The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-09-05
Sailors Scarce.
None to be had in Boston.


1t is actually a fact, says the Boston
journal OF Aug. goth, that, at present in
Boston and in some of the seaports far
Their east, sailors are scarce. In Port
land, Me-, several vessels were obliged
to wait some time till crew could be
obtained, and, in Boston only last week
one agent was obliged to send to New
Bedford to get crew OF seven or eight
men.
This scarcity is to be traced to GER
tain natural reasons, and the shipping
agents in Boston all have the same
story. A Jou rnal representative in
vestlgated the condition of the sailor
market yesterday, and called on Mr. G.
Z. Mariner, who for is years has been
out OF this port He admitted that it
was fact that the sailors were hard to
get, and he gave as a reason the more
attractive cruises offered by the yachts,
and the better wages that they paid.
''The barge business, too," says Mr..
Mariner, ''has played the devil with
the. sailors. so far as Boston is con-
cerned. 1t was once SO that you could
get plenty OF sailors here, but the barges
have made difference, and then, too,
this year everybody has money enough
and is going yachting, and that takes
away the S ailors.''
MIR. Mariner said that ordinarily he
shipped as many as hundred men
a week, but only last week he had to
send to New Bedford for a crew; but
he anticipated that the stringency was
only temporary, and that just as soon as
the yachting season was over there
would be men enough.
At Mc1ntire & Woodbury's the same
story was told. Mr. McIntire said that
the yachts offered greater inducements
to the men, for they would pay them at
least $50 month and find them their
clothes, which was much better than
the coasters would do, where the sailor
is paid S2o in a vessel OF 500 tons or
under, and S30iD one over that size and
up to 1900 tons; above which the men
were paid $35 month. In all these
places the men were obliged to clothe
| themselves.
1t was also said here that the Boston
shipping agents had to furnish men for
vessels in other ports; that vessel at
Portland or Bath would lose it's crew
for various reasons; they would leave
| and scatter; some would go ashore to
| work, some would take to the Bank
ers," where they could be gone all sum-
mer at good wages, and being afioat all
the time would be SO removed from
temptations that they would save their
money more easily; and others would
| ship on the yachts. In such cases, the
same scarcity existing in those ports,
| the agents would send to Boston, and
that would shorten the supply. But
Mr.. Mc1ntire expected as soon as the
| yachting season was over that there
would be plenty of seamen.
| AT W. .. SaWyerS it was stated that
the Navy was one of the rivals of the
merchant marine, and that the superior
| inducements which the service could
offer took away many men; the yachts
were also included as one of the princi-
pal resorts of the sailor in the summer,
but which he would soon have to leave
| There are more local yachts in commits
sion this year, too, and that had drawn
from the Boston supply Of available
Seamen
tits very evident that the shortage of
sailors is confined only to the coasting
and deep water business, for the fisher
men are able to get all they want on the
wharves, without being obliged to re-
sort to the good offices of the agent;
and visit to Charley Ballem's place Of
! business at the head OF Commercial
Wharf showed that there, where they
! ship men for the Atlantic cattle steam
! ers, they can get men enough at rates
for the voyage of from S75 down to
! nothing; all they had to do was to get
i the men to the dock and they could Sc
cure more men than they could find
them places.
So the jovial seaman can have his
summer vacation in his way just the
same as some other people, but in time
he has to lay aside the butterfly life of
the trim yacht, and come back to the
stern responsibilities of the coaster,
which ''aint all beer an skittles." By
! the time the yachting seasons ends,
there will be sailors enough for all the
fleet that sails out of Boston, or any
other port.
! Q oRfA.
L.. U..lu H. n.