The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-02-16
ON THE HIGH SEAS
Letter Written BY a Sailor to his
Captain.

OAptdil
\ communication from a sailor
on the schooner Robert Searles,
named kwaAenburg, was published
several days ago, ia which he spoke
OF letter written by him Co Capt
futz while az sea-, We reproduce
this letter in full below.
kwakenbuTg, who appears To lao
an Intelligent man, claims 20 DO in
fear of his life while at SEA with
the captain. IL 10 thought that he
viii DO able TO secure berth ia
another ship from this port,
SCHOONER RoBERr SEARLEs,
HoNoLuLU, heb. q, 1891 j
earn, fILrz Dear Sir: IA the
lowest OF oriminals has the privilege
OF stating his grievances, 1, here at
sea, a. a willing aud obedtent aem-
Der OF Your crew, avail unyself of the
same TO state mine 20 YOU, while you
are ia u quiet aud steady state OF
mind. | have shipped in your Vessel
as a seaman at your suggestion.
Come home with me before the
mast, " YOU said. Don't stay ia this
hole" the words of a gentleman Co
fellow Californian, who, through his
own fooIishness, is left in foreign
country. stated % you nay deficiency
ia certain sailor work aud did not
think that | would answer, but YOU
said that spoke like man, aud that
should come along anyhow, You
said even 20 the boatuau in my pres
ence, "Here Is u mau OF principle; he
don't want TO ship for anything he
don't understand" From what hap
pened on the day of our departure
from Newcastle, L saw that had
made one of the greatest mistakes OF
my life, ana though willing and ser
vile as slave, | have been, by your
words and actions, treated far worse
than any man, however low and hum
bic, ought under any circumstances
willingly submit to, even on the high
seas. You have previous to this day,
while | WAS at your wheel, heaped |
abuse, not on me alone, but on the
name OF my father and the mother |
who bore me, and have pushed your |
brutal fist in my features; you have |
called me all which is vile and low in q |
man, and l have submitted, not be- |
cause L am a sucker with q double |
face and low, dirty whelp, as YOU |
say, but as a man who has pitied you |
in your crazy anger. You have this |
abused me like q dog, spoke /
and acted TO me like raviug maniac |
while at the wheel, because the peak
halyards of the Spanker gave way |
during a heavy squall, Il rope in which |
you had caused co be put q strand four
feet below a splice about twelve feet /
above the deck. The time this rope /
carried away you were below, about
i:45 A. NJ, your first officer Starding
beside the pinnacle watching the
squalI coming up. The night had
been squally, and when he saw it was
coming heavy he had the maintopsail
settled down and gave me orders TO |
.ook out, which I did with all my
strength by putting the wheel hard up
L. the vessel was coming 10 like
shot, running from y up TO NE by
y, the wind striking the vessel from
Ibeam- You said that L ought TO let |
The vessel come up TO the wind The
wheel had been hard up nearly all
night, your only topsail, the jigger,
lending 20 that, as no other jib was
let. L state To you that my actions
we're in accordance with my ideas of
what was just TO you as my employer.
FOR reward I get violently thrown
rom the wheel TO the starboard taft
all and back against the kicking
Wheel I am compelled to ask of you,
through your officer of the deck, not
o be moIested by you while in the
of my duty, and that the
words you have used must be stopped,
r / shall be compelled to refuse that !
uty and give you the opportunity of
ealing with me az you, as master Of
be ship, may see fit. / ask every
nan in the vessel to see that + am not
Irther abused, and of you I ask no
avOr. T. r. Kwake nburg.