New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-04-01

WI nbluh supply OF =, oos WI
hLd Ourselve. obise to confess th,t scarcely Two
ou' " every hundred seamen in Se~-tofk @e M
tives Of the coil, the rest being principally E0e'h
ard Hish, with q strong irfussoH OF s;andinsV'ans
Owners and shipmastcrs may and do budy inve'sh
against this state Of things Blu; the fault hes in good
part with them While men sre treated as brues, and
tot regarded as human beings, but few Americans esn
be found who are wiling to enter mercantile ma
rne a. common sailors. Indeed, there are many good
sailors in New.York who prefer to work along shore st
loading unloading vessels, for low wages, where
they are in some ME free to going 10 sea for high
wages, to lead the life of dog, and subject them
selves to brutahes tha. have parallel outside ofa
sailor experience.
1t il one Of the most diffcuh Hers in the world to
our pscket-sbps plying between this and European
pork generally but for vessels bound to Liverpool it
next to impossible TO obtain seamen. This may be ac-
courd for by the fact that the rapid extension OF i'm
mig csused INN number Of vessels to be
built, the Captains of many Of which were selected
rather for their ability to share 10 the ship than
for their knowledge as navgators their fitness TO
command. Simultaneously there sprang up in our
midst class of vampires who obtained their living BY
defIaudiDg immigrants. Theee men, embOldened by
success with plenty of money at their command, pur
chased the privilege OF plunderpg passengers with
IMMUNITY, with hard dollars paid to the shpo wner the
shipmaster, the mate, and even the common sailor
Here was fruitful source Of demoraiz alton. II rob
berry was right in one case it right in another; 80
We find that very soon officers robbed their men, and
men robbed their officers, and things came to such q
pas at length that captains selected for their
pecunisry ability so mates and lower officers were
chosen for their pugiliotic accomplishments.
Sailors, unlike other workmen paid 10 advance
for their labor. Originating in purely humane motives
with view to enable the sailor to purchase az out.
for Lis voyage the system Of paying advances 10 sea-
mt has grown to lie the greatest of commerce
1t has literally bour the sailor hand and foot to the
boarding house keepers and shipping masters, and TO
all intents and purposes he Is their slave.
Let us for a moment look at the facts. In
this port there are some thirty shipping agents and
about three hundred sailors boarding houses. OF
course il would be unjust 10 sgmstze the whole of the
former as unpripcpled men; but we are sorry to say
that the few exceptions only prove the rule. As to
| the latter we could not more than twenty in
which the life or property Of any man would be safe
Shipping agents and boarding house keepers employ
runners to induce sailors frequent their houses, who
as soon ship enters port swar n on board, and BY
literally supplying the sailors with rum, induce them
TO 20 TO their vile deps Nor do men monopolze this
BUSH ese. Women engage in it, too aud officers who
would strive eganst poSertss, for were they to
offer opposition to these fellows doubt, hereto
fore, they would be maltreated then selves
These boarding houses generally fall of discom-
fort filth and pollution. Situated in the very lowest
neighborhoods, they are kept by the lowest kind OF
men in the very lowest manner bar is indrI en'a-
bic TO EACH and from the time sailor enters until mo
period when he leaves, he is kept full of liquor Ate
week or two of riot the landlord tels JACK that BIS
money is s gone and he getting Into debt, and b
| NUT 90 to sea again. Simultaneously the chipping
master sends his runner for to 20 on q certain
sbip and forthwith he is sent down to the fice, signs
the articles ergssng to 20 to Liverpool other
poit for 60 much month and so much advance. The
advance to Liverpool will average $50, and the wages
$40 MONTH The landlord becomes security that the
sailor will 90 on the voyage and receives and pockets
the advance, paying himsef whatever he may see fit
to charge as Jscks bill Of expenses and then, per-
| bspe furnishing him with few Stops to balance the
account. At al events, he go manages as to retain
nearly or quite all the advance, leaving the sailor little
or nothing for himself Thus all incentive to good
duet and faithful discharge Of HE duty is wanting.
He has been psd for his services, but somebody ese
has got the money ard whether he does well or III 10
| OF little Oncern to him.
L ~
Of the ma,es. to oblige crew to desert reaching
the other SIDE and to this end they make the ship too
hot to hold them. Good saiors, who ship for the
| round voyage, and mean " do their duty well and
thoroughly are driven ashore penniless to shift for
themselves as a, the ship is made fast to tho
| wharf. This is done in variety Of ways, but most
frequently by the savage treatment of the while
at ses. And why is it the interest of masters, mates
and owners 10 make their crews desert the other
idel Because they would have to pay and feed their
crew while in port, the e at sea, and further,
because plenty Of sailors always be procured in
| Liverpool at f2 10 a month. Thus il will be
that the owners save about 20 per cent every voyage
on the wages Of their crew. and the captsn being HIM
.ef an owner is of course interested in the saving 10
the extent of his ownership The mate interested IN
T. because by cousion with the American Shipping
Agents. he receives Eve to ten shilings sterling for
every man that he succeed in driving out OF the
ship on condition that he will employ the btiber to
chip the new when they are required. The men
shipped in Liverpool by the mate receive ther advance
| lone months psy) in the shape OF uebll on the
chip which the shipping agent literally cashes, de-
Quoting five shillipgs sterling for his sccommod'ton
In addition to this the ship pays him tea shlhngs
man for shipping the new crew. Nor are these tho
only parties Interested in nctiDg desertion Our Cor
.uls receive q fee Of one dollar for every nov man
shipped en- an American vessel at their port snd
it is not improbable that these fees may onetine'
have caused Consus to lend deaf to the tales e
outrage and oppression Of the humble sailor against
HE oficers 1t would appear thstthe GOvernmenthss
taken similar view Of this subject, for we are in
formed that recent edct from the State Department
foibids Consuls from taking fee VI more than five
pounds for registering the of any one chip form
erly their ees amounted nearly four times that sum-
Not only in the way We have mentioned, bat also by