The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1897-09-16
THE Il
Whnt His Duties Arc-Course of Lie.
ON ~ Ship in Port.

On ~ Ship I'm Port.
New York Sun: The shipkeeper il Tho
caretaker of the ship while she is In port
He is likely 10 be a mar who has fol.
lowed the sea, ii may be in the employ ~
the house whose vessel he now looks
after. He may have sailed before tho
mast or he may have been a mate or
perhaps the master Of a ship. Every
firm OF large shipowners or shipping mer.
chants has a shipkeeper of its own. who
may have been thus employed by the
same house for years.
The shipkeeper goes aboard sometime,
when the ship arrives in the harbor. but
usually when she is first tied IN 10 the
wharf. The crew is discharged the min.
ute the ships lines are made fast. and he
captain goes very soon, IL is likely on the
same day. The ship may have come from
a China voyage, or n voyage 10 some
other distant seas, and have been gone
for months, and he starts for home as
soon as he can-down East or wherever
IL may be-thcre TO remain until the ship
Is nearly ready for sea again. Then the
shipkeeper is left in charge of the ship.
He is sometimes the sole occupant, bat
most owners keep one other person, a
nan or a boy, aboard. II the additional
person is a man il is likely to be the
ships carpenter or one Of the crew en-.
ployed for that purpose. The Shipkeeper
lives aboard of the ship until she goes 10
sea again. He may cook and cat all Of
his meals aboard, or If there Is a res
taurant close at hand ashore. he may
get his dinners there. lie sleeps aft. he
does not sleep in the captains room. but
he takes his choice of the rooms Of the
mate and the second mate, this being the
custom on the beach.
The shipkeeper Is the Waterman of the
ship, and he looks after her in many ways
and sees that no harm comes 10 her. He
sees that the stevedore's men don't drop
blocks on deck and hat no injury Of any
kim is done to her inboard. ana ne sees
that no harm befalls her from tugs or
lighters or otner craft. And he keeps the
ship in order. He is more than likely TO
be a man who knows a ship allow and
aloft, and 10 take a sailors pride in her.
and q personal pride in the ships of the
hous that employs him. There are ship
Keepers who are not over nice, s~hipkeep-
ers are just like other people in this re-
spcct; but, as "A rule, they keep their ships
in perfect order.
Suppose you see in South street a fne
ship that takes your fancy and you walk
down the wharf to go aboard of her. II
You find the gangway leading up 10 ner
side bright n clean. not even any dust
on ii, the manrope a fresh, bright BIZ OF
rope, brass manrope stanchion planted IN
the rail handsomely polished, strips OF
canvas laid upon the brass-covered treads
or the steps leading from the gangWay
platform up 10 the rail Of the ship, upon
the brass-covered rail itself, and upon
the steps down TO the deck within, way,
II really wouldn't be necessary TO looA
any further to know what kind OF a DEP
keeper was aboard here. But II you Iooh
down the quarterback into the waist OF
the ship you will see there a broad 't.
panSe of deck as clean as any hoof' IL
you go onward and look, say, INTO tHo
hosting engine house, you ind the shsie
and the tank and the room tseli ht"y
and tastcfully painted and everything ~
perfect trim. Look into the GaIiey uan
you will find that just the same; as 'le"n
a kitchen as any you ever saw. "Ho|t
ashore. Ii is just the same cVeTg"ne.o
about the ship; the white paint Is ' nv
and the brasswork Is bright; anu ~
cabin IS in perfect order: and the Ne'eI"n
of the sea who keeps the snip III :"
shape is proud of her, as he has Il PEI
feet right to be. She may have oeeh uuu
up at three or four wharves, at as nion'
different Joints around the harbor, low
ing here and there and discharslng VI
taking on cargo, but she's kept as un'
and handsome as though she were o"NN
hibition. 49,
The ship Is deep In the water wheh ~ ~
shipkeeper first steps over the lan' ont
sees GeT rise as tney ldke 'N -,
OF her. until she is light, and stahus' ~, b
high tides, with her side high apors Cor
wharf. The ~shipkeeper stays apoaiu r
weeks. There may be days or l9ns,,
periods when there IL nothing uomo
aboard OF her except what he does ~
self. when the ship is silent; put I'm
or later they begin to fill her up 80 less
and from that on there Is more '" w.
life aboard of her and ALONGSIDE. .Si,,s
A week or ten days before 'he ,nwn
sailing day the captain comes 10 uoss
He visits the owners office, ana fter
down and sees the ship. He LOOKS n
her stores and whatever other ~ i,re
ne may have to attend TO. All thm in
as the ship fills UP she is gong y" he
the water again. Two or three o "i :
fore she sails the riggers come ""
and bend her sails. ,oi,nte
The crew was discharged the =, go
she tied up; the new crew Gosar she
aboard until the last minute peioso ey-
sails. 1t may be that the mate hoard
ecutive officer of the ship, comes u,bing
late. He must know where 60 Tbus
Is. and the ~sh!pkoeper can tell MN oensr
It happea that sometimes the shItn md
goes down the bay with the my his
comes off with the pilot; but oito" ina
duty is ended and he steps ashore ."
ship leaves the wharf.