The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-08-24
SICKENfNG CARGOES.
8UFFERlNGS CAUSED TO SAILORS AT
SEA BY THE SHIPS LOAD.

Der IL still Worse, but the Fumes
From Warm, Moist Sugar Are
Enough to XIII an Ordinary Man.
1t was in one of the little river front
eating houses in Brooklyn frequented
by sailors from the coasters which are
loading or unloading. \ big, powerful
sailor who looked as if he had never in
his life known what it was to be sick
for day entered and took a chair oppo-
site a l0ngshoreman who had already
ordered and was waiting for his dinner
As the sailor was looking over the bill Of
fare with that critical and hesitant eve
that charactcriZes Jack ashore from a
long voyage with a discriminating sea
appetite upon him. the waiter brought in
a cup Of steaminE coffee and set it down
before the lougShorcman. As the odor
Of it reached the sailors nostrils he bent
upon the cup Il gaze of concentrated
disgust and hatred. Then he turned
deadly pale. rose from his seat and stag
gered toward the door
Been drinking little too much for
your tonnage, mate?" asked the pro-
prictor, helping him to the door.
Haven't had drop today" said the
man huskily. It's that coffee"
What's the matter with the coffee?'
asked the proprietor angrly. There
amt any better coffee than that on the
river front"
That's all right" replied the sailor
with an effort, but | just got in off a
coffee ship this morning"
oh" said the proprietor comprehend
ingly. IF that's the case, III fix you off
in the corner. where you'll be all right"
y table was set for him far from the
others. and there he ate his dinner in
apparent peace. Now. there was in the
eating house Il laudsman of an inquiring
turn of mind who failed to understand
the wherefore of all this. so he questioned
the proprietor who has been long on the
river front and is himself a graduate
from before the mast and has sailed in
many waters Of the world.
Nothing queer about that" he said in
response 10 the landsman's question.
lies been out on a coffee ship: that's
all. He won't want to see or smell cof-
fee for weeks. let alone taste it,
"Do they feed them nothing but coffee
on the coffee ships?" asked the landsman
in the innocence Of his soul.
Feed EN-? 'Tisn't the feed; it's the
smell that knocks EN-. For a week or
ten days il isn't bad; it fact, it's rather a
pleasant smell. that of the green berry,
but after that it begins to get on your
mind. In damp weather. if it's long
voyage, it's something terrible.
There's other cargoes," continued the
eX-sailor, that's just as bad. You might
think gUano was one of EN-, but it isn't
Guanos Rose Of Sharon perfume compar-
ed to sugar. Didn't suppose there was
any smell to sugar, eh? Well, you take
it in a bowl and there amt. But take a
cargo of it and let it steam in tempera-
ture of from 80 to ITO. with plenty Of
damp to work it up. and I'd like to see
what you'd think of it then. You get
so mortal sick of the sweetness of it,
which you smell and taste, too, with ev-
cry breath, that you'd be glad to fill up
with anything that would offset it, even
if it was wormwood. I've seen the time
! felt rs if could drink gallon of vine
gar favored with lemon juice at a gulp.
That voyage was n sufferer, sure enough.
We couldn't live between decks at all,
and we all berthed as near the stern rail
as we could get and even put out the
small boats when it was still and lay in
them to get relief.
when provisions had to be got out Of
the hold. the cook went down with jute
bagging tied over his nose and mouth to
keep out the fumes. but after couple of
trips he tainted, and they sent me in.
Two deScents laid me out. | thought
was going to die. In my time I've seen
folks that were tolerable seasick. but
all they did was a maiden's sigh to my
performances. If it wasn't commissions,
it was so mighty near it that | thought
] was gone and felt like | couldn't go
too quick to suit myself They brought
me around with lime juice, but it was
weeks after landing before wanted any
sweetening in mine.
"The fact is that in the tropics almost
any cargo you have kind of tinges exist
ularly petroleum. \ man'll dream of pc
troleum after he's associated with it for
a month or so on shipboard. But pine
lumber really takes the cake when it
fairly gets into everything. never hap
pened to suffer much from that sort of
cargo myself but | saw crew that came
just as near death from too much pine
resin as men can come and pull through.
1--WE were in port at Rio when ship
came in laden with pine lumber More
than that, the fool of a skipper had let
somebody supply him with pine water
butts. Well, the resin began to get into
the water, and first they knew the crew
was pretty well poisoned with it. Then
they got so that they couldn't swallow
the water at all. or if they did they
couldn't hold it down a second. And
there wasn't any other water aboard.
They were in mighty great danger of dy-
ing of thirst with plenty of water aboard
just because the old man was new to
that kind Of voyaging. Rio happened Ia
be the nearest port. and, though it was
far out of their course. they put for it as
the only chance of saving their lives. I'd
hate to see again such a looking lot as
they were. They were dried out like
mummes and so weak that | don't sec
how they over worked the ship at all
When they got in, we thought at first il
was black smallpox, they were such fear.
full looking objects. When they did get
sweet water again, they drank till
thought they'd burst, and how they did
fight when We tried to get the pannkins
away for fear they'd kill themselves!
Some of 'eE. died in the hospital from
the effects. | never shipped on a pine
loaded ship after seeing that."-New
York sun
| HOW GILLETTE GOT STARTED.