The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-31
PIANOS ABOARD SHIPS.
Music in These Days not Confined to
Ocean Liners.

There's many a ship that enters and
! leaves the port of Boston which has on
board a fine piano or organ, and strange
as ii may seem, classic music is now ana
then heard on a coaster laden with lumber
or coal The day of the black, smoky and
uninviting cabin has long since passed;
no longer does the captain coop himself
up in a poorly ventilated box All of the
larger vessels now have fine commodious
prettily furnished quarters astern-of
course there are still a few Of the anti
Quated cabins remaining on the very cid
ships. Today the captain may have his
family with him, and they can live very
comfortably IN nice suite of rooms, the
number and size of which depend on the
size of the ship he sails 1t is TO the pres
cnce Of women on board that most every
piano owes its berth in the cabin. And
why should not the captains wife or
daughter have the advantages of a piano
when she accompanies him on his voy-
ages? 1t seems little unusual TO the
| landsman, whose Idea of a sea captains
| life is that he simply exists when
aboard ship and dissipates when on shore,
! but to one better acquainted with their
/ habits il is only the natural thing. Pianos
1 and organs are the most common of mu-
| steal Instruments in the cabins. but
| among the sailors almost every variety
/ is represented.
| When ! was goin mate of a vessel
| rllnnin' from Frisco to Seattle some two
| years ago. said the first mate of the big
| siX-master George w. Wells, we had
pretty good band aboard. The boys would
get out their horns whenever they had a
| chance, and tell YOU ii was pretty good
! to hear them, especially after a hard
| blow. Was | ever on vessel which had
| piano aboard? Why. yes, the very last
| cap'n / sailed under bought nice upright
| for his sister who lived abroad. Another
| schooner / was on, and which was en-
gagged in the South American trade, had
| a piano built especially to tit a queer
| shaped corner Of the cabin.
| Pianos and organs amt uncommon on
| three and four masters these times, said
| the first mate, who had been putting an
| old clay pipe and listening to the younger
| man. You see. whenever there are
women folks aboard the cap'n usually
| wants something to keep EN- from goin'
down In the galley and botherin' the
cook, 50 he buys an organ or piano
Just which they like the best. II is pretty
good now and then TO have little music
sort o. livcns fellow UP bit. | could
name a dozen or more Schooners which
| have pianos, and q lot more with organs" "
a retired sea captain who lives In Eas:
Boston. when asked if he remembered
many VI ssels with musical instruments
| in either the cabin or the forecastle. re
piled. In the days when ships were
smaller and the cabins less rOony 1t was
a rare thing To find Il piano or an organ
in the cabin Of even the wealthiest cap
| tain. The sailors not infrequently had a
| concertiua or an accordion for amuse-
| mcnt with the enlargement OF the ships
| the quarters have become more roomy
both fore and aft and pianos and organs
are common enough in the captain $
| rooms; the sailors bring along their pet
| Instruments. too 1t is certainly fact
| that the men who go down TO the sea in
ships are about as well supplied with
music as their friends on the land. Or
gans are not as popular with the seamen
as pianos; nevertheless there are many
| Of them ailodt. probably owing TO the
| fact that they are much cheaper. Some
times coaster OF two or three hundred
| tons will have very good plano. The
wide range OF the selections played on
one Of these vessels Is often amusing BY
| walking from the forecastle to the cabin
| one NAV hear the latest popular rag
| time songs replaced by compositions
| from the great masters.
| In sharp contrast to the presence of
| pianos aboard merchant vessels II the
| fact that they are rarely found on the
ships of the United States Navy. Proba-
| bly, there are not more than half "A dozen
| warshIps which have them. The s1rmored
cruiser New York, flagship of Admiral
Sampson during ting war with Spain, has
| a fine upright. bought just before the out
break OF hostiities. Each officer contrib
uted toward the purchase OF the lnstru
| ment and owned share IN II. These
shares deterioratsd slightly In value o'tci
month so that at the end Of two years
nothing was left When a new officer
Joined the mess he was requested to con
tribute his share. After a while. how
over. the newcomers declined TO pay any
thing. and finally the piano became th'
property OF Lieut.. Ernst l.. Bennett, Nd
, | miral SIMPSONS aide. and fellow ON
, | Ger When they Were detached they gave
r | IL TO the mess, and II rs now pernaheh
: | fixture on the ship. Some OF the othc
| fiagships have pianos bought by the OH
: | GERS IN this same way, but most of then
, | deem their bands sufficient. The Nav,
{ | Department never buys the pianos.
Every ship with a chaplain aboard Il
| supplied with an organ, to be used In con
= | nection with the religious services. Thes
= | organs are furnished by church organiza
8 tons, and are never purchased by the de
e | partment. The bluejackets amuse them
| selves with banjos. guitars, and mando
Inns. on some warships the men are al
| lowed to get together occasionally for al
s | impromptu concert. Then 1t II that tn
= | musical resources VI the ship are taxed
9 ia gtimes and quicksteps follow one an
other in quick succession, and jackie 1
$ | happy.