The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-03-20
SCARCITY OF SAILORS.
EXPERIENCED MEN. NOT. WILLING TO
MAN UNCLE SANS WAR SHIPS.

cruiting In the Prisons-An Old Tar
the System Has Entirely Changed.
Uncle Sam wants 1,0O0 men to man
his ships" said reporter to North
End sailors boarding house master few
days ago. What are the prospects of
enlisting them?'
Very poor, / should say, for sailors
are not so plenty nowadays as most peo-
pie imagine. and what few there are in
port are needed to man the square rig
gers now loading for foreign voyages.
and the men who go coastwise will have
nothing to do with the navy
What seems to be the objection?
s. .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 a navy they would
have done so in their own countries.
where the laws compel a man to give
i've or seven years service in the army
or navy. or fieesthe country.
1T must be remembered that Ameri-
can sailors are a 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 ona merchantmen. they say. The
navy be blowedr"
In your opinion what would be n
good method for Uncle Sam to adopt to
get young and active men for the sery-
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 Il
floating one with not half SO much
chance to escape"
They would make pretty tough
crew, would they not?"
NO, 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 am speaking
correctly will say the most of the re-
cruits have shipped in the navy during
the past ten years we're 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 a
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
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 a party
of sailors who were standing on Allan
tic avenue was a man who looked de-
cidedly ':tarry'' in his blue ..ganzy"
Jersey and black silk handkerchief tied
in true sailors knot $50
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
4ie.Yas. guess so, back as far as SO and
for seven years after
rWell, don't you think this is q good
opportunity for sailors%
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-
drauhc power. they hoist by steam, they
can work gun in position like you
could a small wise. You'd want a search
warrant to find reef tackle on board of
them
A true sailor wouldn't be no more
account than 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 a
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
Sailors! What do they want Of sail
orss They're all iron and steel, amt
they? Well, why don't they ship black
smiths, machinists, a few tinkers and
couple of broken down riggers who can
splice wirea That's the kind of q crew
they want. and as far as fighting rs con-
cerned there amt none, and anybody
that knows how to hold ON to- q paow
viii 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 YerYaidea for he continued: -