The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-15

clears his pipes, and starts song in honor of
some sea experience, or more usually of an
obscene and immoral character.
The Interior.
The chambers are rudely furnished. In the
best houses, they are moderately clean and we'll
kept; in the lower class, they are filthy and
wretched There are some that we have seen
that would shock the sensibilties of any hu-
manitarian, and which were strongly suggestive
of pestience and disease of all kinds. With
scarcely sufficient covering TO protect them.from
the cold of winter they suffer every discomfort
rather than break through the rules of the ring,
and find themselves a private boarding house.
From the moment Jack enters, the grasp Of the
keeper of the house is never taken from him,
until be leaves il to go on a ship for another
voyage. The nominal price of board at these
places is from seven to nine dollars per
week; but If the sailor has two hundred dollars,
and only stays week, he stays long enough to
board IT all out and leave himself in debt. The
shippngmsster has him down, and he is shipped
off OH another voyage, only 10 end in renewal
of his hard shore experience. Is it any wonder
that he looks on the shore and all its belongings
with dread and distrust? .... .... Xxx.
How can we expect that he will be otherwise
than he is, when so little is cared for his COM
fort when so little is done to carry the bless
ings of religion and instruction into his home
From his hard.working voyage he steps on
shore only to find the grasp,ng hand of mer-
cenary wretches ready to seize on his hard
earned money, and never ready to let go until 1t
is exhausted
Even where the sailors outward comfort
is better cared for, there is the same deliberate
schemes for swindling and cheating him carried
Toolx ,r,sl1 Sc IL
BY series OF debaucheries on his part, and ex.
tortions on the part of those who should look
after his interests, his "pile" disappears. He is
then run in debt and has to find ship to sail
on another voyage. He searches around, and
finds vessel going to some port that he wishes
to 90 to. He engages with the ship-owners to
take him. The bargain is struck, not with Jack,
but with the shipping master, who receives the
regular fee OF two dollars, and with the land
lord, who receives the two months advance pay.
For two hard-working months Jack has to toll
away at his hard and ofttimes dangerous post,
before he is clear from his shore-contracted
debts; and his memories of his stay on shore
cannot be of the most pleasant character.
1t is but another illustration of "man's inhu-
manity to man." the way in which he ls treated
whilst in our midst. We went to see one of
After looking at his accommodations, which,
though scanty, had at least the merit of clean
illness. he gave us frank statement of one of
the ways in which extortion is practised upon
the sailor. 1t was somewhat in this wise:-A
ship-owner sends to a house for crew for one
of his ships. crew is soon made up. Per
haps one or several of those whose names are
already down will make known their inten-
ton of going to sea. The shipping master
asks him where he wants to go. Jack
scratches his head for a moment, and then
says, perhaps, to the Mediterranean. Now
that is where the ship is going that the list is
already made out for, and the man is already
down upon that list But the master does not
tell him of that. He asks him what 1t would
be worth to him to go there. The sailor does
not know. He is then told that if he will pay
five, ten, or even fifteen dollars, he can get
berth. OF course, he demurs. But what can
he do? His board and other expenses are eat
ing up his scant pile, and he has to submit to
the payment of the bonus. He assents, and is
told to call again in an hour or two.
There are some places, though they are very
few in number, where even worse practices are
carried on; where the mariner is drugged with
poisonous liquor, and in that state is carried
aboard ship, insensible to everything, until he
wakes up far out at sea, and his first waking
impressions are the forclble contact of the
mates boot with his ribs and his hard hand on
his ears. There are dens OF inGamy which, hold
ing out their allurements to his senses, draw
him within their walls, only to send him out
again blind with fiery poison, and minus every
thing except the clothes on his back, and some
| times not even all of them.
But, as we have said, the worst phases of Jacks
! life ashore are not to be seen in our city such
as they can be met with in New York or Bos-
I ton. Ours Is not so much of seaport, and the
| number of sailors, in comparison to the great
| mass, are but few. There, abuses are more open
| and glaIing to the sight, and there, ALSO the
systems of ch irty are more wide extended
| and ramifed throughout the different com mu-
| mites. ..-.r ....H
| AS a general thing, the men whe folio "
| the sea for a living are separated, in measure,
| from all the rest of mankind. Strong
| in their natures and their impulses
| and passions, and hard-handed in their dealings
| they keep aoof from their fello w-men on shore.
| They will suffer injustice, and allow the land
sharks to bleed them remorselessly, without
| complaint to the law, until their grievances are
entirely uncomfortable. lawyer they regard as
| disciple of the Devil, and shun him. Hence,
there are very seldom instances Of extortion and
swindling brought before the notice of the
! Courts or the magistrates Jack prefers to grin
and bear his suferings.
| Measures of Reform
1t is time that Congress should enact law,
making it imperative that our merchants should
| have annrentIcaa for their shins-saV one an