Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-07-17
THE LOWER DECK
Conditions Among the Rousta'
bouts Told of BY
Mate.
ARE In SPHERE BY THEMSELVES
Made TO Compel
Gambling TO be Conducted in
Orderly Way.

The passengers aboard one of the
luxurious passengers that ply the Mis-
sissippi river know little of the life
of the members of the crew of the
boat, the men whose labor makes the
trip in comfortable enjoyment a pos
sibility. Life on the lower deck is en-
tirely different from life anywhere
| else. On the lower deck are found the
rousabouts, or as commonly called
deck hands. or to use the term of the
steamboat mate, the boys" The facts
below are as told by one of the mates
who has been in charge of the lower
decks of the Diamond 10 boats for
the past 25 years.
On each of the Diamond 10 boats
there are two mates and these two
mates have charge of the deck hands
all the time the boat is on its trip
! from st. Louis and back Ia st. Paul.
Each mate works L. hours or holds
n 12-hour watch. In the day time,
however, there are usually two mates
on duty. One is called the first mate
and the other the second mate. The
first mate seldom leaves the boat to
go on shore. His place is ON the first
found on the front end of the lower
deck supervising the transferring of
freight and other incidental work
The second mate is the boss" of
the deck hands when they reach the
shore, or after they leave the stage
plank.
The roustabout must be equal to
hardship, if his work may be so term
cd as there is not laboring man
in the country today who receives
higher pay for his labor than the
black man who works as a deck hand
on the big steamers of the Mississippi
When the boat is stcaming up or
down the river the deck hand has his
recess. That is, if there isn't any
freight to be separated and made
ready to be unloaded at the next
stop.
where They Gamble.
While the wheel is turning and the
hoarse whistle remains unblown the
deck hands are crowded together in
coterie in vacant space on the low
er deck piled high on both sides
with freight of every description, and
here is where they roll" the dice and
gamble for the wages of one another.
1t has often been the case that
certain men of the crew will not have
a single penny of their trips wages
after they land in St. Louis. through
their being unlucky with the bones"
This does not wear on the mind of the
regular deck hand. however. But the
most interesting feature of this prac-
tice is that the first mate has among
the darkies on the boat a right hand
man, whom he knows he can trust
and one he knows to be capable of
carrying out his instructions, and to
this man is left the responsibility of
seeing that no man cheats in the crap
games and creates no unnecessary
disturbance. and lastly to queH any
personal encounters But there is
seldom a deck hand who. who il he
knows he is fitted for the place. will
not readily accept the commission
and be a favorite man with the mas
ter of the deck. \ deck hand in this
capacity who proves to the mate that
he has performed his duties faithfully
| is a favorite man on the lower deck
and is usually well provided for dur
ing the winter months by his instruc-
tor the mate, when the big boats are
not in service. The man. one must
understand, who accepts the trust,
must be man of powerful physique.
and with an established reputation of
being one who means what he says,
and if he tells one of his fellows to
''be good he will, if necessary, reduce
him to a state of docility.