Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-04
GAMBLING ON BOARD SHIP.
Bets Are Made on Everything From a
Prayer to a Days Run.

From the New York Times.
It's a blessed thing for everybody con-
cerned that committees of FIVE fifteen
or any other number, don't operate on the
Atlantic" remarked the purser of one of
the great transatlantic liners few days
ago. as he finished reading story about
John Doe" in one of the morning papers.
Talk about gambling in New York. IT
can't touch the article we encounter at
sea 1t must be contagious Is the only way
I can account for 1t. / have been travelling
to and fro between this and the other side
for many years but when 1t comes to
gambling I believe that the game as prac-
ticed on board ship IS about the most per-
feet system that has ever been developed.
i have seen men wager money how
long a distinguished divine would pray at
the Sunday morning services. or how much
q delicate passenger would weigh at the
end of a rough passage. and other things
that on shore would be denounced In
uncertain terms.
''Of course, there are no roulette wheels
or other professional paraphernalia aboard
ship, but. what's lost in equipment Is more
than made up In the ingenious ways, etc,
that the male contingent generally think
to win or lose few dollars. AS every one
knows, the pool on the days run is the
greatest and most popular of all the wag
ers. Every morning the sporting element
will assemble in the smoking saloon. Soon
some one will suggest the pool. The idea
Is Immediately seconded from all parts of
the apartment. and one of the number IS
elected to act as the auctioneer. Then the
fun is If 1t Is one of the faster boats
the large numbers sell the highest. For
instance. II the ship is one that will aver
age $50 knots day the figures near that
sum bring the highest bids, unless the day
is an unusually rough one when a more
moderate number is the fayorite.
One man will bid in. say, 800 knots at
$50; another man will bid In a lesser num-
Der at a smaller figure. and so on down the
scale until the pool is complete. and the
END OF the day awaited In order to ascer-
tain who the bidder Is who has come near
est the logging total The pool is about
the most plausible of all the marine gamb-
ling devices, for in it it Is impossible for
the sharks that sometimes cross over to
get in any of their crooked work
These Sharks who are as a general
rule of the card kind, are often encoun-
tered at sea. and some OF them become so
well known and SO oStraCiSed by the pas
senSers that in the end they have to give
up the Atlantic and continue their work
on shore, where there are no smoking
room stewards or purserS to recognize
them and warn their. intended victims
They will work all the lines never cross
Ing IN the same boat twice. until all the
more fashionably patronized liners have
been worked when they will begin all over
again. taking the whole list, going over on
one line and coming back on a vessel of
one of its rivals. In recent years though.
We nave DccH dDlc TO locate a great manS
of these people. and as a result they don't
stay on board very long before they are
discovered and their crookedness exposed
But the crook is the exception on the
ocean / am glad to say. and while gam
bling, as practiced on ships is varied in
nature. 1t is nevertheless practically honest
all the way through. Betting on the
weight of sick passengers or whether this
or that young woman viii appear at break
last, or how long the Rev. 'Se-and-So' will
pray or preach, while not exactly good
form. don't hurt anybody except the fel-
low VINO taxes the wrong end of the bet
Although women are moi allowed in the
smoking saloon, they can get some male
friend TO bid the numbers III for them and
have known several of them to come into
port much better off financially than they
were when they sailed. Poker is another
great game at sea, and here IL Is that the
shark gets his hand in. Not long ago on
my ship there Were two of these charac-
tiers on board, The passengers had been
warned. but one young fellow, more guile
less than the others. evidently did not take
the warning seriously, FOR during the con-
cert the professionals got him in the
smoking room When the concert ended
he had just about enough money left to
pay his cab hire from 10Th street to the
Hoffman House. We can't reform the in
nocent. but we can the experienced. and
one warning is all that Is necessary to
make the latter as stingy with their long
green as a cat Is with her kittens
We'll, this Is enough, isn't il % at last
SAID the purser, who. pulling out box of
cigars, asked all of his hearers to take
one. and call again on hts next arrival.
oh, | forgot" called the purser as his
friends started to Ieaye his cabin ITO tell
you about the fellow who bet another fell
low that there would be some new Gus
toms rules in operation when We reached
New YORK. Wen. you needn't look so in
credulous, for no such bet was made
Good luck and goodbye he said and he
started TO work getting things In shape for
the next eastward passage.