The Honolulu republican., 1902-01-11
IS DEM0RALIZING TO
DEEP WATER SAILORS
NEW YORK THE WORST PORT.
There Jack is Beaten and Robbed,
Shanghaied ard Sold for Gold
Portland and New York He'll
for Sesmer.
From the New York sun.

2 TOM AAF -NF@ lbAh 49,
Foreign seamen say that the port
OF New York is a hard and uncharlta-
bic place. and that its reputation ex-
tends the seas over" From Liver
pool TO Hong Kong. wherever there
gather crews for the deep-sea mer-
chantmen. one hears curses on York,
the gay town; York. the touch town,
where Jack gets beaten and robbed.
shanghaied and sold for gold. But
though he may get as far away from
Manhattan as is possible, he is al
wavs sure 10 turn about and come
rolling back
In this he is never disappointed.
His American brother is amply pro-
tected by the Seamen's union, the
Legal Aid society. and the Marine
hospital. and the land sharks are
forced to siepend for their game sole
" on foreign bottoms. The game
NAV have deserted his ship. prompt
ed by a curiosity 10 " see things in
New York: he may be just out Of
hospital. physically weak. but strong
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 fell
lows along the river fronts-the most
exposed places in the city in this
weather-loafing in front OF the grog
shops. or in some hallway sleeping
OF a nights orgy.
One may find samples OF i'll treat
ed sailors on almost any morning al
the dispensaries OF the little seamens
mission and the lower East side.
What do you think of New York;"
was asked OF a young Englishman,
who was having his wounds dressed,
one morning last week. The man
had been drugged. beaten. and rob
bed the night before, "tt amt quite
as bad as Portland. Ore" was the
answer. Portland. and not. as in old
days. Port Said. is the seamen's stan
dard OF comparison for the ports of
the world.
Present day seamen come far from
being the strong. rugged men that
romance and fiction have made them
ont TO be. Deepsea vessels that sail
the world round pass three and four
climatic changes in one cruise. The
men are naturally ivprovident and
seldom carry sufficient clothing. At
the Battery dispensary Of the United
States Marine hospital, 500 outdoor
cases were attended to last month,
and - at the hospital at Stapleton.
$. l. The sick of the foreign mer-
chant vessels in the hsrbor are sent
to Long Island College hospital.
which. last month. cared for not less
than forty patients. This. in com
parison 10 the American sick list and
the large number OF foreign seamen
in port. during this cold. raw wealth
er. is very small and leaves the inn
preston that possibly there are ma
ny who should &c that never do.
Crews that come into the harbor
aboard foreign ships are usually TAX
en on in home waters. and that means
that the crew signed papers which
We're TO hold them for three years.
or until the ship entered home port
again. To these ships New York is
? foreign port. and shipmasters who
want 10 keep their crews never give
them shore leave Sickness is the
only excuse that opens q way for
Jack ashore and consequently this
plea is used early and often So.
to protect himself from takers. the
master hires the first doctor taat
comes over the side. He examines
the men for sick leave. prescribes for
those he can treat on board. and
sends the others TO the hospitals.
The doctor often stretches q point in
favor OF the captain. and many a
sailor has gone 20 sea when he should
have been sent ashore 10 s hospital.