The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-11-14
sHrpBoARD MUsrc
N9vens the Tedious Honra % saAAQRn
Wh1le on voyages o2 Greet
Lenwth.

'You are invited to q musicale op the
ship Orinoco. In Erie Basin, Friday even
Inc. August 28.'
AZ number of persons responded e this
invitation cheerfully, for they knew the
captain very we'll, relates the New York
Times. He had been 81 the South Amer
lean trade to this pert for a number o.
years, married a Brooklyn girl, and
made money for the owners Of his ship
in spite of the number Of steamers that
bore down upon him. The mate received
the guests at the gangway, andthe cheer
fuI captain and his wife did duty below.
The captain displayed with pride q new
piano presented by the owners, g beaut-
fuf piece OF polished mahogany, with
works Of the best construction; q piano
that he said would not move from its
bearings If the ship turned turtle.
The captain further explained that he
put aboard a cheaper piano at therequest
OF his wife when they were married.
Sailors love music, and the good emects
of ii were so apparent on the crew that
the owners had decided to put them on
all their sailing vessels, beginning with
his. 1t is nothing surprising these days
to hear a piano on a good sailing ship,
he said. why, only the other day +
heard the strains Of apiano comingfrom
an old canal boat over there.
When the musicale began the captain,
his wife accompanying, sang in a round
and pleasant voice TOsti's "Good-by.
Then the mate, with the same accom-
PIANIST, played melodies Of South Amer
lea that seemed to make the ship roll and
bow to the waves under the southern
moon. The effect of a combination like
that in a Fifth avenue drawing room
would be electric. A purser from a South
American steamer anchored in the basin
played a horn solo. The captains wife
sans songs of the Amazon women, as she
had pictured them in her voyages, and
then came a rousing glee by the crew.
1T is a rare thing now" said the cap
tain, ito ind a sailing ship without a
piano, especially If she belongs to agood
line. Ocean liners haven't any monopoly
in that business, by a good deal. How
often do you find a tramp or a freight line
steamer with a piano! Women in
Orinoco get New York songs sooner than
many Of our American towns do. They
are very quick to play by ear, and ONE
Of them copy from my wife's music and
from that Of the wives Of other captains.
When l got there IN my last voyage 1
heard everybody singing: The Good
Old Summer Time They caught the
contagion from a Liverpool vessel.
Il invite my men to come into the
cabin when or watch and make use of
the piano. All sailors on long voyage
have much spare time that they don't
know what to DO with. They loll in the
fo'c'sle and play cards. They smoke
more than is good for them. Some Of
my crew do that still, in spite of the
piano, but the most Of them are in the
cabin whenever they can get there, sing
ing and playing. They organized the
glee club, l didn't. We have a man who
can play the ~concertina, and another
who can do wonders with an old flute
that he bought in a South street junk
shop 80 years ago.
Another thing-a sailor, like any
man, is more careful in his personal APP
pearance> if ne knows he is to appear with
a lady. 1t is a wholesome thing, in my
opinion, for a captain to take his wife
to sea-"