New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-16
DANGERS OF A SAILORS LIFE.
SOME OF THE DRAWBACKS THAT ARE NOT
GENERALLY APPRECIATED.

SOME OF THE DRAWBACKS THAT ARE NOT
GENERALLY APPRECIATED.
From The Washington Star.
"There are dangers to seamen about which
landsmen never think" said the captain or one
Of the Baltimore fleet engaged in the Rio coTee
trade to a little company at the Riggs you
wouldn't consider the apparently simple process
Of weighing anchor a risky one. yet there IS
part of the job so disagreeable, not to say dan
gerous that the men always draw lots 10 see
who shall perform the duty. In the ships bow
there is compartment hardly big enough to
hold two persons comfortably and here the an
chor chain is slowed. The seaman who Is 10 do
the slowing and the under officer who Is to
oversee the work reach the place down little
ladder through aperture scarcely large
enough for a fellow to squeeze himself. 1t is so
dark there that you can't see your hand before
your face, and lantern has to be taken along
The Odor at this time is bad enough. but when
the chain begins to come in 1t becomes almost
unbearablc Some of the harbors in the tropics
indeed. most of them-are filthy, and there are
brought up from their bottoms all sorts OF dis
agreeable souvenirs OF your visit
But of the real danger Each INK mas 10 De
carefully placed in it's proper position as tne
chain comes slowly in, for otherwise when IL
came to dropping anchor again the whole sac
Of the ship might be torn out. Sometimes.
through the careessneSs Of the men on deck, the
windlass is allowed to Slip and the chain beg .
to run out at great rate Then feiiow mas
to be quick he will be dragged up through
the chute and his life crushed out He Is warned
Of the danger by the metallic rattle and the
smoke arising from The friction as the IdSI-rnOE-
ing chain comes i'm contact with the chute and
he presses far back as ne can from the iron
mass, for he knows too we'll tnat terrible death
awaits him if his clothing should become en-
tangled in the chain at such moment. Only
few voyages since on my ship man was
caught in this way The mate. who was by his
side managed to rescue him. but in doing so
was himself carried along with the chain and
had his life squeezed out.
Il had pretty close call myself once. While
slowing away the chain / accidentally kicked
the lantern and the light eXtinguiShed.
OF course. | could not stop in my work to let
those above know what had happened. for the
misplacng of a single link as l have said.
might result in disaster, and the mate. unfortu-
nately. was not then near at hand. To be alone
in the darkness and the horrible stencil was far
from pleasant but of a sudden / heard sound
that filled me with terror-the rattle Of the chain
as it began to swiftly pay out. Some one had
blundered. and there | was in that black and
loathsome hole the victim of the blunder. I
shrank back. pale and trembling. for it
only few months before that a poor devil had
met the same fate that Ii seemed awaited me.
Remember l only a few inches removed
from that rushing. rampant mass of iron. and
there was no little likelihood that in some vagary
Of motion it might ensnare me in its tolls. The
awful noise, the stencil. the odor of smoke the
sparks as the chain strained against the chute.
all these had their effect upon me, and my mind
became blank. When the mate came for
with lantern had swoOned and fallen across
the compartment where the chain had lain a
few moments before. The chain had run its
course before tainted. else I should have been .
Sometimes the cargoes brought from the hot
countries play havoc by the fumes they give
forth On one voyage the sugar we had aboard
made every one sick Matters finally became so
bad that could not live below deck. / chased a
big Newfoundland dog out Of its kennel aft and
used the place a a berth. while the crew threw
themselves around the deck at the imminent
risk of being washed overheard. The cook had
to go into the hold occasionally for provisions
and when he did so he tied a piece Of cloth over
his mouth and nose. After several such hur-
ried visits he was overcome. and two other men,
similarly protected went down and secured
him with ropes and he hauled out The
matches could not be battened down, for fear
the cargo would spoil. we had to put I'D the
best could with the fumes until we reached
port.
The usually pleasant aroma OF coffee be-
comes sickening. indeed. when man has to SAIL
for weeks in a ship loaded with the grain. Pine
lumber is worse. and petroleum as bad pine
lumber You taste the stun in everything you
eat and meat and bread the same so far
as your palate Is able to distinguish all SAVIOR
ing strongly Of whatever your cargo happens to
be. Under the influence OF the tropical sun
these fumes get to he simply terrible. Once we
left port with drinking water in pine casks.
We had been out only few days when the
water began to taste resinous, and from day Ia
day the taste became more disagreeablc. AZ
last were forced to stop drinking altogether.
and make for the nearest port which happened
to be in the island Of st. Helena. There
changed the wooden receptaces for others OF
material not 50 easily affected by heat. But in
the mean time we had suffered cruelty for our
ignorance"