New Orleans Republican., 1873-07-20
school for Seamen.

Il is singular that with all our fine harbors
in the South we have very few navigators
native to the South. There is, we believe,
no school in which navigation is taught
south Of Annapolis. In New York there is
q school, taught by woman, at which 5000
seamen have been taught. Here is its his
tory:
In the year 1852 Captain William Thoms
| who has been a sailor for twenty-five years,
| and had commanded vessels iOr more than
| twenty years, opened in New York. at No.
| Is. Cherry street, a school Of navigation
for seamen. While engaged in giving in
struction 10 the young and old sailors who
leisure hours 10 the preparation OF work
on The Practice OF Navigation az Sea-"
which, unfortunately. he did not live 20 see
in print.
He died il 1855 and his widow. who had
sailed with her husband for nearly quar-
ter of a century, toOK up the work where
the captain had dropped it, continued the
school, and by patient effort sustained it's
reputation and assured its success. She
taught the classes in navigation herself, and
as new editions of her husbands book were
demanded she superintended its publica-
ton, and has seen the twelfth edition vesch-
ing a ready sale.
Mrs. Thoms is an enthusiastic sailor,
and everything connected with the life of
those who 20 down TO the sea in ships is Of
interest to her. She comes of a seafaring
race; her father was a sea captain and a
shipowner, her husband well known COM
mander and accomplished sailor. and her
youngest son. who died in 1870, and was
buried in India. was known by all the ship
owners and seamen in Europe as a thorough
sailor, and as honest and fearless as he was
skillful. 1t was he who, on New Years
Day. 1867, while commanding the steamer
Olga, saved the lives of 300 men, women
and children from the wrecked Colombo,
off the mouth Of the Hoogly; and three
years before that he distinguished himself
at the wreck OF the Burmah. Captain
James Faulds Thoms was only twenty five
years old at the time of his death.
This school has graduated more than 5000
navigators. 1000 Of whom occupied impor-
tan: positions in the navy in the late war.
| And most remarkable fact in connection
| with this subject is that the teacher was q
| woman.
| The school is still in successful operation,
but if aided and encouraged more iber-
| ally by the wealthy, who owe SO much to
| the courage. the skill and the scientific
knowledge of good navigators,. it could be
made far more useful. Every seaman,
young or old, who desires to avail him
| scll Ol lJS advantages IL ucdrLlly wei"
coined. It he is able to pay for instruc.
ton well and good; if not, he is
befriended by the society. Nor is iAstruc-
ton limited to lessons in navigation. Sea-
men are here taught reading, writing and
elementary arithmetic, and on the long list
are the names of hundreds who have at
tended no other school than this. The
pupils name and address are taken when
he enters the school, and he is furnished
with certificate which entities him to all
the benefits Of the institution without limit
as to time. Thus the plOdding sailor boy.
whose ship is in port one week out Of twen-
ty, may spend the days and nights Of that
week in the school, and at the end of the
next cruise may return, and go continue
until he has finished his course, no matter
how many delays he may lave met with.
no matter how long the intervals between
his turns ashore.
The graduates Of this school do not pat
ronize sailors boarding houses. and conse.
quently what they earn is their own, and
they are constantly improving themselves.
An excellent library is one of the many
pleasing features of the school. and It's
museum of curiosities, made up of contribu.
tions from pupils on their return from
cruising in distant waters, is unusually in.
| teresting.
A lecture is delivered every Monday
night to the students and the public by DR..
William F. Thoms. His subjecst are
always euch as interest seamen. and his
lectures are prepared with the view of
| making them valuable az illustrations Of
| what has been learned from the books.
Why cant New Orleans have such a
SCHOOL,