The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-28
OUR BOYS ON THE SEAS
Better Chances i'm the Merchant
Service than in the Navy.
Learn Navigation on School Ships or
Elsewhere-Much Hard Work.
Margaret Compton, in San Francisco Chron-

from the navy, and boy who wishes to
follow the sea must make up his mind in
the beginning which he will enter.
There is more money and better chance
of promotion. albeit harder work, in the
| merchant service, while the other hand
| there is a certain distinction attaching to
| the navy which has always been source
of envy to those outside, though they pro-
| fess to despise the "kid-glove sailors"
| The impetus given TO our shipping by
recent legislation has created demand for
| American sailors, and the question is often
asked. SIS there any school in this country
such as those on board the celebrated En-
glish ships, the WORCESTER at Greenwich
and the Conway, anchored in the Mersey,
where boys may be trained so to enter the
| service as officers and not be obliged to go
| before the mast and endure all the hard
ships of ordinary seamenT
"No. we have no such school," says Capt.
| MCGOWAN. of the schooship st. Mary's,
| but we have a better system"
| Then, seeing my look Of incredulity. for
| have had an extensive personal acquaint-
ance with the graduates of the famous En-
| glish training ships and know the estimate
! In which they were held, he took from his
| desk a copy of an address recently de-
| livered before the Shipmasters Society Of
| London. in which it was urged that our
plan of sea-going training ships be intro
duced into England, as they offered adj
vantages finer than anything of the kind
in any other country.
"Our people," continued Captain Nc
Gowan. "have somehow got the idea that
our training ships, the St Mary's of New
| York. the Saratoga of Philadelphia and the
| Enterprise Of Boston, are reform schools.
| / have point openly
| with me here on the St Marys, lady tell
ing me only a few days since that there
BOYS Who had been s sent to us because their
parents could do nothing with them.
Now, when l was a boy my father used
often to threaten me with, If you don't be-
! have better I'll send you 10 boarding school,
| and we all know that bad boys sent to
| boarding schools, yet no one would think
| of calling such schools refornatories.
| THE fact is, our discipline is Of value to
| any boy, and particularly to those who are
| inclined to rebel against authority; but we
| never admit any lad who cannot produce
| certificate of good character signed by at
| least two responsible citizens, and If a bad
| boy should succeed in gaining admission
| he would have to reform 50 Immediately
| that we should never find him out, or he
| would be expelled"
| Recognizing the Injurious effect of this
| mistaken estimate of the school ships, Capt.
| MCGOWAN is now seeking 10 have the YES
| sells placed on the same footing as the mil
itary and naval academies, boys TO be ad-
| mitted only by appointment and after
| competitive eXamina ton, and a small yearly
| payment made to them the same as 10 the
| cadets.
who are the boys that now come to
| you?'' / asked.
''Those who fill their heads with nonsense
| about the sea and who don't want to go
| to school But" he added with a merry
| twinkle in his eye they soon find out that
| there is chance for them here unless
| they not only work but study, and the ma
| Jority have common sense enough to do it,
| L proud of my graduates Thirty a
| them
| could command a ship"
do you mean to say that. barring the
| disqualification of age-the average is be-
| tween nineteen and twenty-one of your
graduates could hold a captains certif-
| cate?'
Yes" said the Captain but he added
| slyly, Il shouldn't want TO sail with them
| No." he answered seriously. they would
| know all about il theoretically, but cap
tain must have experience. There isn't one
| of my boys who does not thoroughly I'M
| derstand the principles OF navigation, but
| he must have seen those principles put in
| practice in a gale fog before he could
| safely be trusted with a Ship
LIFE ON A SCHOOL SHIP.
A boy must be at least sixteen years of
age-the Saratoga requires him to be sew
| enteen-must be physically strong and of
good moral character. He must know how
to read ard write, to spell with toIerable
accuracy and to perform simple examples
IN arithmetic. The more he knows the bet
ter. The course on the ships extends over
two years. six months in each year being
spent I'm IN cruising Everything is free ex-
| cept the outnt, which costs about $50
me deposit required provides for all nee
SG1S saI including the mattress and
| plahKetS needed tor the hammocl<s The
boys sleep on the gun deck and no lad need
| Wlsh Tor more comfortable quarters
,, ne DlilS OF fare handed me by Captain
| McGoWan, and which were those used on
| the last voyage OF the St NIary's show %
| soou variety OF food both at sea and I'm
port Cat meal, hominy and mush are
| served four times week. mostly at break k
| Iast' with milk when in port and with mo
lasses al sea, but they are never the only
aGpd provided at any meal The boys are
| alioWed tea or coffee. butter, pickles steUed
! IIult, potatoes, turnips, cabbage and onions
! these vegetables being the only ones which
VIII Keep Wen. The bread is pilot biscuit
| or hard tack while on cruise but fresh
bread and fresh milk are served Whenever
II Is possible TO procure them The diet of
SAT- meat is varied by canned beef of the
best quality Plum duff" and rice puddinp
| are also on the weekly list.
After gradatinE a boy may join a vessel
| as petty officer or may become a cadet
| on some United States mail steamer which
| vessels are required by law to carry a Ger
tam number of apprenticeship is. bows
VINO are TO be instructed by the officers and
| Htted TO become officers of the highest ranL
The Pacific Mail Steamship Company. the
| American line and the United States and
! Brazil line offer positions of this kind anu
In the Pacific Mail the salaries are $40 the
| flrSt year, $500 the second and $3.50 the third
| eLAiU tile NoNSlS are III the regular line Of
| promotion. -
The duties Of the boys who take sucb no
| sitions are various. There is no eight-b6u,.
law possible on board ship. A foreca stIa
hand has summarized the work of ali So
men, officers or men, follows: "You don't
do anything till you're told to, and then
you do it-Quck."
once heard a captain tell OF an annran
ice IN whom, for the sake Of his family.
he took an especial interest So on the frs,
day out, instead of setting him to WORK
usually allotted to the boys, he taught him
now 10 prepare rope for calking PASSING
by unobserved, a few minutes later he
heard him grUmbling about having 70 10
"cOnvicts work" The boy lost sigbf OF IT,
necessity for one who would be come an
officer TO understand every detail of The
work which he must some day superintend
1t might be supposed that those who
know as much as the captain" would CON.
slider II beneath them TO assist the qua rter-
thelr presence on board mail steamships
Is for the purpose of famiIia rizine tbayo
with actual service in the merchant ma
Tlne. They are treated as gentlemen and
mess with the junior officers In H. aIeo
stipulated that they are 10 be ree1lla rIv in
structed in practical seamanshiD "
Having learned all these things tn what
is IL possible for a boy 10 rise? '''''
IL has not been easy to obtain details C
| To the incomes of Seafaring men AZ in
the trades and profess ons on shore for
| 10 -