The Ravalli Republican., 1898-11-16
THE SHIPKEEPER.
What His Duties Are--Course Of Life On =
Shit, In Port.

What His Duties Are--Course Of Life =
Sh;, In Port.
The shipkeaper is the caretaker of.
the ship while she is in port. He is;
likely to be q man who has followed
the sea, it may be III the employ of
the house whose vessels he now
looks after He may have sailed be-
fore the mast or he may have been
a mate OF perhaps the master Of Il
ship Every firm Of large shipown
ers o. shipping merchants has a
Ghipkeeper Of it's own, who may
have been thus employed by the
same house for years.
The shipkeeper goes aboard some
times when the ship arrives in the
harbor, but usually when she is first
tied up to the wharf The crew is
discharged the minute the ships
lines are made fast, and the captain
goes very soon, it is likely on the
same day Tho ship may have come
from a China voyage or voyage
to some other distant seas and have
been gone for months and he starts
for home as Soon as he can-down
east OF wherever it may be-there to
remain until the ship is nearly
ready for sea again. Then tho ship
keeper is left in charge Of the ship.
He is sometimes the sole occupant,
but most owners keep one other per-
son, a man Or a boy, aboard. II the
additional person is man it is like
ly to be- the ships carpenter or one
Of the crew employed for that pu1-
pose. The shipkeeper lives aboard
OF the ship until she goes to sea
again. He may cook and eat all his
meals aboard, OF if there is res
taurant close at hand ashore he
may get his dinners there Ho sleeps
aft. He does not sleep in the cap
tain S room, but he takes his choice
Of the rooms OF the mate and the
second mate, this being tho custom
on the beach.
The shipkeeper is the watchman
of the ship, and he looks after her
in many ways and sees that no harm
comes to her. He sees that the steve
dore'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 befal]s her from tugs
OF 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 tile ships Of the house that
employs him. There are shipkeep-i
ers who are not overnice, shipkeep~
ers arc just like other people in this
respect; but, as a rule, they keep
theil' ships in perfect order
The ships deepin the water when
the shipkeeper first steps over the
rail; he sees her rise as they take
the cargo out OF her, until she is
light and stands, on high tides, with
her side high above the wharf. The
shipkeeper stays aboard for weeks.
There may be days OF longer peri
DDS when there is nothing doing
aboard of her except what he does.
himself, when the ship is silent, but
sooner OF late1 they begin to fill he1
up again, and from that on there is
more OF less life aboard of her and
alongside.
A week Or ten days before the
ships sailing day the captain comes
to town. He visits the owners Of
fco and goes down and sees the
ship. He looks after her stores and
whatever other business he may
have to attend to- All this time as
the ship fills up she is going down
in the water again. Two OF three
days before she sails the riggers
come aboard and bend her sails.
The crew was discharged the min
ute she tied up. the new crew doesn t
go aboard until the last minute be-
fore she sails. It may lie that the.
mate, the executive 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 ship
keeper 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
1ubarG New Work S11n
The ncatcst job work in the county
& 1bup Nv thn E,1IpIrpTlr