Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-11-05


use my harpoon as they swim around the ship;
but when fast, it is impossible to hold on,
as lookouts are stationed all around, and
scarcely a day passes without trouble in
some quarter. Every vessel that comes
here has certain number of lay days, about
ten days for every one hundred tons. Most of
US have to lay here our days ont. At daylight
dozens of boats can be seen around the spouts
waiting for loads. Daily accounts are kept of
each ships days and turns; so many loads per
day are allowed them, say, first week, two loads
per day, second week, three loads per day, third
week, four loads per day. We are all supplied
with boats. They hold from ten to twenty tons,
and are generally ships long boats, sold to the
Peruvians when they leave for home. Labor
ers cannot now be hired here at any price; we
can only work our own men. One would ina
gine that it would be impossible to exist in the
clouds of dust The men are all of one color,
you cannot tell white one from black one
when at work in it. Ii is fun for our sailors.
As general thing, never saw set men
more interested for their employers than they
are in loading our boats. They lay in it, roll
and wrestle, and at times are completely buried
in it. These shutes that lead into the vessels
hold are dangerous. Cases have occurred
where they have slipped in at the mouth of the
hose as the guano went in or down and never
seen again, or dead if found at all. AT times
when there is much surf on, have seen the
hose come out of the hatch and the guano 60
thirty feet from the side of the vessel the big
ness of the hose. We are supplied twice
week, Wednesday and Saturday, from Pisco
city with fresh meat, vegetables and fruits, by
boatmen who make quite business of lit.
Fresh beef eight and half cents per pound;
fowls, $40 per dozen; turkeys, $24 per dozen;
pigs weighing twenty pounds, So; sheep, $4
each. Vegetables are high-enough for one
weeks consumption for a crew of fifteen, say
81. Everything in the way of provisions is
high.
In our American feet we have six ladies,
captains wives; they visit each other often,
and almost daily they are together on board of
some ship. We have plenty Of time to row
around the islands and see what there is to be
seen. We are oil very neighborly and help
each other in all our troubles. If ship is to
| be moored, boats with men from other ships
are always ready and willing to help. It only
has to be made known that help is wanted and
| they are soon on board. l never saw as many
vessels together at anchor or otherwise, where
50 much good feeling and harmony prevailed
as here. When ship is loading and cannot
spare her own men to go in the boats, if the
captain wishes to 60 on board any vessel, or
| ashore, the ships that are not loading send
! their men to pull him wherever he wants to go.
! am to-day loading and cannot spare man,
Captain L., of Newport, r. l., has sent his boat
to take me on board the ship b.. bound out
and home. She will have six or eight captains
with their crews to help him off. The other
day, when that ship dragged afoul Of me, it was
about sunrise when the ship began to strike,
and at o'clock he had six boats with anchors
and men to haul him off; and thus we work
for each other. No pay is expected, only good
will. If any trouble occurs on board ship,
signal is hoisted, and there will soon be plenty
| Of help on board Of her Ny boy George, (six
years old,) is the only child in the feet. The
captains are many of them often after him he
is visiting around from ship to ship about one.
half the time. JOHN R. CONGDON,
| Bafqne HANNAH Thornton.