The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-12-23
THE ~sHIPKEEPER,
What His Duties Arc-COurAc of Life
on Il, Shin I'm Port.

on II Ship In Port.
New York Sun: The shipkeeper is the
caretaker of the ship while she is in port.
He is likely to be a man who has fol-
lowed the sea; it may be in the employ of
the house whose vessel he how looks
after. He may have sailed before the
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 it's own. who
may nave been thus employed. by the
same house for years.
The shipkeeper goes aboard sometimes
when the ship arrives in the harbor, but
usually when she is first tied up to the
wharf. The crew is discharged the min
ute the ships lines are made fast, and the
captain goes very soon, 1t Is likely on the
same day. The ship may have come from
a China voyage, or a voyage TO some
other distant seas, end have been gone
for months. and he starts for home as
soon as he can-down East or wherever
it may be-there to remain until the ship
is nearly ready for sea again. Then the
shipkeeper is left in charge of the ship.
lie is sometimes the sole occupant, but
most owners keep one other person, a
man or a boy, aboard. If the additional
person Is a man 1t 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 to
sea again. He may cook and eat all OF
his meals aboard, or II there Is a res
taurant close at hand ashore, he may
get his dinners there. He 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 to her. He
sees that the stevedore's men don't drop
blocks on deck and that no injury of any
kind Is lone to her inboard: and ne sees
that no harm befalls her from tugs or
lighters or other 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 to take a sailors pride in her,
and a personal pride in the ships of the
house that employs him. There are ship
keepers who are not over nice, shipkeep-
ers are Just like other people in this re-
spect; but, as a rule, they keep their ships
in perfect order.
Suppose you see in South street a fine
ship that takes your fancy ana you walk
down the wharf to go aboard of her. II
you find the gangway leading up to hel
side bright and clean, not even any dus'
on 1t, the manrope a fresh, bright bit Of
rope, brass manrope stanchion planted il
the rail handsomely polished, strips OF
canvas laid upon the brass-covered tread'
of the steps leading from the gangwal
J platform up to the rail of the ship, upor
tllS o. 5tii o'h0 'RoA
the steps down to the deck within, why
it really wouldn't be necessary to lool
any further to know what kind of a ship
keeper was aboard here. But If you lool
down the quarterback into the waist o
the ship you will see there a broad ex
panse of deck as clean as any floor. ]
you go forward and look, say, into TIL
hosting engine house, you find the engin'
and the tank and the room itself newl.
and tastefully painted and everything Ii
perfect trim. Look into the galley ar
you will find that just the same; as tleal
a kitchen as any you ever saw, afoat {
ashore. 1t is just the same e~verywher
about the ship; the white paint is ' hit
and the brasswork is bright; and tn
cabin is in perfect order; and the vetera.
of the sea who keeps the ship in thi
shape is proud of her, as he has a per
feet right to be. She may have been tie
up at three or four wharves, at as man
different points around the harbor, tow
ing here and there and discharging Q
taking on cargo, but she's kept as trir
and handsome as though she were on ex
hibition.
The ship is deep in the water when tn
shipkeeper first steps over the rail; h
sees her rise as they take the cargo OF
of her, until she is light, and stands, o
high tides, with her side high above til
7 wharf. The shipkeeper stays aboard fo
5 weeks. There may be days or longe
periods when there is nothing doin
/, aboard of her except what he does hin
=. self. when the ship is silent; but soons
, or later they begin to fill her up agaii
and from that on there is more or les
life aboard of her and alongside.
c A week or ten days before the ship
sailing day the captain comes to tow
He visits the owners office, and go,
, down and sees the ship. He looks aftt
her stores and whatever other busine!
he may have to attend to. All this tin
I as the ship fills up she is going down
e the water again. Two or three days b
fore she sails the ringers come aboal
, and bend her sails.
The crew was discharged the mimi
7 she tied up; the new crew doesn't 6
aboard Until the last minute before 81
sails. 1t may be that the mate, the G.
ecutiva officer of the ship, comes aboal
Il late. He must know where everythir
is, and the shipkeeper can tell him.. Thu
1t happens that sometimes the Shipkeep
goes down the bay with the ship Al
comes off with the pilot: but oftener j
q duty is ended and he steps ashore as Ii
e ship leaves the, wharf.