The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-04-29

condition from tho effects of tho Same dis.
case, has stirred upall over tho country an
unusual interest in tho seaman and his
fortunes and misfortunes. According to
the seaman himself, tho misfortunes nrc in
a larger majority, and it should be said
that in the light Of recent occurrences tho
seaman seems to be correct.
1t is we'll known fact that for wears
thepureb loodcd American seaman has been
rapidly disappearing from tho seas. or
course he still owns and mans the fishing
boats of New England, but aboard tho
American ships TINT sail tho high seas on
long voyages no has for some years been q
vanishing quantity. His place has largely
been taken by Swedcs 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 tho practice
called 'shanghaiing, which is little else
than abduction.
Tho American sailor declares that he is
treated much worse than tho seaman of
any other nation on the face of the earth;
that his food is moro scanty and his treat
ment more harsh than that of any sailor.
Hia food seems to give him more trouble
than anything else, and when oxamiua-
tion is made into the basis of his COM
plant, 1t Is not unlikely that it will be
found to be reasonable, and that, after NIL,
the country that prides itself most upon
the freedom OF IT'S oitizens really treats ono
class OF its citizens worse than docs any
other civilized nation.
1t is u fact, for example, that while
American ships last year carried only IL
per cent of the worlds commerce, they
nevertheless contributed 60 per cent of the
cases Of scurvy reported that year.
Now, there is no doubt at all TINT no
ship that sails the sens need be afflicted
with scurvy If her owners and her captain
take tho precautions against 1t that arc
provided for by law. Tho disease itself is
SO loathsomc and so deadly that no excuses
should DO accepted for it's presence. 1t is
caused, rs everybody knows, by the alb
senco or scarcity Of fresh food, especially
fresh vegetable food.
The preventive is q certain quantity of
limo juice or vinegar, which the law says
the sailors shall have But tho surviving
scamcn Of the Il. f. Cakes declare this is
just what they did not got. And what
happened to them is just what happens to
all who are smitten with tho disease.
Their teeth dropped out, their skin shriv-
eled ZIP 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. 1t is significant fact
that neither Captain Reed of the Cakes
nor his wife had scuryy.
correspondent of the New York Trib-
une points out what he regards as the key
to tho whole trouble Ho says that tho
owners of the vessel very properly run their
ships for profit, and he does not believe
that, as rule, they have any idea of tho
barbarities practced ON the sailors in their
names by the captains and their officers
He declares TINT in many cases the provi.
sioning of ships is left entirely to the cap.