The Republican journal., 1902-04-17

Most of the standard ship rigging
firms have a regular staff of men, whom
| they employ year after year, The ranks
of the rlggerS, which are constantly de-
pleted by injury and death, are recruit
ed mainly from the merchant marine.
1t is easy to find experienced sailors
who are nimble and active. and there
are plenty more unemployed with a
talent for mental mathematics, but the
combination so necessary for the rlgger
is very rare.
The expert rigger must have an eye
which can measure distance with the
accuracy of a three-foot rule. He must
know the names and use of every last
detail of a ships rigging. No other
trade, probably, is reached by so long
| and arduous an apprenticeship.
| Anyone who expects to become fore
man or an expert rigger must begin his
experience with two years spent before
| the mast at sea- In many long. rough
voyages the apprentice learns to be per-
fectly at home in any part of the ships
rigging and i'll any weather
From the ship the apprentice is grad
uated in time to the drawing board,
where several years must be spent be
| fore he can be trusted with the more
! OIillN ttll lIOpIClIIS VI lllo llttetS' iNli
| comes finishing postgraduate course
i'll the shipyards.
/ To a laudsman the transformation of
ship in the hands of a gang of expert
| rlggers is almost like magic. The rig
gers first attack the sails and the ropes
| which show amy signs of Weakness
/ The tattered canvas is cut and torn
| from its place and falls to the deck be
low. The spars and the vast network
! of rigging wherein any weakness is
| discovered go the same way.
Within a few hours at most the tow
ering masts have been laid bare. If the
work is begun at night. which is usual
! by the time this rigging has been re-
! moved morning has daWned, and new
gang of men take the place of the night
Shift. Tbs masts stand entirely strip
| ped. except for the shrouds and back
stays.
| Heavy ropes are now spliced securely
! about the mast and carried to the sever
al derricks. At a signal the shrouds
are severed and the stepping of the
mast in the hold of the ship is knocked
apart. The powerful derricks are set in
motion, and the mast slowly rises in
the air, is swung clear of the deck, and
let fall alongside with great splash.
The new stick is next quickly rugged
to the derricks and swung easily into
| place. 1t is scarcely secured before the
rlggers again swarm aloft, carrying
fresh ropes and sails, which are quickly
spices and knotted about the stout
sticks, and in a wonderfully short time
| the rehabilitated craft is fit for sea ser
vic again
Despite the very general use of steam,
the trade Of ship rigging has remained
extremely profitable. OF late years,
there has been an important revival OF
the sailing vessel in the carrying trade.
The iron tramp steamship is being re-
| placed by the many masted steel
schooners
These vessels are the clipper ships of
| these days. The cost and maintenance
of the sailing craft are so much less
than that of steamships, and by the
skillful use of currents and trade winds
they make such good time that they
have been found to pay enormous
| profits.
The Standard Oil Company, which
has the reputation of seeing somewhat
/ farther than its hose, has recently
| abandoned its steam tank ships III its
/ Chinese and Asiatic service and has re-
| placed them with sailing craft. Mean
/ While the ship riggeI is looking forward
| to the growth of our merchant marine
with perfect confidence. New lork