The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1890-03-28
CHILDREN AT SEA.
HOW THE LITTLE PEOPLE FARE
ABOARD SHIP.
One Captain Who Thinks THEY'RE
Safer There Than on Shore
~ Sailors Like to See
Them About.

Where are some shore folks who don,
eem to think I'm doing the right thin,
Nm taking ny Samily to sea y ssid 81
captain who y beves in carrying his HON
with hiIle16Tever he goes. SThev 81,
that I'm wei enough off to have bom
for my wife and children on shore Per
haps that's true. But when thew saw tina
my children would be a great deal bette
on on shore than they arc at sea. I ius
take the liberty Of differing with them
My wife had just as leave live at Sc,
ms on shore. She gets tired of the So.
sometimes, but when we're in mort
always take her for run on shore. ant
before we're through with it she get
tired OF that, too. The children like 90.
ing ashore when we get into port, but
then they're always glad of it when W,
come to go back to sea. The two youngest
ones never seem to care when it storms
True, my girl that's twelve years old gets
a little bit frightened when 1t first begins
to blow hard, but, then, she soon gets
over that.
''But as to my boy Joe, that's ten years
bld-he's never satisfied when it's good
weather. What pleases him most is a
gale; and what makes him most cheer
full is hurricane. I believe that boy
would ike to see Us wrecked-that's
nbout the only thing that could make
him happy. And he always climbing up
aloft. His mother used to worry little
about that; but she don't do it now.
The only thing that worries me about his
climbing is that he won't come down
when call him. Why, on the last
voyage from New York to San Francisco
we went around Cape Horn in January,
and 1t being summer there it would be
light till ten o'clock at night, and later.
And every night when it came Joe's bed
time he'd be found up aloft enjoying
himself, and 1t would be hard work
getting him down. It got SO that every
night at nine O'Clock I'd send a man to
haul my Joe down from aloft.
ssWe've got a nice large cabin-plenty
of room for the children to play in-and
we keep a nurse, Of course. And the
nurse, she has to behave herself. She
can't get angry and run of without CIV
ing US any notice while we are at sea.
And she can't 90 out Of an evening and
keep US sitting up to let her in; nor is
there any fuss about her having her Sun
days out.
MY wife had good education, and
she teaches the children. They couldn't
be taught better if they were ashore. My
vile don't play on the piano, and the
gIrl don't take to music. If there was
music in the family I would have piano
put in the cabin. Every Sunday after
noon my wife has a Sunday-school for
any of the sailors that want to learn.
Most all Of the men that are not on duty
then come to the Sunday-school. They
seem to enjoy It, and It passes of we'll
that IS when Joe behaves himself, which
don't always happens
sand then its alfS5nsense to say my
children amt safe ct sea. Why, there's
big high balwarks around the main
deck, and high railing around the poop
deck, and they are in no danger Of fall
ing overheard. II they were living
ashore Joe would have drowned himself
in some brook long ago. It sounds
strange, but great many more children
are drowned on shore than are drowned
at sea. When my children are on board
my ship they are not going to get run
over by any reckless drivers, and they arc
not going 10 be caught by any electric
wires We keep d medicine chest, but
the children have no use FOR It. When
they grow up and are ready TO start in
life for themselves, they viii be healthier
men and women for having passed their
childhood on the sea- The danger Of
their being lost at sea IS very small.
Take it al and all, they are, If anything,
safer than they would be on shore.
'.The sight Of the children somehow
seems to have q good effect upon the sail
ors. Some Of the. rough old chaps that
have been with ne thought the world of
my children. Once, when we were lying
IN dock in London, an old sailor we
called Belfast Tom stopped on board the
ship. He never had seemed to notice the
children, and I didn't suppose that he
cared for little ones. But one day he
asked me fo- some money to 20 ashore.
Late IN the afternoon he came back quite
drunk, with picture book for Joe and
big doll for the girl. A few days after
ward he asked for some more money and
went ashore. He came back late drunken
than he was the time before, and with
larger picture book for the boy and
bigger doll for the girl I had TO give
Belfast Tom a talking to, and to tell him
that wouldn't have him spending his
money that way or my children"
About one quarter Of the Captains of
sailing vessels have their families with
theta. The proportion Is much greater
among coastwise vessels than among those
who trade to foreign ports. It frequently
happens that during the voyage of a
transatlantic steamer there are two or
three births in the Storage. In many Of
such instances a purse Is raised By the
cabin passengers for the mothers.
There Is a great contrast between the
treatment which children receive IN the
cabin Of steamship, and that which is
accorded TO those in the Storage. The
former fare sumptuously. and are petted
by officers, stewards and passengers. They
are allowed to play about the decks, and
are shown everything that is worth seeing
On board. The Storage child languishes |
In its close quarters and receives no pet
ting either from It's fellow passengers or |
from the busy stewards. Here one has,
as 1t were, the mansion and the tenement |
house beneath the same roof.
'sMost sailors ike to see child on the
ship they're on, said the chief officer of /
a sailing vessel. 81 always prefer TO
ship on board Of a vessel where the Can
tain carries his family. remember one
little incident that shows how much the
sailor thinks Of child: 1 was on a shin
that had taken on cargo Of guano at
Lobos Island, of the coast Of Peru. We
were already nearly a year away from
any civilized port, and as there was no
woman On board, it seemed to strike all
OF US that a woman would be a glorious
sight We were hauling through feet
OF ships that had just arrived at the isl
ana 10 load, when we saw aboard one Of
them a very handsome woman. She was
standing with her husband the Captain,
ana the stewardess, and was watching
u.s. Every man on our ship stood and
stared at that handsome woman as long