Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-11-18
THE SHIP FO'C'SLE.
Now on American Deep-Water Ves-
sells in q House or Deck

e SCIS III I1OUSS OIt DSch.
The old-time fOrecastle was in the
bows Of the ship and below, the room.
thus formed being triangular in out,
line and with f1aring sides. The hunks
were against the sides. Access to the
deck was by means of a ladder or COM
panion way. When the watch below
heard the call, Tumble up my heart
ies!' they came up this ladder - the
, deck
There is now, perhaps, no American
ship with forecastle such as that
and though in the majority of foreign
ships the forecastle is still in the bows.
yet not below, as it formerly was, but
under the forecastle deck. There are
few If any American deep water shira
with the forecaStle in the bows at all.
For more than thirty years the fore
castle on all American ships has been
placed in a house on deck. The Yam
kee sailor doesn't tumble I'D any more
when his watch is called, but he steps
out OF the forecastle ON to the deck
over doOrsill foot high. made SO as
- Keep water out.
The quarters on deck are an i'm
nense improvement over the old-time
tOrecastle below, and over the later
forecastle in the bows forward on
deck. They are lighter, brighter,
roomier, healthier, better in every
way. The arrangement of the deck
house may vary somewhat in different
ships, but the forecastle is always at
the forward end of it. On a big ship
the deckhouse would be arranged
about like this: The crews quarters
forward, the starboard watch on one
side, the port watch on the other.
All the deckhouse doors are sliding
doors. Next aft would be the carpen-
ter's shop or sailroOm, more probably
the carpenters shop, extending from
side to side of the house, athwart ship,
and with door at each end, and pro-
vided with a carpenters bench just as
a carpenters shop would be ashore.
Next aft would be the ships galley,
extending from side to side of tie
house, and with a door at each end.
There is a small room off one end of
the galley for the cook; if the ship
carries a steward, he sleeps aft. Next
aft, in the deckhouse, is likely to be a
stateroom; and aft of that, at the
after end of the house, two rooms, oc-
cupied by the boatswain, sailmakerS
and carpenter; and the ships boys al
so sleep in the after part of the deck
house.
On American ships the space for
ward in the bows, under the forecastle
deck, where the forecastle was former
ly located, is now occupied by spare
anchor and the ships cables, and ON
the sides there are lockers for various
uses. On probably 20 per cent. of the
British ships the crews sleep in the
forecastle bows, under the forecastle
deck. On all British ships nowadays
there is a house on deck forward,
which is put to the same general uses
as the deckhouse on American ships,
but in only about 80 per cent. of these
ships are quarters provided here for
the entire crew, the rooms for sleep
ing being occupied by the petty Off
GERS, by the engine men, and by the
boys or apprentices, of which a larger
number are carried ON British ships
than on American ships. On some of
the very largest of the big four mast
ed British iron ships there is a deck
house athwartship and extending
from side to side, in which are pro-
vided on the forward side quarters for
the men and on Uhe after side cabins
for the captain and his officers, only a
bulkhead separating them.
There is on one American ship a
bathroom for the sailors. This is,
however, a British-b built ship, which
was partly burned in American waters,
was sold and rebuilt here, and which
now has an American register. There
are on number OF the British ships
bathrooms for the men, and there is
one British ship that has set wash
basins in it's forecastle; but these are
exceptions. On American ships gen
orally the accommodations for the
men are better than ON British ships.
New York Sun.
SOME OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN