The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-04-01

False Stories Printed-Low Wages Given
Other Omcers For Onerous Duties-Pur-
ser and Surgeon.
1t is the general impression among
those who do not know that the duties
and responsibilities of the average skip
per of regular liner are as many and
onerous as the successful bank president
and that in addition his salary is just
as large The responsibility of the one
is about as great as the other, but when
it comes TO duties the sea dog has as
rule much more TO bear, while, unlike
the bank president, his salary is as
small as his duties are large. 1t may
surprise some of the regular transit
lantio travellers to learn that their beau
ideal Of sea captain who in faultless
gold lace goes about the deck laughing
and chatting with the tourists, pattipg
the half fare tots ON the back and
doffing his cap TO the rug clad occupants
Of an easy steamer chair between the
time that he spends in his berth, in the
chartroom or on the bridge, gets little
more money month than the detective
sergeant or the average steamboat cap
tain. In many instances Mr.. Gold Lace
gets less.
One Of the most successful lines run
ming between this port and Europe pays
its commodore, who has been over 20
years in this particular service, e35
month, or about $l75. This is about $40
week. The other captains in this line
are paid the equivalent of $l25 for 80
days labor. Any number of matter of
no fact stories have been printed with
the object of showing that the COM
manders Of the great liners received in
some cases sums ranging from 81, 600
TO Sl2, 200 per year. But such talk is
idle. There is not single captain on
the ocean who enjoys such an income.
That many Of them deserve to is anoth-
er matter entirely.
In an argument that master mariners
arc well paid the point is advanced that
the officers are fed while at sea and
even alongside the wharf with the best
that the market affords and at the ex-
pense of the steamship company. Yet
so per cent of these well fed gold laces
are married and have big families that
demand food, clothes and home either |
here or abroad, whether or not the ship
is in port This establishment costs as
much while the master mariner is on |
the bosom Of old Neptune as it does |
when he is playing dry cob at home for |
a short period. His going or coming |
adds or deducts little from the general |
cost.
There are few pursers on the Atlantic |
who command higher monthly salary |
than go They must have years of ex-
perience, host of friends and be top |
sawyers, as they say at sea, to COM
mand even this figure. Unlike the !
stewards, and, in the majority of cases, (
the ships surgeons, the purser is sell |
dom made the recipient Of generous |
tip. Nobody seems able TO explain why |
it is so, unless it be that the purser, !
handling all the money of the voyage, (
which includes extra passage money, !
the receipts from the smoker made |
through the chief steward, the wine |
bills from the tables, all amounting to |
pretty large figure, is recognized as
the financial end of the floating hotel /
and so treated accordingly.
The smoker and its many attachments |
are luxuries which the captain is not I
permitted to enjoy, or if permitted rare
ly INDUCES in. ANY skipper who would |
make himself jolly good fellow in the
smoker would lose the confidence of
those under his care as fast as trout
taking May fly. Not that his appear
ance there wnuld make him any less the |
sailor, but passengers for some reason
or another seem to believe that the
only place for the master of their ship
is on the bridge or i'll the chartroom.
And if they can picture him on this
bridge in oilskins and so'wester with
the wind and sleet and ice clustering
around him so much the better to the
perfection Of their idea of the practical
and capable mariner.
The poorest paid man in an official
capacity on q great liner is probably
the surgeon. Some passengers have the
opinion that as the company pays the
ships doctor those using him on a trip
are not supposed to give financial recog-
milton to his attention. 1t is true that
none is Obliged to, but he should. The
demand of doctor at sea is in nowise
different from that demand ON land
The steamship companies give passen-
ger board, lodging and transportation at
a cost that could not be equaled on any
railroad of the earth, when distance.
and attention are con-
sidered. The luxury Of a doctor, while
generally forced, is at the same time an
auxiliary of sea travel for which the
company receives nothing. and which,
when free medicines are included, as
they invariably are, costs quite q good
deal. Experienced ocean travellers sell
dom forget the surgeon when necessity
makes them call for his attention dur
ing trip. But these experienced tour.
lists are few and far between. New
York Mail and Express.
Sienkiewicz.
Father Barabasz of Baltimore, who
Y listed his countrvman Henry Sienkie- |