The sun., 1895-02-17
LIFE On AN OCEAN TRAMP.
TuE PLEASURES or rRATEL IN AN
ENGLISH CARGo STEAMER.

from Argentina The Frank Discourtes
ofthe British 5aipper-wby He Doesn'
Care 20 Carry Pnassngers-.An E.tertain
Tag Deiusion IN Regard 20 Engiish Hard
tsek-A study or the Engiish Tnrt-Coa
Dust when q Passenger IL m As.
This Is the story of what one may sec nnt
learn when travelling to and from Brazil anc
the Argentine in an English tramp steamer
limo was when the voyage could be made a,
far as ho Janelro under the American flag, IN
ships built to carry passengers as we'll as freight
but II one can believe half the stories the coffee
merchants OF Rio tell. that limo was robbed by
It's Rio employees until II was cut all to pieces
When, In the month OF November, 1903, THE
SUN decided to send reporter TO Rio, where the
Brazilian navy was striving 10 overthrow
the lawful Government, | found that there
were no passenger steamers running from
the States TO any Brazilian port. Trnmps
that is. cargo ships-ran with consider
able regularity, however, for Brazil was a good
importer OF Uncle Sans food products. while
Uncle Sam bought more Brazilian coffee than
all the rest OF the world put together. 1t was
necessary that should take the first steamer,
and finding one advertised | went to her agents.
Their reply when l asked the price OF passage
was very much like the reply Spanish-Amcri-
can makes when an Englishman wants to buy
something. They said:
"The price is SlG0, but we do not carry pas
scngers."
Excuse me- but | do not quite follow YOU You
have q price, but do not take II when offered
you 2" said |.
mot exactly that. Our ships are not fitted
for passenger traffic, and we do not want pas
sengers. There arc several spare statcrooms on
the ship bound out Thursday, however. and we
could carry few; but II you go you must put
up with ships grub and ships accommodations.
You will live Just the officers do. and will not
have either the table or the attentions you
would expect on passenger ship. Moreover.
you will have to sign one of the crew. We
can carry q purser, for instance. but the law
governing passenger traffic prevents carrying
you as q passenger. In fact, we don't want any
passeng'r 'rs at any price, but to accommodate
you we will take you as purscr for $780,"
That was not a pleasing condition OF affairs, but
there was no other way of getting to Rio, SO
paid the gold. and on cold, windy morning
made my way to pier at Martins Stores over
in Brooklyn. The route to the pier lay through
. tunnel that picrces the stores and with L
westerly wind blowing thnt tunnel is the coolest
spot In the metropolis | got on board ship with
my teeth chatte-ing, and there met the stew
ard. He was moro cordial than the agent of
the line had been, but he was very sorry to say
there was no way Of warming either the state
rooms or the saloon. Tho ship was built for
trade In the tropics, and special attention had
been paid to ventilation. In fact, she was al
most as well ventilated as the tunnel that had
chilled me so. and l was glad to escape ashore
again to hotel to await the hour Of sailing.
Now, because shs was q cargo ship and be-
cause fcw barrels Of -four had failed to arrive
the sailing hour was postponed twice. and it was
mot until the morning Of the second dny after
the advertised time that we finally backed out
from the pier and headed away south. She was
. typical tramp of the old style Tho cabin was
built on deck aft, the forecastle on deck in the
bow. and little rooms for engineers, mates and
petty officers were anidships opposite the engine
room. There werc high bulwarks-she had what
Is called wclldeck, SO called because the space
between the bulwar!is was like we'll and In q
gale OF wind would hold something like 500 or
300 tons Of water. She was built on the model
Of canal boat. and by burning about twenty
four tons Of coal per day could travel eight and
\ half knots an hour in a smooth sea. The mod
ern tramp. 1t may be said by way of comparison.
Will carry three times as much cargo as she |
could, and travel ten knots an hour with 1t on |
thirteen or fourteen tons of coal day.
On an examination of her cabin 1t appeared |
that 1t had originally been designed for q small
passenger traffic She had u saloon with two !
.ables. each Of which would accommodat twelve |
peopo comfortably, while tho staterooms had |
hunks for twenty-four people. There were |
benches at the tables instead Of chairs, how
over, fact which the Captain explained by |
aging that tho chairs originally thero had been
washed out by wave that boarded her from
,stcrn. and as she was then old fashioned 1t was
thought proper to save expense in repairing the
lamage. But tho most remarkable feature Of
she ship was tho finish on the saloon walls
rhcsc walls had been venccred with marble
labs an inch thick, and the slabs in turn edged
Up with gilt lines and scroll work. There is no
lispute about, nor Is thcre any accounting for
he taste Of tho builders of tramp steamers, butI
oubt II there was ever any other builder whose
asto led him 20 make n stone quarry ont OF
trncture where buoyancy and tensile strength
we're matters OF prime necessity.
So far found that the agents when saying
hat the ship was not adapted to passenger
ratio were strictly truthful, but when got ac-
uainted with the officers and crew and with
he bill Of faro they were all found to be much
aore agreeable and pleasing than had been
ID TO expect Ships grub, as had found It in
ther voyages made rs member of the crew,
Tas substantial but plain. and without variety.
iere there was variety. AS for my associates Il
'as tho only passenger). l knew that sailors
Tcrc about rs companionable fellows as ono
ould wish for. and in this respect was by no
aeans disappointed. But there were certain
hings about the bill OF fire that were interest
NJ. even though had no reason whatever for
riticism. For instance. the first thing In the
'orning-say at $3.50 o'clock-the steward
rought TO my stateroom cup OF coffee and
late Of what no called biscuit. the American
anne being crackers, or hard tack. These bis
nit were, he said, OF the best English
lake. and do not doubt 1t. We also
ad tho same kind OF biscuit served
tth tea At O'Clock in the afternoon. Now,
here was distinct flavor OF stale lard about
10 biscuit due, no doubt to the length of time
ley had been In store. 1t was not offensive
lough TO be worth mentioning but for what
appsned when week out. The last OF the Eng
'h biscuit was served then. and in place OF
lem came one afternoon fresh, crisp crackers
ade In New York The Captain apologizod for
irving the New York made article instead of
10 English made.
" We bring all our supplies out from home"
said "but the biscuit did not arriya in time