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July 18, 1996 - Dodging a Big Bullet Named BerthaJuly 18, 1996 • The Suffolk Times • 7A Dodging a Big Bullet Named Bertha Weren't we lucky with Bertha? Hurri- canes are the kind of things we can do without. Yet her downgraded fury was still felt with high winds and heavy rains here on the East End. We watched a neighbor's big Mako speedboat break loose from its mooring and land broadside on the beach in front of the cot- tage. Luck was with the four of us as we were able to get it off before it was pounded by the angry waves stirred up by Bertha. The secret to moving it was a steady pressure so that when the waves rolled in under the boat she'd float for a few seconds, enough that our steady pushing gradually moved her off. Once afloat the next job was to get in water deep enough so we could let the engine down, start it up and move off. It all sounds so simple now but with the waves doing their best to flout our efforts and the rain and heavy boat — let's just say luck was with us and all went well. Then as the wild day started to calm down, we watched the weather change within minutes from the roaring winds out of the southwest to the northwest. Great veils of misty gray clouds passed low overhead. Every once in a while there'd be an opening in the rushing cover and we'd see blue sky above only to find a minute later more rushing gray clouds. The change in the wind direction was chasing the last of Bertha away. The next morning we looked out and saw boats huddled around what looked like a dead whale in the water. The binoculars proved it to be a sunken boat upside down, motor and all, a victim of Bertha's wrath. From then on we watched people, some on boats, some in the water, some shouting, some waving, lines being thrown, then pulled tight and shouts of "Stop" and "Go ahead." After about three hours of this confusion, the boat was finally rolled over and towed away with three young lads bailing madly with huge buckets. The motor, now upright, would be far from running for some time. Lucky for most, about the only thing we got here were branches and tattered leaves. Now that the storm has passed things are again getting back to normal. Our young osprey back in the marsh on his high platform stayed prisoner to his nest throughout the rain and winds. It was a day of staying low in the nest, wet and miserable, and to add to his misery, no food the entire day. The parents, like others, stayed perched in some secure tree throughout the blow. It's during these crucial storm times that many birds and animals succumb to the elements. Wet through to the skin, many young do not have the energy to keep warm because of the lack of food, and therefore die. Again luck was with three osprey nests that I checked on right around our home. All made it through the storm. Even the young mockingbirds did well, for the parents are still busy feed- ing their three fledged young out back. This is the second clutch for this mocker and if all goes well there mir ht even be a third. When the adults bring food to the young, it's comical to see the young mockers squat down and open and close their wings as they beg for food. It's then you can see that characteristic white patch all mockingbirds carry. This "flag- ging," as I call it, is common with mock- ingbirds. I've often seen the `...It1Ck was adults doing it as With three they walk along looking for osprey nests insects — wings ... All made opening and clos- ing — wings it through the opening and clos- storm.' ing. I believe it acts as a threat to insects and helps move them out of hid- ing so they can easily be picked up. We have two juvenile squirrels at home that are just like two little play- mates. They run, spin around, jump up and down, chase after each other in never - ending bursts of energy. They explore everything and somehow know exactly where the nuts are hidden in the Focus on Mature by Pul Stoatenbnrgh i_asyaft i_wwis nAwL 75 Years Ago July 15, 1921 It's Not a Crime: It is believed that all the married women in Suffolk County will agree that Judge George Furman did the right thing in reversing the judgment of a Justice of the Peace who sentenced a Bellport woman to the county jail for four months on the charge of stealing $10 from her husband's trousers pocket while he was asleep in their home several weeks ago. She used the money to defray her expenses on a pleasure trip to the city. After serving a few days in the county jail, the woman sought the services of lawyer House, who declared that the Justice was "way off in his law" in sentencing a woman for the "crime" of stealing from her husband. Justice Furman promptly agreed with him and reversed the judgment of conviction. While the law holds that a wife has a right to go through her hubby's pockets, and gather in all the coin of the realm, she may discover it likewise holds there is no such thing as a husband stealing from his wife. 50 Years Ago July 18, 1946 New Shellfish Industry: Out of the war food emergency has come a new shellfish industry for Long Island, which in three years has reached a yearly total of By Paul Stoutenburgh BABY WEAKFISH —Years ago weakfish were one of the most common game fish in our bays. Today there are practically none. Could baby weak- fish caught this week in a small seine net change all that in the future? lawn. They could never have buried the nuts, for they are last year's. Then how do they know where they are? I believe they smell them in the ground, for I see them sniffing everywhere until they find the spot, then they stop and dig, produce a nut and sit there and eat it. And how sure - footed they are for being so young — up a tree, out on a limb, one right behind the other, chasing as if they were just Winning on the ground. It's comical to watch them. Local Fishing Holds Hope Just before the big blow Barbara and I went out for a ride in our small boat. It has an oversized bimini or sunshade that makes it look like the African Queen but it suits us just fine. On our way out of the creek (it was evening) we saw an old friend and his son fishing from shore so, of course, I had to stop and ask him how things were going. "Great," was his more than 24,000,000 pounds of surf clam shell stock or nearly 4,000,000 pounds of processed clam meat. Formerly used for food only by local inhabitants and as bait by fishermen, the value of the surf clam as food was recognized and developed to help relieve the food shortage. These efforts were augmented by Alfred Tucker, superin- tendent of the Bureau of Marine Fisheries. 25 Years Ago July 15, 1971 'Nudies' Bug SI Board: Various stages of dress and undress at all hours of the night were cited as a "Road end" and beach problem to the Shelter Island Town Board Monday. The problems of beach use, including not only that of town - regulated beaches, but of the 50 road ends which the town owns, came up for lively discussion at the board's monthly meeting. "Last week there were as many as four completely dis- robed persons," said resident Robert Boggs. "If I'd taken a picture it would have to be censored." "Perhaps," said another voice from the audience, "that road end could be rated X." "This is the type of public we're having to involve our- selves with," said Supervisor Evans Griffing, indicating that public road use cannot be denied the public, and suggesting that any resident notify the police of improper activity. reply. `Best season in a long time." Then he went into the details of the fish he and his son had caught through previous exploits: bluefish, small stripers, a three - pound Spanish mackerel and, to my delight, a weakfish. Even though it had to be let go because it was undersize, I was thrilled to hear that a weakfish had been caught in our creek. Forty or more years ago we used to catch weakfish there like you'd never believe. In past years they've dropped to absolute zero, so you can see why I was excited know- ing that at least one had come back. Then my daughter and her family came over to the cottage on the bay for dinner. Peg's teaching a summer course for kids at the local library and wanted to collect some specimens of what's in our bay. So she and her daughter Sara took the seine net and dragged right out in front. What a surprise she had as the net came ashore: five or six baby weak- fish two to three inches long, along with baby bluefish, bunkers, silversides, baby flounders, a one -inch baby blowfish, a stickleback, sand shrimp, pipe fish and some black fish that defied identifica- tion. Two other hauls brought in the same plus three calico crabs (sand crabs) and a most unusual find, a soft - shelled spider crab that would make a delightful touch item for tomorrow's class. All were returned to the bay except one of each, which would go into a special aerated tank to be shown to the kids in the morn- ing. How pleased I was to see those small weakfish. I wonder if this possibly could be a hint of things to come. You have to be optimistic about things like that, for if we lose "our bay" and all its treasures, what do we have left? As the saying goes, "What's in a rainbow when the colors are gone ?" Fellowship Event Set MATTITUCK —Sigi Oblander, who's ministered in 67 nations, will be the guest speaker at the July 24 meeting at Community Christian Fellowship on the North Road. The event begins at 7:3x7 p.m.