Photo: Janis Hewitt

Feminism has changed the face of veterinary medicine. Though 30 years ago it was extremely rare to encounter a female veterinarian, women now make up a large percentage of practicing veterinarians and veterinary colleges report that close to half of their enrollment is female.

Dr. Nora Kleps, who has been practicing veterinary medicine on the East End since 1993, mused about the traditional bias against women. "Veterinary science had its basis in agriculture and a lot of emphasis was placed on physical strength. Working with large animals is very hard physical work but it actually requires stamina more than strength."

Another traditional bias that kept women away from veterinary school was the assumption that females were not adept at math and science. Though Dr. Kleps, who grew up in Farmingdale, had a lifelong love of animals, she felt discouraged from pursuing a veterinary career because of its emphasis on those two disciplines.

Stint In Iran

Putting her childhood dreams of a veterinary career aside, she attended Antioch College and majored in languages. While studying in Italy she met and married an Iranian. She lived with him in Iran for several years and was present in that country during the revolution and the hostage crisis.

Her insider's view of those historical events is somewhat different than might be expected, given the media footage of angry crowds of anti-American Iranians aired on television in this country.

"People were never hostile to me. They'd ask where I was from and say "Oh, hello, hello! We're so happy that you're here. Where'd you buy your blue jeans?" she related with a laugh.

A Broader Vision

The marriage did not last and when Dr. Kleps found herself back in the U.S., her veterinary ambitions still nagged. "I'd see a veterinarian on television and feel sick, like I hadn't done what I really wanted to and that I'd regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't."

So she took the plunge and, at age 34, Dr. Kleps was attending Cornell University. "I wasn't the oldest in my class, there were two other women who were older, but the vast majority of the students were young kids," she said.

She doesn't regret her circuitous route to her present career, she said, because she feels that knowledge of the world beyond stable and kennel is invaluable to a veterinarian. "Too often vets can have a kind of tunnel vision. It is important to know about and understand different people and cultures," she said. "It helps a lot in the job if you're able to communicate with different kinds of people."

Patience And Intuition

Today Dr. Kleps balances working at the Mattituck-Laurel Veterinary Hospital and at the Bide-a-Wee animal shelter in Westhampton with doing freelance veterinary work. She loves the work.

"Its very rewarding," she said. "I like the problem-solving aspect of it. The sleuthing, you have to figure out what's wrong with a patient who can't talk and tell you. It's a combination of art and science."

Reflecting on the increased role of women in the veterinary field, Dr. Kleps said, "I think what makes a good vet is a personality thing, not a gender thing. Patience and intuition are important. Perhaps those are traits that woman are more encouraged to have in our society than men."

The Real Thing

Dr. Kleps advises those who are considering a career in veterinary medicine to get a taste of the real thing before committing. "Volunteer in an animal hospital to see if you really like it," she said. "It's not all that glamorous James Herriot stuff."

She stressed that prospective veterinarians need to develop their own personal set of ethics. "There aren't really any set rules in the veterinary profession. People can get pressured by their employers or their clients to do things that they aren't comfortable with, like putting a completely healthy animal to sleep or giving medication that isn't exactly legal," she explained.

"They need to set their standard and really not waver from it," she said. "Otherwise, they'll end up adrift."

Worth The Work

The veterinary profession is certainly a very demanding one. Dr. Kleps has to fight to find any free time for herself. But she manages to make the time for the six horses in her care, three of which she owns, and to attend each opera of the season at Lincoln Center.

"Being a vet is hard work," she said. "It requires a lot of stamina. But the gratitude from the owners when you've helped their pets, and the gratitude from the animal, is wonderful. There are emotional and intellectual rewards."

Possessed By Boats

Steve Corkery's office at the Coecles Harbor Marina and Boatyard on Shelter Island suggests an all-consuming interest in boats.

Down East lobster boats, '50s ocean racers, beautifully poised wooden daysailers, and sturdy offshore cruising boats are among the images over his desk. Every imaginable book on yachting history or design seems to be on his shelves.

Sixty-three and brimming with enthusiasm, Mr. Corkery can articulate the subtlety of a certain sheer line or the grace of a bow with gentle passion. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of yacht design, a keen eye for form, and an uncompromising sense of history.

Portrait Photo: Morgan McGivern

Tearful Skipper

In short, he is possessed by boats. Having sailed internationally on the finest yachts, including 12-meter boats, Mr. Corkery has developed high standards.

"The first real boat of my own was a Lightning, number 31," he said. Laughing, he went on to recount a story that undoubtedly shaped his view of racing.

"I can remember the crew I had then. They were in their 20s. This one race, to them, it didn't seem like a lot of breeze, but I did not want to go out - I was only 11. To me it seemed like a gale! Well, we got out to the starting line and I started crying. They browbeat me so badly we started. By the weather mark we were in there, second or third, and finally we finished quite well! It was unbelievable."

At 11 he was a good skipper, even in tears.

When Mr. Corkery was 15 his father bought him a boat built in 1915 called Galena, which Starling Burgess, the America's Cup designer, had also bought for his son.

Little Fox

"I named her Fox," Mr. Corkery recalled. "She was only 18 feet on deck but God she had a six-foot bowsprit! She was a little British cutter. A triple-head rig club topsail, the whole nine yards. It took over an hour to get everything set but, boy, when you got it all up there! In a breeze wasn't she something!"

At the age of 18, Mr. Corkery had the opportunity to sail to England, even though he hadn't yet graduated from high school. "In fact, I graduated from high school while halfway across the Atlantic," he said.

"When I was in England I met Capt. John Illingworth. He was a naval officer and architect. He'd started the Junior Offshore Group, some guys sailing on midget ocean racers."

In England

"I met a lot of these people and sailed on those boats. They were funny small boats painted purple with red sails and the most outlandish stuff you've ever seen - not like America at all! They had such an approach to life, I suppose because of the war."

Mr. Corkery returned home to become a draftsman for the yacht designers Sparkman and Stephens, where he remained for three years. Once home, along with some kindred spirits he founded the Midget Ocean Racing Club.

Then, during the 1956 American Yacht Club Cruise, Mr. Corkery made a pivotal connection. He met Bill Tripp aboard his first successful design, Katingo. Mr. Tripp asked him to sign on, and Mr. Corkery sailed aboard Katingo that whole season.

"We raced the hell out of her and didn't lose," Mr. Corkery said. In the fall Katingo's owner, John Vatis, asked him to become a ship broker at TriContinental Shipping Company. Only 22, Mr. Corkery hardly even knew what the job was.

"In October I traded in my boatyard jeans and khakis for a Brooks Brothers three-piece suit," he said. "Of course my father, who was in the garment business, loved this. So then he and I could have lunch together in our suits."

There were many offshore sailors in the shipping business and Mr. Corkery sailed with the likes of former Louisiana Gov. Huey Long, George Coumantaros, who owns the Boomerang series of boats, and Jacob Isbrandtsen, a shipping giant.

Transatlantic Race

Asked about the rigors of offshore racing, Mr. Corkery said, "I've been in a couple of hard Bermuda Races. The one in '60 was on Windrose (ex-Actea), owned by Jacob Isbrandtsen."

"We sailed to Bermuda and then to Sweden in the Transatlantic. We lost a headstay. We were very lucky to keep the mast in the boat and I think we did pretty well at the time. It was very rough going. In fact, there were boats that lost guys overboard."

As they continued on with the Transatlantic, he said, "after 3,500 miles, the first three boats were only two and a half hours apart. It was a fabulous race - as good as it gets."

Mr. Corkery has had some famous mentors. Aside from his first teacher, Cornelias Shields Sr., he named Sven Joffs as the best pro he'd ever sailed with.

Clubs And More Clubs

Asked which clubs he had belonged to, he had to draw up a list. "I still belong to Off Soundings and the Storm Trysail Club," he began.

The Trysail Club, of which Mr. Corkery has been a member for over 40 years, is one of the premier clubs, and its members must have sea time in severe storm conditions to qualify.

"I've belonged to the Larchmont Yacht Club, Stage Harbor Yacht Club, Shelter Island Yacht Club, and the Orient Yacht Club," he continued. "We founded the Midget Ocean Racing Club, I was past commodore of Greenport's Chinese Yacht Club, and I'm a former president of the Eastern Long Island Yachting Association."

Super Twelves

Continuing his teenage association with high- echelon sailors, Mr. Corkery started sailing 12-meter boats in 1959.

"I sailed again with Arthur Knapp on Weatherly for the 1959 season. In '60 I was sailing in Europe, but then in '61 I sailed with Bus Mosbacher on Easterner for a year. I trimmed spinnaker mostly. I sailed on Columbia in 1962. So I sailed on three of the really super 12s, the wooden boats, even though I was not on Weatherly when she won."

Sailing hard and working hard took its toll, though. In 1969 Mr. Corkery and his wife, Maureen, decided to do something else. "You know, work all day and play all night and work all the next day. It was getting crazy," he explained. "It was a wild existence - and I wouldn't have missed an hour of it - but it was going to kill me."

Headed East

They purchased a little Italian-built Laurent Giles boat. "We bought her, moved aboard, and in May left New York. What a hell of a boat! She had everything. Gosh, she even had Waterford crystal. We stopped in Dering Harbor and, well, that was it! Maureen went to work for The Suffolk Times and I went to work for W.J. Mills," the Greenport sailmaker.

Mr. Corkery and his wife have been married 33 years and claim ownership to nearly as many boats.

They eventually settled on Shelter Island and Mr. Corkery went to work at Coecles Harbor Marina and Boatyard as yard manager in 1983. Searching for a way to keep his interests there, he began using the extensive connections from his yachting and ship brokering background to bring high-end yachts, many of them pedigree wooden boats, into the yard.

Prides And Joys

Mr. Corkery has been personally responsible for bringing together some of the finest wooden yachts on the East Coast. There are two yachts (one of them over 70 years old) designed by the 'Wizard of Bristol', Nathanael G. Herreshoff.

There are four impeccably maintained yachts designed by the highly regarded L. Francis Herreshoff, son of N.G. and often called the father of American cruising boats. There are a 1915 William Hand motor launch, the incredible Henry Scheel yacht Patrician, and the 60-foot R.O. Davis motorsailer Burma, among many others.

There are two yachts designed by the famous Danish designer K. Aage Nielsen. In fact, Mr. Corkery has done all the research for an Aage Nielsen book co-authored by Maynard Bray of Wooden Boat Magazine.

Wooden Charges

Quiet Tune is another original museum-quality L. Francis Herreshoff yacht at the yard. When she was donated to Mystic Seaport Museum, spokesmen said they were going to put her in a barn. Because wooden boats need to remain in the water to maintain their integrity, Mr. Corkery was alarmed.

He immediately returned to Shelter Island and immersed himself in networking, ultimately raising enough funds to maintain her in-water. Because of this effort, Mystic assigned Mr. Corkery as her keeper.

Well aware of the relationships among pedigree yachts at the boatyard, Mr. Corkery uses their links as a way to bring other yachts in. For their part, the boats have been instrumental in keeping wooden boat skills alive on the East End: The yard employs 32 craftsmen.

Only One

In Mr. Corkery's view, boats have owners, owners don't have boats. "I do think, and it doesn't embarrass me, that on some occasions I've told the owners that the boat really is more important than the owner."

"The person who owns a boat at the moment has an obligation, because he's just the keeper. And he has to keep that boat for someone else because the boat, more than likely, if it's maintained properly, will be around after the owner's gone."

"If he doesn't want to do that, he ought to do something else or get rid of the boat or pick out another sport or something. I'm very serious about that. There's only one original."

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the black civil rights leader assassinated on April 4, 1968, will be remembered here in a variety of ways, on a variety of days.

Most schools will close on Monday, officially Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as will banks and government and post offices. Two churches will hold special services, both at 2 p.m., both featuring guest speakers from New York City.

The Calvary Baptist Church of East Hampton has invited the Rev. Raphael Gamaliel Warnock, the assistant minister of New York's Abyssinian Baptist Church, as its guest speaker for the event, a benefit for the church's scholarship fund.

Keep A Dream Alive

Mr. Warnock, who earned a master's degree in divinity from the Union Theological Seminary, has authored, among other writings, "Educating Teens For Positive Peer Intervention," a public school guide aimed at lowering Georgia's teenage pregnancy rate.

Former Georgia Gov. Joseph F. Harris appointed Mr. Warnock to the Southern Regional Task Force on Infant Mortality, which represented 17 southern states. He was the committee's youngest member.

The Rev. Charles E. Hopson, the pastor, has invited the community to attend the event and keep Dr. King's "dream for America alive right here in East Hampton."

S.N.C.C. Secretary

At the First Baptist Church of Bridgehampton, also Monday at 2 p.m., the Rev. Melvin E. Wilson, from St. Luke's A.M.E. Church in Harlem, will speak. The St. Luke's choir will sing, and the community has been invited.

Also on Monday, at 8 a.m., the First Baptist Church of Riverhead will hold its 13th annual Martin Luther King Day celebration at the Radisson Hotel near the Long Island Expressway's exit 58. Among the honorees will be Lucius Ware of Southampton, the president of the Eastern Long Island Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Mr. Ware recalled that Dr. King was the pastor in Montgomery, Ala., in the early 1960s, when the N.A.A.C.P. was specifically outlawed in several southern states. Because "there was a need for such an organization," Mr. Ware said, several ministers, including Dr. King, created the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Since its formation in 1910, the N.A.A.C.P. has advocated for nonviolent protest to racial discrimination. On Sunday, Bob Zellner of Southampton, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee's first white southern field secretary in the 1960s, will address the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Fork at the Water Mill Community Center at 10:30 a.m.

Mr. Zellner will talk about the four little girls killed in the bombing of the 16th Avenue Baptist Church of Birmingham, Ala., in 1963, drawing lessons from the nation's violent past and suggesting paths toward racial harmony.

At The Lighthouse

In Montauk, also on Sunday, the Montauk Point Lighthouse and Museum will present a special program from 2 to 4 p.m. It will include a historical presentation on the Amistad by Hugh King, East Hampton's town crier. Carrie Gilbert, a member of the education committee of the Eastern Long Island N.A.C.C.P., will read poetry, and Mr. Hopson, of East Hampton's Calvary Baptist Church, will direct a musical program.

A photo exhibit featuring black troops, called buffalo soldiers, who fought during the Spanish American War, will be on view.

Admission to the lighthouse will be free during the program, though visitors will not be admitted to the tower during that time.

Rev. Butts At College

Southampton College will honor Dr. King on Feb. 5, when it kicks off its celebration of African American History Month with a keynote address by the Rev. Calvin O. Butts 3d of Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church at 7 p.m.

Dr. Butts, a longtime prominent civil rights leader, has been an outspoken critic of negative rap lyrics, drug abuse, and exploitative liquor and cigarette advertising. A board member of the United Way, Dr. Butts holds degrees from Morehouse College, Union Theological Seminary, and Drew University.

The Feb. 5 evening will also feature gospel music by a group called Leon's Inner Voices and the announcement of the winner of a student essay contest now under way, supervised by John Strong, a social science professor, on the topic, "Is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dead, and What Is His Legacy in Post Civil-Rights America, and Abroad?"

Exceptional Journey

The public has been invited to the free event, in the college's Fine Arts Theater. A reception will follow the program, which has been planned by the college committee for campus diversity.

"We want to celebrate the exceptional journey of a man whose innate creative genius is still available to us," said Dr. M. Anthony Fitchue, the college's director of multicultural programs. "Dr. King led people from all walks of life against the violence of human injustice and poverty."

The college plans three more programs for Black History Month, on Feb. 19, 23, and 26.

Mr. and Mrs. Peabody, two peacocks owned by the Marder family of Fireplace Road in Springs, were stricken with wanderlust last week, leading their caretaker, and members of the Springs community, on a weeklong goose chase.

The birds were missing from the Marder brood, which, besides the pair, includes eight geese and "Mr. Muscovy," a duck, when Lauren Fecke, an employee of the family, arrived at work on Jan. 5. They turned up at the Bono residence on nearby Gardiner Avenue, communing with the birds kept there.

"Mr. Peabody really likes chickens and guinea hens," Ms. Fecke said.

On Tuesday, when the pair was gone again, Ms. Fecke knew where to call. On that rainy day, the peacock couple was hunkered down with the Bono chickens inside their coop. "Instead of raising a fuss with the chickens, I asked if they could stay the night," Ms. Fecke said.

When she went to retrieve the birds after their sleepover, Ms. Fecke found that Mrs. Peabody had flown the coop. A call from a Springs-Fireplace Road resident surprised to see a peacock strutting atop his car sent Ms. Fecke racing to that yard, alas too late.

"She was looking for home," said Ms. Fecke of the errant bird. "I think she just went in the wrong direction."

Ms. Fecke put out a lost peacock call to the Animal Rescue Fund, the radio stations, and East Hampton Town Police. Signs were tacked to trees and poles alerting Springs residents to the crisis.

"The Springs community was just unbelievably wonderful," Ms. Fecke said. "Within 10 minutes I got calls."

Mrs. Peabody had roosted Friday night in a tree on Hildreth Place, Ms. Fecke was told, and been grabbed by a dog when she came down. "She was just roughed up," Ms. Fecke said, "but I was frantic."

On Saturday at dusk, while making the rounds, Ms. Fecke was told by some helpful peacock hunters that her quarry was again settling in for the night in the Hildreth Place tree.

At 6 a.m. Sunday, there was Ms. Fecke spreading corn below the roost, and waiting for the bird to awake.

Mrs. Peabody was not quite ready for her excellent adventure to end, however, and flew back across the street to the same Springs-Fireplace yard she'd been sighted in before.

Ms. Fecke, however, was not deterred. She settled in to wait for the bird to come down to the ground, and nabbed her. Case closed, at least until the birds' next bout of restlessness.

Photo: Doug Kuntz

A Theft And A Subterfuge

A construction worker who, according the East Hampton Village police, admitted stealing a $30,000 engagement ring and selling it for $200 was released on his own recognizance Sunday, after he cooperated with police in a ruse that ended in the arrest of the alleged buyer.

Jeffry R. Simek, 38, of Swamp Road, East Hampton, has been charged with felony grand larceny in the theft of the 3.5-karat diamond ring. Antoine Harold, 36, of Scuttlehole Road, Bridgehampton, who police said bought the ring, was charged with felony criminal possession of stolen property and remained in county jail at press time in lieu of $500 bail.

Paul and Suzanne Ryan of Carriage Court discovered the loss of the ring and other jewelry last Thursday, but did not immediately report it to police.

Piece By Piece

Instead, they told their contractor about it. Almost immediately thereafter, Mrs. Ryan told The Star Tuesday, Mr. Simek, who had been work ing in the basement, mysteriously began "finding" pieces of the missing jewelry around the house, one by one, "in places I knew I had looked."

She said she was hoping all the missing items would be returned if she did not involve the police. "I was thinking, just please give me my stuff back," she said.

On Saturday, however, Mr. Simek did not show up for work. The engagement ring, the most valuable of the stolen items, was still missing, and at that point the Ryans called police.

In The Basement

The couple, who moved into the house in September and have not yet fully unpacked, told village police the jewelry had been kept in a piece of luggage in the basement.

Mr. Simek was brought in for questioning. According to Chief Glen Stonemetz, he admitted taking the ring and other jewelry, saying he had been in the basement painting when he found it.

He had spilled paint on a piece of luggage, Mr. Simek allegedly told police, and tried to clean it off. Finding the valise was heavy, he told police, he looked inside and discovered the jewelry.

According to police, he said he had sold the ring for $200 to Mr. Harold.

Marked Bills

On Sunday, village police and the Southampton Town street crime unit were staked out when Mr. Simek allegedly met Mr. Harold at a Sag Harbor cemetery to buy the ring back. Police watched while the purchase, with marked bills, went forward.

Mr. Harold was arrested not long afterward at Huntington Crossway and the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike.

Both men were charged on Sunday afternoon and held overnight for arraignment in East Hampton Town Justice Court. Mr. Simek was given a February court date.

Police are holding the engagement ring as evidence. Mrs. Ryan said she was relieved that it had been recovered.

"The good thing was that we got the engagement ring back, which had so much sentimental value. It could not be replaced no matter what was done."

On Tuesday, Mrs. Ryan reported that her family had discovered more items missing from the house. Police said yesterday that they had recovered a number of them, and think they know where the others are.

Missing Cash

Also in the village last week, a woman who reported the late-December theft of $240 from her Pantigo Road, East Hampton, residence was herself arrested in the crime.

Michelle Dellapolla, 29, was charged last Thursday with two misdemeanors, petty larceny and making a false statement. Police said the money belonged to Ms. Dellapolla's housemate, Patricia Corbey, and that Ms. Dellapolla herself had taken it.

Ms. Dellapolla had reported the theft after being away from the house for two days. She told police she had left the doors locked, but found a sliding door unlocked upon her return and the cash missing from a locked box in a bedroom closet.

She was released on her own re cognizance.

Also arrested by village police last week was Vincent Gentile of Massapequa, 40, on a 1993 warrant stemming from a charge of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Mr. Gentile, who police said never answered the charge, was given a new court date.

When New York State announced it would phase in a stricter auto-emissions test at the beginning of this year, it appeared that many service station owners, not willing to ante up the $45,000 for the new equipment required, would drop out of the program, leaving motorists in a bind.

However, although the Long Island Gasoline Retailers Association urged a boycott and challenged the new requirements in court last year, a survey of local repair shops shows that most will continue to offer inspections.

"Either you're going to spend the money to stay in business, or you're not," said Jack Van Kovics, the owner of the Harbor Heights Mobil station in Sag Harbor, who decided to continue doing inspections.

Many Will Fail

When the system is fully operational by the end of the year, it will be much harder to pass. It has been estimated that over 20 percent of cars now on the road will fail.

"They're going to get all the junk off the road," said Peter Rucano Jr., who runs inspections for Marshall and Sons in Montauk. Motorists whose vehicles fail will be required to spend up to $450 on emissions-related repairs before they can qualify for a one-year waiver.

"And that's only a one-year waiver," said Vinnie Balcuns of Balcuns Service Center on North Main Street in East Hampton, who is also continuing the tests. "The second year, you'd have to spend the $450 again. It won't make a lot of sense."

No Cheating

Motorists who want to be certain their cars pass should continue to do preventive maintenance to their emissions system, have scheduled oil changes, and replace air and fuel filters regularly, Mr. Rucano said.

Under the system, repair shops that do inspections have been required to order new computerized equipment, which ties in directly to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The computers and the software to run them are supposed to be in place by April 1. Inspection stations will be equipped with a digital camera, which will take random photographs during the inspection to eliminate cheating.

The new test costs car owners $35, almost double last year's $19 fee.

Nitrous Oxide

By November, each station will be equipped with a dynamometer, a machine with rollers that can simulate the conditions of a car at various speeds.

When the dynamometers arrive, mechanics will be required to test autos for nitrous-oxide emissions, which are only released when a vehicle is in motion, as well as residual oxygen left from the internal combustion process.

The test will also measure hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, as it does now.

Inspections will continue to provide some allowance for older cars that were built to lower emissions standards, but the new equipment will more accurately measure exactly what comes out of the tail pipe.

Computers In Control

"We used to control the inspection," said Mr. Racuno. "Now the computer will tell us what to do and print out the sticker."

"A lot of people who were talking about dropping it because of the expense are now ordering the machines," said Bob Bowman of B&B Auto in Montauk. He, too, will continue to offer inspections.

The late orders caused a run on suppliers, overwhelming their ability to deliver the equipment.

"When I bought the machine, they said it would arrive sometime in January," said Mr. Van Kovics. "I'm still waiting."

Metropolitan Areas

"They're being rolled out on a daily basis," said Ernest Kitchen, the D.M.V.'s deputy commissioner for safety, consumer protection, and clean air. The number of service stations ordering the equipment "has been a pleasant surprise for us," he said. "There was some organized resistance to it."

To make it easier, the state has offered stations grants of up to $5,000 and waived sales tax on the equipment, Mr. Kitchen said.

He pointed out that the strict emission test, required in New York City, Rockland, Westchester, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties, was mandated by Federal clean-air standards for metropolitan areas, a law adopted in 1992.

Cars in other parts of the state must pass a less stringent test.

A Respite

Stations that have signed up for the program but have not received their new equipment will be allowed to continue offering the same test they did last year, albeit at this year's price, providing car owners with a respite.

Although most repair shops surveyed, including the Amagansett Mobil, Sam's Auto in Springs, and the Georgica Getty and North Main Citgo stations in East Hampton, will continue to do inspections, a few have dropped them.

"It's a little too pricey for me right now," said Bill Vorpahl, the owner of T & B Auto in Amagansett. "I'll see how it goes for six months. If it looks like I'm going to lose a lot of business, I'll probably have to buy the equipment."

Although repair shops will collect a higher fee, Mr. Vorpahl said their costs for electricity and computer telephone lines would increase as well. "And you have to pay the guy who's running the machine," he added.

Space And Expense

Nancy Ialacci, the owner of the Sag Harbor Getty, said she too had dropped out of the program, partly because of the cost and partly because of space limits.

"The equipment will take up a whole bay," she said. "I only have a two-bay station. If you do the inspections, you'll need the space to do the repairs. It's a catch-22."

But Dennis Kromer, who owns Kromer's Auto and Marine in Springs, said he saw no choice.

"It's a convenience for your customers," he said. "And it does bring in some work during slow periods."

On Character

Wainscott

January 9, 1998

To The Editor,

Memorable phrases from 1997:

"Show me the money," the theme from the movie "Jerry Maguire" and also the Clinton White House.

"There is no controlling legal authority," Al Gore said, referring to highly questionable fund raising in the White House. "Mistakes were made" was Bill Clinton's comment on the same subject at about the time Pol Pot made use of that phrase regarding the two million people slaughtered in Cambodia. The passive tense denial of responsibility is reminiscent of the owners and operators of the Titanic suggesting that it was all the fault of the iceberg.

Memorable phrases from earlier years:

"This is all my fault." Confederate General Robert E. Lee after Gettysburg. Lee was a great leader and a man of character.

"The buck stops here." Harry Truman in accepting responsibility for what went on in the White House.

"We hold people responsible for things that happen during the time of their command." The commander of a naval air squadron on relinquishing his command after an unusual number of accidents. There was no evidence that the commander was negligent but he accepted the responsibility. That's what men of character do.

How is it that our highest elected officials deny all responsibility for the endless scandals and unethical practices in the White House but at the same time impose no punishment or discipline on their aides and appointees who presumably have done all these things? It just happened, or the devil made someone do it, they want us to believe, but we never find out who that someone is.

Some day, hopefully, American voters will put character on their list of qualifications for high office.

HENRY CLIFFORD

Thank You, Peter Boyle

Amagansett

January 8, 1998

Editor,

I am 70, a full-time resident, and am hanging around recovering from my total right knee replacement a few days ago on New Year's Eve.

I have had the pleasure over the past few years to be part of Ms. Tommie Smith's R.S.V.P. gang in Amagansett, calling up a bunch of great people who live alone, need company, and occasionally need some help. It seems funny to me being helped by aides, nurses, housemaids from the marvelous group, the Dominicans, that a few days ago were helping Cleo and Bertha and the rest of "my girls." Gets you to wonder.

One of the few pleasant parts of this week was the sensation of listening to music (Ms. Tebaldi and Mr. Brubeck), reading a book, or the delicious experience of pouring yourself into a movie with a clear, uncommitted, thirsty mind.

Well the other night, Tuesday, I think, after my wife (who I have been driving a little crazy) went upstairs to bed, I looked outside to a gloomy, foggy, black night and randomly turned on TV.

There it was - "Young Frankenstein" - that masterpiece of Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder from the mid-'70s starring my heroes Wilder, Garr, Leachman, "Igor," Kahn, and of course the man - Peter Boyle.

Remember, this is the movie where young Dr. F., grandson of the original, is returning to his grandpa's ancestral home. As the train stops, Dr. F. slowly rolls down his window and asks a young man, "Pardon me, boy, is this the Transylvania station?"

When I was young and a mite forward, I would occasionally encounter one of my heroes (Miles Davis - Blackhawk, San Francisco; Pancho Gonzalez - a plane to Dallas), go up to them, tell them of my admiration and receive, quite properly, zero response.

However, with Peter Boyle, it's different, we live in the same small town, use the same Post Office, so I remained silent.

Silent, that is, up to the other night where Peter and Gene, all decked out in their top hats and tails, strutted before a cynical Transylvanian audience.

I could no longer resist the need to say, "Thank you, Peter Boyle, for all past and future pleasures." But how?

With luck and the help of the letters to the editor column, I wish you and yours a happy new year.

IRVING HIRSCHBERG

Loving Son

O loving son, did swoop by

Ate fridge, piled laundry high

TV on, click click click

Strobe sports, suds, does the trick

Hark! Boom and belch, peck on cheek

Mom, Dad, see ya next week

Prodigal split, casting goo goo eyes

Was it for us, or the remaining fries.

JOSEPH TOTO

THE SECOND Maidstone clubhouse to be built, and burn, is seen here. Built in 1910 and designed by I.H. Green Jr., it fell to a fire 11 years later and then was replaced by the clubhouse that exists today.

Courtesy of Averill D. Geus

An East Hampton house dating to 1707 which was home to a local hero of the American Revolution was nearly destroyed last Thursday night during a drill by the East Hampton Fire Department.

The drill, during which the house was filled with smoke while as many as 50 volunteers practiced rescue maneuvers, was authorized by the owner, Ronald O. Perelman. Mr. Perelman, who bought the seven-acre property adjacent to his 58-acre estate, the Creeks, in 1994, expected the Capt. John Dayton house to be demolished this week.

Demolition was halted, however, after a descendant of Captain Dayton, Averill Dayton Geus, launched a vigorous protest over the weekend. Mr. Perelman's lawyers now are trying to work out an agreement with village officials to save the oldest part of the house.

Came As Surprise

"Frankly, we were surprised by the entire matter. We were never told the house had any historical significance until this past weekend. As soon as it was brought to our attention, we halted the demolition so we could gather all the facts," said James Conroy, the senior vice president and special counsel to McAndrews and Forbes, Mr. Perelman's Manhattan-based holding company.

Village Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. reported yesterday that Mr. Perelman's representatives had been "very gracious and accommodating." He said he expected a solution would be found that was satisfactory to everyone.

Mr. Perelman bought the house and property from the Nature Conservancy for $2 million. Sara Davison, executive director of the local chapter, said the conservancy had done an environmental evaluation of the property before it was sold, but was not aware that the house was "of any value."

Revolutionary War Site

"This is one of the last few Revolutionary War sites that we can still point to here. . . . If I had this house on my property, I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world," Mrs. Geus said this week.

Mrs. Geus manages the village-owned Home, Sweet Home Museum, the first Dayton family residence in East Hampton, and also writes about local history. She is on the executive board of the Town 350th Anniversary Committee.

She learned over the weekend about the damage wrought by the Fire Department and Mr. Perelman's demolition plan, and promptly telephoned Leonard I. Ackerman, Mr. Perelman's local lawyer, and Robert Hefner, the adviser to East Hampton Village on historic buildings.

"Worth Preserving"

Mrs. Geus, Mr. Hefner, Mr. Ackerman, and the village building inspector, Tom Lawrence, looked over the house on Tuesday afternoon. The house's several additions, built over the years, were found to be in poor shape, but they said they found the original structure mostly intact. Mr. Hefner and Mrs. Geus judged it worth preserving.

"It is quite an unusual house, unique for East Hampton as far as I know. . . . The timbers, the exterior framing, the floors, it's all still there. One could get a very good idea of what the original house looked like," Mr. Hefner said.

The house was built in the style of a Cape Cod with some uncommon features, including corner fireplaces. It was enlarged in 1900 as the gate house to the Creeks, then owned by Adele and Albert Herter, and it was moved back from the Montauk Highway in 1950, about the time Ruth Gordon Livingston bought it.

Captain Dayton, who commanded an East Hampton company of revolutionary fighters, is credited with single-handedly putting down a nighttime attack on the then-isolated farm with his own musket and a pitchfork. A Hessian was reportedly killed in the melee. The beams in his house, which are now exposed, show holes where musket balls fired by British troops had lodged.

The history books also say that Captain Dayton prevented, by clever ruse, a British raid by ship on the town's cattle while the herd was grazing on Montauk. With too few troops to put up any real threat, he marched his men along the bluffs above Fort Pond Bay, then ordered them to turn their coats inside out and march past again. By that means, the force appeared twice as large.

That bluff, near Culloden Point, is marked on old maps as Dayton's Ruse. Captain Dayton, who was born in 1727, also served as East Hampton Town Supervisor from 1785 to 1787. He died in 1825.

Dayton Creeks

East Hampton Fire Chief Steve Griffiths said the two-story house had been filled with machine-made smoke last Thursday night, as the volunteers cut holes in the roof, smashed out the lead-paned windows, and hammered through the doors with axes.

"They said we could do all the damage we wanted. They even wanted us to burn it down, but we weren't interested in that," said Chief Griffiths.

He explained that a practice fire-fighting drill was ruled out because he couldn't be sure there would be enough volunteers on hand to control a real fire. The number of volunteers allowed to take part was limited by a member of Mr. Perelman's staff at the Creeks, where there are an elaborate security system and armed guards.

Mr. Perelman's estate sits on a large peninsula formed by two creeks and Georgica Pond. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the property was called Dayton Creeks.

In 1894, Edward Dayton sold 70 acres of the peninsula to Mary Miles Herter. Albert and Adele Herter, who inherited it, were artists and interior decorators who built an Italianate manor house and made it a lavish showplace. Their son, Christian Herter, who became Governor of Massachusetts and later United States Secretary of State, later gave about 10 acres and Captain Dayton's old house to Harry Easer, who was the estate manager for many years and grew up there.

Mr. Easer sold it in 1950 to Ms. Gordon Livingston. She divided off 1.7 acres on the highway that included a cottage for her son, Gregory Gordon (he lives there still) and retired three years ago to Antigua.

At that time, she donated the Captain Dayton house and her remaining property, which included two other cottages, to the conservancy as a "tradeland," meaning it was sold to raise money for her life trust and for the conservancy.

Still Fact-Finding

Mr. Perelman bought the Creeks several years ago for $12 million, from the estate of the late artist Alfonso Ossorio. He recently obtained a demolition permit for the Captain Dayton house, which overlooks the water and was used for guests. A new prefabricated house, reportedly ready to be shipped any day, is to be put in its place.

"We want to show good faith here. We want to cooperate in the public interest but we need to assess where that interest lies and what is the best way to achieve it," said Mr. Conroy. He added that an offer had been made to donate the structure to the village.

"We are still in the fact-finding phase of this thing. Until just a few days ago, no one had ever voiced any concern about this place," said Mr. Conroy.

Photo: Morgan McGivern

Shipwrecks are very much a part of the history of sea-girt East Hampton. This is the first of an occasional series recalling some offshore misfortunes over the years.

Elmiranda, a three-masted bark carrying 1,100 tons of coal from New York to her home port of Portland, Me., ran aground at Wainscott just after midnight on April 21, 1894.

J. Everett Hand of the Georgica Life Saving Station spotted the distressed ship and by first light a line had been secured to her mizzenmast, from which the crew and the captain's son were taken off by breeches buoy.

In later life, Mr. Hand recounted the tale to Jeannette Edwards Rattray:

"It was my first experience handling the breeches buoy and my hands were raw from it . . . The ship's cook had got into the captain's cabin during the excitement and got hold of a bottle of Aquavit. By the time it was his turn for the breeches buoy, the tide had commenced to rise; the vessel was rolling toward shore with every wave, and that slacked up the hawser on the onshore side."

"When we got the cook as far as the surf, two big waves came along and buried him right up. But we got him ashore all right. He had a parrot inside his coat and the bottle of Aquavit tied round his neck. The parrot got wet."

"We put the cook into the old red fish-house by Wainscott Pond and he was fast asleep in no time. Condit Miller, who was in the Georgica station then, bought the parrot for two dollars. It used to swear like a pirate."

By the following day the Elmiranda (named for two sisters, Elmira and Miranda) lay inside the bar in a dense fog, with 15 feet of water in her, but she was eventually refloated.

W. Tyson Dominy took her pennant. It flew over his bathing beach pavilion in East Hampton for many years.