The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-01-04
DEMORALIzINo TO SAILORS.
Are the Ports Of New York and Port
land, OEsgon-

land, 0Eegon-
Foreign seamen say that the port Of
New York is a hard and uncharitsble
place, and that its reputation extends
"the seas over" From Liverpool to
Hong-Kong, says the New York Even
ing Post, wherever there gather
crews of the deep-ses merchantmen,
one hears curses on York, the gay
town; York, the tough town, where
Jack gets beaten and robbed, shang-
haied and sold for gold. But though
he may get as far away from Manhat-
tan as is possible, he is always sure to
turn about and come rolling back.
In this he is never disappointed.
His American brother is amply pro-
tected by the Seamen's un1on the Lee
gal Aid society, and the Marine hospi-
tai, and the land sharks are forced to
depend for their game solely on for
eign bottoms The "game" may
have deserted his ship, prompted by a
curiosity to see things" in New York
he may be just out of ahospital, phys
ically weak, but strongi in his desire for.
dissipation; his ship may be waiting
for a cargo, or he may be a tramp,
Cumming his way home. One may
see these poor fellows along the river
fronts loafng in front Of the grog
shops, or in some hallway sleeping off
a nights orgy.
One may find samples Of ill-treated
sailors on almost any morning at the
dispensaries Of the little seamen's
mission on the lower East side. what
do you think of New York; was asked
Of a young Englishman, who was hav-
ing his wounds dressed one morning
recently. The man had been
drugged, beaten and robbed the night
before. ut amt quite so bad al Port
land, Ore, was the answer. Portland,
and not as in the old days, Port Said,
isthe seamen's standard Of comparison
for the ports Of the world.
Present day seamen come far from
being the strong, rugged men thatro-
nance and fiction have made them out
to be. Deep-sea vessels that sail the
world round pass three and four eli
matte changes in the cruise. Themen
are naturally im%proyident and seldom
carry sufficient clothing. At the
Battery d%ispensary Of the Unit
ed States Marine hospital 500
"outdoor' cases we're attended to
last month and 95 at the hos
pital at Stapleton, 81 The sick
Of the foreign merchant vessels in the
harbor are sent to Long Island College
hospital which last month cared for
not less than 40 patients. This, in
comparison with the American sick
list and the large number of foreign
seamen in port, during this cold and
raw weather, is very small and leaves
the impression that possibly there are
many who should go that never do.
Crews that come into the harbor
aboard foreign ships are usuallytaken
on in home waters, and that means
that the crew signed papers which
were to hold them for three years, or
until the ship entered a home port
again. To these ships New York is a
foreign port, and shipmasters who
want to keep their crews never give
them shore leave. Sickness is the only
excuse that opens a way for Jack
ashore, and consequently this plea is
used early and often. So to protect
himself from fakirs, the master hires
the first doctor that comes over the
side. He examines the men for sick
leaves, ~prescribes for those he can
treat on board, and sends the others
to the hospitals. The doctor often
stretches a point in favor Of the cap
tain, and many a sailorhas gone to sea
when he should have been sent ashore
to a hospital.