The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-05-25
RISKS ABOARD SHIR.'
TASKS WHICH ENDANGER LIFE THAT
s0Es SEAMEN MUST FACE.

Ono Disngreeable and Hazardous JOB
For which Lots Are Always Drawn.
Odors That sicken and Fumes That
s.,a. a. s.,,or.
"There are dangers to scamen about
which landsmcn never think" said the
captain of one of the Baltimore feet en-
gagged in tho Rio coffee trade. "You
wouldn't consider the apparently simple
process Of Weighing anchor risky one,
yet there is part Of the Job 90 disagree
able, not to say dangerous, that the men
always draw lots to SEQ who shall perform
the duty. In the ships bow there Is a
compartment hardly big enough to hold
two persons comfortably, and here tho
anchor chain Ia slowed The seaman who
is to do the slowing and the underofficer
who Is to oversee the work reach the place
down little ladder through an aperture
scarcely large enough for a fellow to
squeeze himself. 1t is SO dark there that
YOU can't soc your hand before your face,
and lantern has to be taken along. The
otior ut this time Is bal enough, but when
the chain begins to come in 1t becomes al
most unbearable. Some Of the harbors In
the tropics, indeed most Of them, are filthy,
and there are brought up from their bot
toms all sorts Of disagreeable souvenirs Of
your visit. When was first before the
mast on more than one occasion almost
s,icoumbed to the frightful odor, and
have known finicky young tars who actu-
ally had to leave the ship because they
could not perform this part of their duties
without faintinG.
"But Of the real danger. Each link has
to be carefully placed In its proper position
as the chain comes slowly in, for otherwise
when it came to dropping anchor again
the whole side of the ship might be torn
out. Sometimes through the carelessness
of the men on deck the windlass Is allow
cd to slip, and the chain begins to run out
at great rate. Then fellow has to be
quick, or he will be dragged up through
the shoot and his life crushed out. He is
warned Of the danger by the metallic rat
as the fast moving chain comes in contact
with the shoot, and he presses as far back
as he can from the iron mass, for he knows
too we'll that terrible death awaits him
if his clothing should become entapgled In
the chain at such moment Only few
voyages since Oh my ship man was
caught in this way. Tho 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. /
had pretty close call myself once While
slowing away the chain l accidentally
kicked over the lantern, and the light was
ext,neujshed, OF course I could not stop
in NV work to let those above know what
had happened, for the misplacing of sin.
ole link "a have said. might result in
disaster and the mate unfortunately was
not then near at hand,
"ro be alone in the darkness and the bor.
rible stencil was far from pleasant. but Of
a sudden heard a sound that Allied me
with terror-the rattle Of tho chain IA IL
began to swiftly nav out. some one had
blnndered. and there I was In that black
and loathsoma hole tho victim of ths hlun.
der I shrank hack, nalo and trembling
for n was onlv n few months befor. that n
,anI, III - ~ -, go - ;.