The morning call., 1891-10-08
SAMPLE SAILORS.
The Average Crew of an Ameri-
can Sailing Ship.

When the ship Francis, that arrived In
port Tuesday. sailed from Baltimore she
carried a very fair sample of the kind OF
crews shipped on American vessels at the
present day, showing also 10 what extremes
the sharks that fatten off the merchant
service will 90 in order to gain few dol
lars Captain Doane shipped crew OF sew
enteen for the voyage to this port and
when the men went on board all we're so
drunk they could hardly stand. while some
of them had 10 be hoisted up the ships side
with q rope.
The crew was not placed on board until
the ship was about to leave, and long be-
fore the men were sober enough to 60 to
work the vessel Of course was long way
from Baltimore in tow OF tug, and 1t was
not until next morning that the officers as
CeTained what kind of a crew they had to
work the ship around Cape Horn to San
Francisco. Out of a crew of seventeen
eight speak the English language and the
other nine are unable to understand word
spoken to them. Seven OF the nine were
Germans, who had caOssed the ATLANTIC to
Baltimore as cOal-passerS on board oil ter
man steamer, and the other two were Dan
ish emigTants, who shipped under the
impression that they were going to Chicago
as passengers. Only two of those who
spoke English had ever been to sea, and the
REMAINING Ddll-uULcu luCluutu Il OdhCls q
shoemaker, a tailor, an uphOlsteTer,
painter and a soldier.
The officers had to do most Of the work
alolt, as for long time none of the green
horns dared 20 above the sheer pole. When
the weather looked at all threatening sail
had to be taken off the ship long before it
was necessary, and the ropes had to be
placed in the mems hands for fear they
would take hold OF the wrong one. Some
Of the brightest of the crowd were taught
to steer and this in some measure relieved
the officers, who had been forced IT, relieve
the only two men that could steer. In tack
ing or wearing ship it took twice as long to
do the work as 1t would had the crew
understood its work. When the ship was
OFF Cape Horn and the weather was bad the
men were constantly skulking to escape
working the ship and often valuable time
was spent in hunting them up.
On July 9Th the weather was moderatng
after stiff gale and while there was very
little wind there was hasty sea running.
Shortly before daybTeak, Henry Schubert,
a native Of Cleveland, Ohio, was sent with
another man to loose the fortopgallant sail
They went aloft and after the sail
was ready to set Schubert remained
alUft to overhaul the gear, and that
was the last seen OF him. He was
not missed for nearly an hour and then,
thinking he had slowed away to escape
work, search was made, but he could not
be found. The man on the lookout said he
thought he saw Schubert descend to the
derk, but the probabilities are he was
thrown from the yard by the rolling Of the
ship and stunned when be struck tie water.
The disappearance Of Schubert made the
rest Of tile men very chary Of going aloft,
and the officers had to do nearly all the
Work Baltimore is not the only place
greenhorns are shipped from, as when sail
ors are scarce in San Francisco the sharks
think nothing Of shipping anything they can
lay hold Of IN the shape of man, in order
to collect blood money