Los Angeles herald., 1891-03-15
SCARCITY OF SAILORS.
MEN NOT WILLING TO
MAN UNCLE SANS WAR SHIPS.

vruiting in the Prisons-An Old Tar
Who Says Sailors Are Not wanted. as
the System Has Entirely Changed.
"Uncle Sam wants 1000 men to man
ihis ships" said reporter to North
End sailors boarding house master few
days ago. "What are the prospects of
senlisting them?"
Very poor, should say, for sailors
iare not so plenty nowadays as most peo-
1ple imagine, and what few there are in
iport are needed to man the square rig
3gers' now loading for foreign voyages.
land the men who go coastwise will have
nothing to do with the navy"
"What seems to be the objection?"
"Oh, they have many. To begin with,
the long term of enlistment, three years,
the small wages, too much discipline,
liberty ashore cut off in home and for
,eign ports, and the best reason of all is
that in the case of foreigners, should
they wish to join navy they would
have done so in their own countries,
where the laws compel man to give
five or seven years service in the army
or navy or flee the country.
at must be remembered that Ameri-
can sailors are thing of the past, and
inward or outward bound ships are now
manned by Germans principally, with a
good sprinkling of Swedes among them.
They have pretty good times, and as
long as they can get berth, either fish
ing or on merchantmen, they say, The
navy be blowedv"
"In your opinion what would be
good method for Uncle Sam to adopt to
get young and active men for the serv-
'ice?"
"Why, that would be simple enough
Let the navy officers go among the
prisons of this and other states and re-
.cruit from those places such men as they
choose. They would find plenty of fell
lows who had three or more years to
serve glad to get chance to go to sea,
and should that be done what would be
the difference? Simply shifting them
from one prison to another. the latter a
floating one with not half so much
chance to escape"
'They would make pretty tough
crew, would they not?"
mo, not necessarily; they would be
under the eyes of the sentry with his
loaded gun, the officers would be armed,
and if they did their work willingly they
would not be punished.
Just to show you that I am speaking
correctly will say the most of the re-
cruits have shipped in the navy during
the past ten years were men that had
just finished serving time and wanted
to brace up and be men.
Here is another point that will bear
argument. Why don't the good Samar-
itans who give lectures to these men be-
fore or after leaving Jail urge them to
go to the navy instead of securing or
trying to secure for them some petty
position, which will barely give them
living, and allow them to drift back to
their old haunts and associates, to be
watched and bounded by the police?
"Let me tell you another thing. When
a man goes to the navy yard and asks to
be shipped they won't ask him whether
he was ever in jail or not"
A trip along the wharves was then
taken in hopes of meeting some old
man-o'-war's man, and among party
of sailors who were standing on Allan
tic avenue was man who looked de-
cidedly ''tarry" in his blue ''ganzy"
Jersey and black silk handkerchief tied
in true sailors knot.
Would any of you men here like to
ship in the navy?" was the first query.
"Why," spoke up one "does Uncle
Sam want a new crew for the White
Squadron? He'd better pay me what he
owes me before go again"
"Then you are an old timer"
"Yas, guess SO, back as far as '5S and
for seven years after"
"Well, don't you think this is good
opportunity for sailorsY'
''Sailors sailors! What do they want
of sailors? Why, young fellar, there
amt ropes enough aboard those iron
ships to practice splicing on. tell you
they don't want sailors. Anybody will
do, even the rough and scruff of this
city.
"Those ships steer by steam or hy-
.draulic power, they hoist by steam, they
can work gun in position like you
could a small wise. You'd want search
warrant to find reef tackle on board of
them.
"a true sailor wouldn't be no more
account than a landlubber, only when
at drill on the fore and mainyard, furling
q sail that had been loosed to dry; then
all he'd have to do would be to put
gasket into their hands and tell them to
wind it round the sail, for if you talked
nautical style they'd fall off the yardarm
with astonishment
"Sailorsl What do they want of sail
ors? They're all iron and steel, amt
they? Well, why don't they ship black
smiths, machinists, few thinkers and
couple of broken down riggers who can
splice wire? That's the kind of crew
they want, and as far as fighting is con-
cerned there amt none, and anybody
that knows how to hold on TO q plow
will do just as well aboard these cruisers
as an A. B. after they get over seasick
ness"
The old tar seemed to be disgusted at
the very idea, for he continued:
"When this country gets into bother
l. l.