pass beneath him. My presence disturbed him. Both these birds are expert fishermen. It's truly remarkable to see how each species has adopted its own particular method for fishing. Even the common seagull has acquired its own special technique for getting into the hard clams it digs up along the shallows. I've often' seen these gulls working their feet up and down in the shallow waters to undermine a clam. Once it gets the clam out, it then flies to a nearby beach or in this case, a black top road end and then lets the clam go crashing down on the hard surface. Most of the time their aim is pretty good; the shell breaks open and the gull enjoys his meal. Other times, when it misses the hard surface, the clam doesn't break. So up the gull will fly again, dropping the clam until it succeeds. There's really no problem with this except occasionally when man comes along with his car and rides over the broken clam shell there is the possibility of a puncture. But then the gulls were here long before we were and they have rights too. As I look across the bay there are some boats still swinging at their moorings. Up along the edge of the cove the small dinghies and sailfish are pulled up high and dry. Some boats already have been taken out for the season but most of us try to get out every time the weather permits and this can sometimes last up to Thanksgiving. Let's hope the warm weather we had before tropical storm Dean will return and we will all be able to spend more time enjoying the beautiful fall. ALL ISLAND EQUIPMENT Sa&,d - _CeAVJ" - fiWda/ WEST BABYLON, N. Y. 11704 (516) 643 -2605 R. 58, Riverhead 727 -0434 Madhe ®IK1160TO TRACTOPs TRACTORS fUSELE-1 Turf Equipment. Self Pr -- Asphal Unequ Depen THE ORIGINAL POWER BOX