Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-23
FARE PRETTY WELL
The Men Who Ride Out the Storms
on Lightships,
THERE Is ALWAYS PLENTY OF WORK
How Lightship's Crew Spends Its
Spare Time.
FOOD AND ROOM ENOUGH

From the Now York Sun
Staying aboard of lightship amt such
bad sort of a life for all you may think
of it said a sunburned scadog as he sat
On the companion hatch of the Scotland
ightship No :. at Tompkinsville calmly
smoking his pipe and gazing out over the
waters of the bay toward the shining green
body Of the yacht Shamrock The Scot
land lightship is tied up to a pier at the
United States Central Light House depot
and for time will cease to guide the
storm-tosSed mariner to port. 1t has been
nVe years since last she taken from
her anchorage The men who lived aboard
or her are not on her now, for they took
up quarters on No IL, which took is place.
For a landsman the life would be more
than monotonous. but the lightship sailors
do not mind it, and from month to month
and from year to year. they toss on the
Atlantic and laugh at the gale
Some one must do the work, why not
me-" continued the old salt as he knocked
the ashes from his pipe and filled it anew
4 grant you that it amt so pleasant as
sailing aboard the Erin, but We find plenty
of work and We don't grumble any more
than sailors do az a rule. There's always
something to eat in the locker and more
storms for the Gains The shin must be
Kept Clean the lamps must be trimmed and
ready for hosting when the sun goes down.
so there are few idle moments aboard.
When they do come there are always good
books and newspapers to read, and if We
don't care for them We watch the ships
that pass us going in and out.
Watching for the Liners.
know when the regular liners are due,
and there is no little interest displayed in
keeping in touch with them. Ii a steam
ship is few hours late We know it. and
all eyes aboard are strained seward until
she heaves in sight. We get pretty anx-
ious about some of them sometimes and
when they don't come at ALL after DAYS of
watching. We think of them as friends that
have gone away for good. There's lot Of
sentiment about ii, and a fellow gets to ap-
pre- ciate what it means to familiar
face or familiar vessel after he has been
out there awhile. But, as | said, there is
always plenty to do. The fellows on board
the lightships about here have q much cas-
Ter time than those some OF hers, for they
can get ashore often. and there is more 10
be seen. Most every afternoon get the
New York papers from off one of the coast
wise vessels when they pass down. They
sail close to and throw the papers on
deck. If they fall in the water we general
ly fish them up with scoop net. but some
times we have to lower away boat and go
cut after them. Once every month a man
always at least one of the crew away.
There are plenty of ways of reaching land;
no trouble about that at all. Tugs are al
ways passing. and they are glad to be of
service to a sailor from a lghtship, for
there is many time that the tugs would
go ashore get lost. if it wasn't for the
follows that keep the lights burning.
Aboard the Ship.
How many men there in crew?
Well. it differs. On a ship like this one
there eight, a rule-the captain.
mate. cook and five sailors. but the new
lghtships, that have steam power and
electric lights, there more. This YES
sci is one of the oldest in the service and
if I remember rightly, It's forty-fve years
or more since she went off the ways and
took up her work. She's pretty stout
boat yet, though she did leak little dur
ing the last few weeks. That's the rea-
son she il in here now and No II is out
there in her place. See all of them little
holes in her sides. and them others there
what has been plugged up? Well. that is
where they have been testing her timbers.
They most of them pretty sound, but
she will need a new plank here and there
before she goes back out to bump over the
winter seas and to plunge in the ice foes
Them ice foes is what put : in here this
time. They rubbed all the copper off her
bows last winter and then she sprung that
little leak.
Never been on a lightship before. Well
II worth a look over. UP
here in the bow first. and then we will go
below That queer-looking machine near
the hawser pipe is the riding gear. The
cable goes through that clamp and that
big spring makes it easier when the seas
are high. If it wasn't for that spring she
would pull something loose sometimes
when she on a big wave all of a sud-
den. The cable is bent on to mushroom
anchor. This ship, being an old-timer, has
no fog horn, so the big bell there is rung
when the weather is heavy. It's mighty
hard on the men, keeping that bell going
when it's thick outside but if they didn't
some ship would be all hands to Davy
Jones locker. On the steam vessels, like
the Sandy Hook lightship, there amt no
trouble. The fog horn blows all the time
when they wanted it to. but here it an all
day and aii-night job ringing the bell. The
lights are in them big boX-looking things
on the masts At sunset the lids to the
boxes raised and the lights hoisted to
the masthead. There are eight lights on
each mast on this ship, and they burn oil.
On the steam vessels they have electric
lights, and they are kept at the masthead
all of the time. The oil lamps must be
filled and trimmed each day that is
why they lower them to the deck. Aft
there is the wheel, just like on any sailing
vessel. for it may happen some time that
the ship would get adrift iii storm. and
there must be some way for the sailors to
take care of themselves. On the new steam
vessels they have screw, just like on any
other steamship.
For Officers and Crew.
"Now come below" said the salt as he
led the way down the companion ladder to
the after cabin, used by the captain and
the mate. Here is where the old man
lives. and it's d pretty coy little parlor for
a seaman. On each side of the cabin you
see a bunk. 1t amt where the men sleep,
for they use the state rooms, but they lay
out there when it's stormy or when they
amt got nothing else to do. Their state
rooms are cozy, too, and fitted up with all
conveniences. They eat in the cabin on
that big table. In that bookcase on the
starboard side is the ships library, and
there are good books in there that are
given out to the sailors when they want
them. The space amidships is for the
stores lamps and oil rooms, and the water
tanks Forward is the forecastle and the
cooks galley and pantry. There are eight
berths, four on each side. The men sleep
and eat in the forecastle, and around the
galley fire in the winter. When they get
their watch below they spend many pleas
ant hours telling stories playing domi-
noes. Just forward of the forecastle is
the sail locker, chain lockers and the cap
tain's bench. Below the berth deck more
water tanks, Oil tanks and heavy provis-
ions stored away. We don't get pro-
visions but once every three months or so: