Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-02-24
NO CHANCE FOR BOYS ON SHIPS.
American Sea Captains Reluctant to
Take Them ON Yoxaxea.


Take Them ON Voyages.
Hardly day passes that Shipping
Commissioner Tolman does not have
two or three applications from boys
who want to ship as sailors. The most
of these boys are between the ages of Is
and 1s and have never been out of sight
|of land or seen vessel larger than a
small coaster. All of these applications
are treated kindly by Mr.. Tolman, who,
after questioning them as to their homes
and parents, their intentions and rea-
sons for wanting to go to sea, generally
ends the interview by assuring the
would-be sailors that he has no oppor
tunity for them to ship at present, but
will bear them in mind and give them
the first chance that comes along. He
advises them to call again in few days,
but it is not often that the shipping
commissioner ever hears from them
again. The boys are anxious to see
something of the world, and in nearly
every case have good homes and oppor-
tunities for entering some kind of bust
ness which will prove more lucrative
and more pleasant than a sailors life.
The applications from the boys are so
numerous that Mr.. Tolman does not
pay much attention to them now. He
seldom has chance for boys to ship on
large vessels. as no sea captain wishes
to take them. There is sometimes a
chance for boys to go to sea in the larger
! vessels which are bound on long voy-
ages for South Africa or the West Indies,
but as nearly all the vessels sailing out
of Portland are in the coasting trade
the shipmasters have no use for boys,
and will not take them if they can help
it.
And yet, though the shipmasters will
not take the boys and give them an op-
portunity of learning seamanship, they
all complain because there are not to
to be found more American sailors. Said
one shipmaster the other day: 81 have
not had an American sailor on my YES
sci for so long that cannot remember
the last one. They are all Norwegians,
Danes, Germans, Nova Scotians or P. E.
rs, Irishmen or other foreigners. 1t
seems as if there were no American sail
ors af1oat now"
When Shipping Commissioner Tolman
| asked this very shipmaster if he had
room on board his vessel for a bright
young American boy who wanted to
learn seamanship, the master replied:
"Why. my dear sir, what use is boy to
me? Icouldn't afford to pay him five dol
lars month. I have no use for boy on
my ship. A man who eats of the bread
of my owners must be able to pay for it
and his salt besides"
Until some chance is given boys to
learn seamanship on American vessels
| there is little chance of there being a
great increase in the numbers of Ameri-
can seamen. This is recognized to be a
serious question by the navy depart
ment, and for the purpose of encourag-
ing American boys to learn seamanship
the apprentice service was inaugurated.
This is giving the navy an able corps of
petty and warrant officers. but the en-
listed men in the navy are still mostly
| foreigners. The reluctance of shipmas-
tiers to take boys into their vessels and
teach them the rudiments of seaman
ship probably explains the scarcity of
the American sailor on board the Yankee
| men o. war and in the merchant marine.
Portland (Me.) Press.