Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-15
SAILORS PLEASURES
Hobbies That Are Ridden at Sea With
Endless Perseverance.
Special Significance of the Term
"SaiIGr's Pleasure" on Board ship
One Seaman's Passion.


From the London Leader.
On board ship sailors pleasure is
we'll understood term with only one mean
ing instead of the general catalogue that
might have been expected. 1t is the turn
ing out of the sea chest donkey, the
sea name for overhauling the contents and
putting them back again 1t is most salts
factory when a chum looks on. to whom
you can tell the history Of each article, and
who will refrain from injudicious comment
upon any photographs of your lady friends.
And. indeed, where a man has been fairly
steady and secretive the old donkey OFTEN
contains most interesting assortment of
odds and ends, each with matter for chat
pertaining to 1t. so that a review of these
treasures is quite a pleasant way OF pass
ing idle hour.
But, except in rare instances. most men
have some hobby another which they
will ride with the utmost energy and per
severance matter what may be the diff
hcultieS in the way. One of the chief of
these is model making. With no other
tools but knife and an awl made out of a
broken sail needle some men will turn out
a model worthy of a place in any museum.
Entirely absorbed in their work, they will
sacrifice much needed sleep, white away
in the bright moonlight of the tropics, and
seem TO have no other object in life but to
turn out a piece of carving that shall be a
credit to their patient talents. The pathos
of these labors often lies in the fact that
they are friendess men who have one
to give their pretty handiwork to-no one,
that is. VINO will value it for the givers
sake; and consequently these long elab
GRATED models may be found in great num-
bers in waterside boarding houses and pub
lie house pariors-and in worse places AS
to selling them. l doubt if the idea ever
enters their heads. But doubtless the do
ing of the work is what his poetry was to
Coleridge-its own exceeding great reward
and the same may be said with truth of
the many directions in which the sailors
IN mil and ind cfry fyo1
One particular hobby that [ have seen
carried to great lengths is the making
of photograph frames out of enormous
number of tiny pieces of wood; one in par
ticular that / remember contained over
5000 pieces of mahogany. pine, deal and
ebony. none of which were a quarter of an
inch in thickness and six inches long.
There Were openings for eight photographs,
and the whole fabric looked like Gothic
church front. 1t took the artist three
months steay application in watches be-
low and at night to finish it, and then
night in port he got drunk, took 1t from
its shelf in his bunk and jumped it.
Another form of pleasure largely indulg
ed In Is the making of mats. Some men
only a few, though-will buy a few pounds
of gayly colored carpet thrums from the
ship chambers. and, begging piece of
tarpaulin canvas from the Sailmaker,
whoever has the power to grant the re-
quest, will stitch the thrums into the can
vas in carefully designed patterns, leaving
pile when finished half an inch deep, the
whole forming most handsome and dura-
BILE hearth rug. Others, however. who can
not keep sober long enough while ashore
to lay in stock of thrums, and yet must
make mats, use homely rope yarns. and,
putting the best work into them for the
love OF it. produce doormats of variety
of patterns and the hardest wearing quail
tiles. Like the models, these fine pieces
of work generally fall into the hands of
unworthy recipients, who sheer at poor
Jacks folly when he has gone to sea again.
Some men never happy as when
Transforming
mcnt into, another 1t is positive passion
with them. We had a Swede of Gothenburg
on board the Dartmouth on a China voyage
who was remarkable instance of this
He could never resist the temptation to
steal piece OF canvas, new or second hand
although 1t must be admitted that he never
had much chance to convey the former
But any old piece of canvas. as long as it
would hang together, he could not let pass
him. He would make it into a garment of
some kind. simple of itself for hot weather
lined with threadbare cloth or flannel for
cold yet al the same time he never lost an
opportunity of acquiring good, Seryiceable
clothing well.
But not for wear. Canvas was his only
wear al sea. and his chief OF joys to open
his chest and gloat over his accumulat ting
stock Of good garments They Were to him
what gold is to nliser and he never SEEM
or weary Of taking them out of his chest.
unfolding them, passing them lovingly
through his hands and carefully slowing
them away again. He hadn't much cloth
hEg when he came aboard. but when on the
iuHiI4i w Jul Twelve months voyage he
was discharged in London he had a SPLEEN
did stock He went to the Sailors Home
having been paid off with EDS and on the
second day got drunken than usual While
IN this condition he demanded e. from the
bank In the home where he had lodged his
money. They very properly refused to give
II to him while he was drunk which so en-
ragged him that he kicked up a tremendous
row, winding up by demanding his entire
balance Finding that reasoning with him
did no good. the officials paid him out. He
left the home at once. and in eight DAVIS AT
ter that | saw him aboard of an outwa rd-
bound ship. with just the clothes he stood
upright in and more
Reading, OF course. fills a most important
part among sailors pleasures. Seamen are
omnivorous readers. in spite of the misera-
BILE gloom that usually charactertzes the
Zoe sic. When l was before the mast
used to lay in a stock of candles so that
might be able to read in the only apart
ment had to myself. my bunk but 1t was
not very safe practice. As to what sail
OTIS read-well. l haven't seen the contents
O. ships library for long time-I mean
those boxes of books that are put on board
snip by missions to seamen and such .nsti-
tutions with the most benevolent intentions
But have often seen such boxes of books
In which there was not one that Ii wasn't
an insult to offer men for recreatiye read
Ing, many hardly up to the requirements of
the Junior portion of a Sunday school But
with the enormous spread of cheap litera
ture that, trust, Is a thing entirely of the
past
The speed Of otter under water fs
amazing. Fish have no chance against
them. In some places in India offers are
Eeu hy he for hatY