Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-04-23

condition from the effects of the same dis
ease, has stirred upall over the country an
unusual interest in the seaman and his
fortunes and misfortunes. According to
the seaman himself, the misfortunes ore in
q larger majority, and It should be said
that in the light Of recent occurrences the
seaman seems to be correct. ~
1t Is n we'll known fact that for years
the pure blooded American seaman has been
rapidly disappearing from the seas. OF
course he still owns and mars the fishing
boats Of New England, but aboard the
American ships that sail tho high seas on
long voyages he has for some years been q
vanishing quantity. His place has largely
been taken by Swedes and Norwegians and
Danes Even these are sometimes difficult
to obtain, and captains of American yes-
sells often have much trouble to secure full
crews for their vessels This scarcity of sea-
men sometimes results in the practice
called "shanghaiing, which is little else
than abduction.
The American sailor declares that he is
treated much worse than the seaman of
any other nation on the face of the earth:
that his food Is more scanty and his treat
ment more harsh than that of any sailor
His food seems to give him more trouble
than anything else. and when examine
ton is made Into the basis Of his COM
plaint, 1t is not unlikely that It will be
found to be reasonable, and that, after all,
the country that prides itself most mon
the freedom Of its citizens really treats one
class of its citizens worse than does any
other civilized nation.
1t is q fact, for example, that while
American ships last year carried only II
per cent Of the worlds commerce, they
nevertheless contributed go per cent Of the
cases of scurvy reported that year.
Now, there is no doubt at all that no
ship that sails the seas need be afflicted
with scurvy If her owners and her captain
| TAKE the precautions against it that are
provided for by law. The disease itself is
| SD loathsome and so deadly that no excuses
| should be accepted for its presence. It is
caused, as everybody knows, by the alb
| sence or scarcity of fresh food, especially
| fresh vegetable food.
Inc preventive Is certain quantity of
lime juice or vinegar, which the law saws
| the sailors shall have. But the suryiyins
senmen Of the T. F. Cakes declare this Is
just what they did not get. And what
happened to them is just what happens to
all who are smitten with the disease.
Their teeth dropped out, their skin shriy-
elsd up and turned from its natural color
to yellow and black and green.
Fifty dollars worth of lime Juice would
| have saved the lives of the six who have
already died and those who seem likely
to follow them. It is a significant fact
that neither Captain Reed Of the Cakes
| nor his wife had scurvy
A correspondent Of the New York Trib-
une points out what he regards as tho key
to the whole trouble. He says that the
owners of the vessel very properly run their
ships for profit, and he does not believe
that, as q rule, they have any idea Of the
barbarities practiced on the sailors in their
names by the captains and their officers.
nc declares that in many cases the provi-
SIGNING OF ships is left entirely to the cap