The morning call., 1892-02-06
POOR JACK.
The Hardships of a Life on the
Ocean Wave.
Food Unfit For Human Beings-0ld Tubs Sent
to Sea to sink-Life of No Value
in the Race for Gold.

| =,
is owned by some one, gets couple of
meals day and has a warm corner to lay
down in at night, and is far better off than
the average sailor. The dog may sleep all
night il ha wants to, but the sailor never
Jack is always sure of his four hours on
deck. but is often deprived of his watch
| below.
AS for food the dog again has the adyan-
tage. and only starvation would induce him
to eat what is every day served out to poor
Jack.
BETTER OFF ON STEAMERS.
Of course this does not apply to the men
on ocean steamers and in the coast trade,
who are toleraby we'll fed. The shortneSs
of the voyage enables enough fresh pro-
visions 10 be carried to last from port to
| port, so that these men are not compelled to
live on salt horse and bareback that must
he broken with a hammer and we'll soaked
before it can be eaten, as is the case in
| deep-water ships.
Coasting vessels that serve out poor food
to the crews often find it a hard matter to
engage men, and thus the vessel would be
| delayed a serious matter to the owners on
the ground Of expense. With deep-water
| ships it is different, as the men never think
of asking what kind of food they are to re-
ceiye during a voyage that may last from
! four TO seven months.
| AS BAD AS THF ENGLISH.
There was a time when American ships
| fed their sailors far better than did the ships
| Of any other nation, but that time is past,
! and the food on board ships that fly the
star-spanged banner is very little. if any,
better than that issued TO the men on En-
| glish ships, which are noted the world over
| as being the worst af1Oat.
This state of things is not always the
| fault OF the owner, who would be highly
| insuited II he were asked to dine of the
| filthy salt horse and worm eaten biscuit
served out to the sailors on his ships. Many
| owners nowadays allow the captains so
| much per month to feed the entire crew. OF
| course the cheaper he can 10 it the more he
| makes for himself, and then the sailor has
| to suffer.
NO USE KICKING.
The men may kick, but that is all the good
| 1t does them, as the captain Is sure to say
he can see nothing wrong with the food, and
| poor Jack has TO eat it or starVe.
The generous captain and his mates have
| far different food dished up for themselves;
| but OfteBZimeS the mates do not get too
| much OF what is placed on the cabin table,
| as the captain gauges every mans stomach
| by his own, and the officers have to leave
| the table when the captain does, no matter
| whether they have finished or not
SUCH captains always, claim the sailors,
| are the worst hickerS on earth. But Jack
| has good reasons to kick in 80 cases out of
| 100, as the food served out is frequently
| little better than carrion. Indeed, it would
| be seized by the first food inspector that
| came along should it be offered for sale in
| any market in the civilized world.
PERPFTUATING THE WRONG.
| Who ever heard IF the beef. pork. biscuit
| or -four that is placed on board a deep-water
| ship being inspected? When a ship comes
| into port, If the crew has doue much kick
| ing about the fool, the captain may sell
| what he has left and then buy fresh sup
| ply. OF course, he buys where he can get it
! the cheapest, but as il is only for the sailors,
aud the dealer Is pretty good kind Of a
| fellow and sends off a nice barrel Of COTned
| beef for use in the cabin, the captain IS not
| likely to put the dealer to the trouble of
| opening the barrels, but simply takes his
word for 1t That nothing but the very best of
! everything is sent 10 the ship. The chances
| are that it is no better than what was sent
| ashore, if indeed it is not the very same
stuff PAT up in different barrels and with
| fresh brine poured over it.
SHORT RATION TOO.
In addition to the poor quality Of the food
| it is seldom that Jack gets enough even of
this, AMI he is also limited to very scant
| supply Of fresh water for drinking pur-
| poses 1t is only on rare occasions that he
| can indulge In the luxury OF washing bis
| face in fresh water, and in bad weather he
| is compelled to endure the fortunes of thirst.
| Fresh water is often used at sea to wash
| paint with, but this is only done under the
watchful eye Of an officer who is compelled
| to see that Jack does not drink it instead.
FLOATING CoFFINs.
| But this and the knocking about he gets
| on the average deep-water ship is not the
only hardships he has to put up with at sea.
| Old and unseawOrthy crafts that can be
| bought in any port for mere song are often
! purchased by unsoruDGlouS men who patch
| them up, give them new coat Of paint and,
| after inSuriIg them for two or three times
! their value, send them to sea on long voy-
| ages and then care little or nothing whether
| they reach their destination or not. Hun
| dreds of just such craft are aflOat and they
| fy the flags Of all nations.
| 1t is a well-knQwn fact that in seasons OF
commercial depression when freights are
| low the loss OF vessels increases enormously.
| The loss OF a score or more of human lives
| does not enter into the owners calculation,
| as sailors ale plentiful, and so long as he
| gets the insurance money MS old tub pays
| him better by going to the bottom than by
! remaining af0at.
INHUMAN OWNERS.
| There are dozens of of men both in the
| United States and England that make a
| practice of buying up old and condemned
vessels and. after making a few repairs,
| ship an entireicrew, captain and all, and
then send her to some distant part of the
world to seek charter. Should the old
| coffin make the voyage she is sure to pay a
| fair interest on the money she cost, but
! should she founder in the first gale she gets
! into lie IS paid the Insurance which is sure
| to be several times her value.
| Another frequent source of danger to the
| sailor is the big deckloads so often carried
on vessels going on voyages Of several thou
sand miles. the owners taking the risk Of
/ getting through all right, and thus earning
a few hundred dollars more.
MUBDEROUs DECKLoADs.
| If the deckload is lost with perhaps a
| sailor or two the insurance companies pay
! for the deeklOad and the death of poor Jack
| is entered on the ships log, and that ends
| it. The wages due him at the time of his
| death, or, as 1t should be properly called,
| murder, are paid in to the shipping COM
| missioner when the vessel arrives in port,
| and there is no one to ask any questions.
| The annual loss of life at sea through the
avarice of unprincipied men is enormous,
| and will continue as long as the insurance
/ companies will insure rotten, unseawOrthy
craft for more than their actual value.
| Another source of danger, especially dur
| ing the winter months, is the overlooking of
vessels, and this applies as we'll to the
| coasters as to the deep-water craft. No
/ vessel should be loaded down until her
decks are level with the water, no matter
| what her cargo may be, as she has then
very little chance of weathering heavy
! gale.
| THE PLIMSOLL LINE.
| In England the sailors found a champion
| in Mr.. Plimsoll. who has accomplished
more for poor Jack than all the rest of the
| lawmakers that ever lived. He was the au-
thor Of the law establishing the load mark"
on British vessels, by which every loaded
| ship must show a certain amount of free
board. But the American sailor has no
| Plimsoll, and a captain loads his craft to
suit himself, or, rather, his owner If he
will not carry big deckload the rapacious
owner will soon find captain who will,
| aud, of course, that means the loss OF his
| job. Human life counts for very little in