The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1897-09-09
Republican Journal Thursday Morning. September g. 1897
The Shipkeeper.
What his Duties are-COurse of Life on a Shi,
In Port.

What his Duties are-COurse of Life on a ShiI
The shipkeeper is the caretaker of the
ship while she is in port. He is likely to
be a man who has followed the sea: il
may be in the employ of the house whose
vessels he now looks after He NAV have
sailed before the mast, or he may have
been a mate, or perhaps the master of a
ship. Every firm of large ship owners OF
shipping merchants has shipkeeper OF
it's own, who may have been thus employ
ed by the same house for years. The ship
keeper goes aboard sometimes when the
ship arrives in the harbor, but usually
when she is first tied up to the wharf,
says the New York Sun. The crew is dis
charged the minute the ships lines are
made fast, and the captain goes very soon,
it is likely on the same day. The ship
may have come from China voyage, or a
voyage to some other distant seas and
have been gone for months, ard he starts
J 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. He is sometimes the sole occu-
pant, but most owners keep one other per-
son, a man or a boy, aboard. If the adj
! ditional person is man, it is likely to be
| the ships carpenter, or one of the crew
employed for that purpose. The ship
keeper lives aboard of the ship until she
| goes to sea again. He may cook and eat
all his meals aboard, or if 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 GUS
tom 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 done to her inboard and he sees
that no harm befalis her from tugs or
lighters or other craft. And he keeps the
ship in order. He is more than likely to
be man who knows ship allow and aloft,
and to take a sailor pride in her, and
personal pride in the ships of the house
| that employs him. There are shipkeepers
who are not over nice, shipkeepers are just
like other people in this respect but, as a
rule, they keep their ships in perfect
order
suppose you see in South street a fine
ship that takes your fancy and you walk
down the wharf to 90 aboard of her. If
you find the gangway leading up to her
side bright and clean, not even any dust
on it, the manrope fresh, bright bit of
rope, brass manrope stanchion planted in
the rail handsomely polished, strips of
canvas laid upon the brasS-covered treads
OF the steps leading from the gangway
platforms up to the rail of the ship. upon
the brass covered rail itself, and upon the
steps down to the deck within, why, it
really wouldn' be necessary to look any
further to know what kind of shipkeeper
was aboard here. But if you look down
/ from the quarterback into the waist of
tile ship you will see there a broad ex-
panSe OF deck as clean as any floor If
You 60 forward and look, say, into the
hosting engine house, you find the en-
CINE and the tank and the room itself
newly and tastefully painted and every
thing in perfect trim. Look into the GAL
ley and you will lind that Just the same;
as clean a kitchen as any you ever saw,
attoat or ashore. 1t il just the same
everywhere about the ship: the white
paint is white and the brass work is
bright; and the cabin is in perfect order;
and the veteran Of the sea who keeps the
ship in this shape is proud of her, as he
has perfect right to be. She NAV have
been tied mp at three or four wharves at
as many different points around the har-
Dor, towing here and there and discharge
ing OF taking on cargo, but she $ kept as
+.it1, r1,,r Il |, IN
/ exhibition.
The ship is deep in the water when the
shipkeeper first steps over tile rail; lie
sees her rise as they take the cargo ont Of
her, until she is light, ana stands on the
! high tides, with her side above the wharf
The shipkeeper stays aboard for weeks
| There may DE days OF longer periods when
there is nothing doing aboard of her eX-
cept what he does himself. when the Ship
is silent; but sooner or later they begin to
I'LL her mp again, and from that on there
is more OF less life aboard of her and
alongside
A week OF 10 days before the ships
sailing day the captain comes to town. He
visits the owners office, and goes down
and sees the ship. He looks after hel
stores and whatever other business lie
may have TO attend to. All this time as
the ship fills up she is going down in the
water again Two or three days before
she sails the riggers come aboard and
bend her sails.
The crew was discharged the minute
she tied up; the new crew does not go
aboard until the last minute before she
sails. Il may be that the mate the ex-
ecutive officer of the ship, comes aboard
late. He must know where everything is,
and the shipkeeper can tell him. Thus it
happens that sometimes the shipkeeper
goes down the bay with the ship and
comes OFF with the pilot; but oftener his
duty is ended and he steps ashore as the
ship leaves the wharf.
The Hawks of New England.