The age-herald., 1898-03-27
JACKS HARD LOT
 ABOARD SHIP
Keeps Our Boys From Going to
 Sea in Our Cruisers.
SWINDLED WHEN IN PORT
On Shore They Are Victims of BOarding-HOuse Keepers and Wharf 0weers-Desert
 Abroad to Escape.

To many irquring statisticians it is a matter of marvel that so few young Ameri- cans follow the sea for living. In our scanty fleet of deep-sea merchantmen only a small percentage of the crews are of American birth. It is true that the cap tains and officers are generally natives of the United States, and this applies not only to the few foreign-going vessels that fly the stars and stripes, but also to our coast ing and fishing fleets That Americans are the smartest and best sailors is shown by the ease and rapidity with which they rise to the command of vessels, leaving behind on the lower rungs of the ladder of pro- motion naturalized citizens foreigners that seek a living in Yankee ships. A man who has made study of the life anoat and ashore of Jack Tar in our merchant marine wonders not that so few Americans are to be found enjoying it's blessings, but rather that solitary in- habitant of these free states is fool enough to follow calling with inducements so meagre and hardships so severe.
 It is not the purpose of this article to touch upon the veXed topic of ships from an owners point of yiew-whether or not the shipping industry should be encouraged by bounties in order that it may again become thriving and profitable-but simply to narrate the pla1n reasons WHY aH Aliieli- ship Is shunned by an American boy in the pursuit of freedom and happiness.
 The average vessel sailing under an American registry is undermanned. Life aboard her is worse than in the poorhouse, especially in the winter time, when the hardship of exposure to our indictment cli- mate is added to the misery of the coarse and wretched fare provided for the sus- tenance of the crew. The wages, consid- ering the hard labor to be gone through and which cannot be avoided, are lower than in any other walk of life, and, more- over. whether at sea or on land, sharks are perpetually preying on poor Jack and seeking to take from him his few hard earned dollars.
 How the Runners Get Them
 No sooner has a homeward- bound vessel passed through the hands of the health officer than she is boarded by as rascally a crew of pirates ever walked the deck of a craft flying the Jolly Roger They are boarding house runners, and their mission Is to lure to certain houses near South and West streets as many of the crew as they can induce to follow them. Many of these parasites bring rum aboard with them, and, in spite of the watchful eyes of the captains and mates, manage to ply the sailors with fiery liquor until they be- come the willing slaves of the dispensers of the drink, following in willing string to their den.
 The successful boarding house runner is an oily, plausible fellow, who wags false pair of jaws. In order to earn a living fin New York, where there is much compe- tition, he has to be clever in his way. thorough knowledge of the genus sailor is indispensable A bluff, hearty fellow slaps Jack on the back. with a cheery cry of, Hello, old shipmate, back again, are you, from long voyage? Amt glad to see you! The sight of you is good for sore eyes! Come with me under the lee of the and I'll give lot of that will make your hair curl. Bear hand, my lad before the mate twigs you. Drink hearty; there's more where that came from
 sNow. Johnny, after the ships made fast to the dock you just come ashore with me and I'll plant you in the snuggest little crib in New York, where you will live like a fighting cock on the fat of the land. All for S1 day, too, and no extras. And say, Jack, I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll in- troduce you to my cousin Kitty, fresh from the country She just dotes on sailors and would like nothing better than to marry a smart lad like you, what's sure to be skipper some day. What say you?'
 Same Old Bunco
 The average reader may inquire if it is possible that lying nonsense such as the above could delude any sailor who isn't either an idiot a lunatic. It is most certainly possible. Hasn't the green-goods game been worked for years and exposed time and time again, and don't the jay hawkers from the rural districts continue to come to town daily with their good money to lose it, in spite of the cease less warnings?
 The average boarding-house to which your deep-sea sailor is entitled is the re- verse of a paradise. From the point of view of the ordinary observer-a working man, for instance-there is neither cleanlf- ness nor comfort in any part of the house from the attic to cellar The food is bad when brought into the kitchen, and, once there the grub spoler doesn't improve on It. Doubtless to poor Jack fresh from his salt horse and measley swine, his mil- dewed peas a.d his indigesttblc duff, the fare seems luxurious. And probably after the cold and the damp and the dirt of the eyil-smelling forecastle or deckhouse the vermin-haunted dormitories and close, stuffy living rooms of the boarding-house may appear to the sailor to be quarters almost palatial.
 The master of the boarding-house gives Jack a warm welcome. He personally at- tends to the slowing away of his sea chest, which, by the by. is sure to contain nttie of any value and then he lays traps to ruin him.
 Tho first thing he does is to press loan on him, for Jack, of course, comes ashore penniless This being accomplished, he conducts the poor devil to some low grog- rery kept by O partner, where he buys him A drink and starts him fairly on the road to perditon. The liquor IS or the vilcst kind and so charged with fusel oil that it makes either a raving maniac or a