The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-10-29
SAILORS WE'LL CARED FOR.
MANY OLD HARDSHIPS. OF SEA-
GOING DONE AWAY WITH.

GOING DONE AWAY WITH.
Comfortable Quarters on Modern yes-
sells for she Crsw-stenm TO do the
Hardest work-Thc Calling BETTER
Than some Land Occupations-Jnct
Ashore. e..
If some Of the old barnacles who
sailed the ocean blue generations ago
could see how their shipmates of the
present generation fare, they might
think that sailors life now has too
much ease and luxury about it and that
the charms Of sea life have dis
appeared.
The days when sailors were i'll fed,
slept in wet, cold forecastles on the soft
side Of a plank, worked like slaves
when at sea and were shiftless and
spendthrift when on shore are fast
passing away. Now those who go to
sea have three good square meals a
day and sleep in forecastle that is
heated by steam, well ventilated and
lighted by electricity.
There are all sorts of modern appli-
ances on board modern vessels that help
to make the work Of a sailor light and
easy, and those who are fortunate
enough to ship on modern sailing
craft are often more comfortable than
the man who has to work on shore ten
or twelve hours day to earn $1.25.
1t was not so very long ago that
sailors were i'll used and beaten when
on board ship. The food that was pre-
pared for them was often unfit to eat.
The quarters they occupied on the ship
were in the forward part, and in rough
weather would get wet and remain wet
for days and weeks at time. &.
For this sort of work they were ill
paid, rarely getting more than SIS a
month, and those who sailed on long
voyages, such as from this port to San
Francisco. would often on being paid
off receive few dollars for voyage
that had lasted many months. The rest
had gone for drafts on the slop chest.
There are sailing craft now under the
American flag that are floating palaces
compared with the old style vessels.
Some have pianos on board, and when
off duty and the vessel is sailing easily
the men can enjoy some music, for there
is usually one among their number who
can pick out a few tunes, and there are
always some who can sing.
Pianos are not found on sailing craft,
though, as often as organs are. The
piano is injured by the dampness of the
sea air, while the organ will keep in
shape much better, and rarely gets out
Of tune. a
There is not sailing craft over 500
tonnage built nowadays that does not
have a donkey engine. There is too,
steam windlass to get up the anchor
and hoist the sails.
The cargo is hoisted from the lighters
or piers and lowered into the hold by
steam derricks. There are steam
pumps. The vessels is washed down by
steam. 1T is hauled into the docks and
alongside the piers by steam. Not
many years ago all this work had to be
done by hand
What does all this mean to the sail
or? Formerly, when there was from
forty to sixty fathoms of cable out and
big anchor at the end of it, to get the
anchor up meant an hour or two of the
hardest kind Of toll.
The capstan was manned, and round
and round the sailors would walk, turn
ing it and bringing up the cable link by
link, while others were care
fully slowing the chain below. While
this was being done the master would
be Tuning and swearing at his men for
not working harder.
Now that magic power steam turns a
windlass. The cable is brought up in
short time, and the men who are detail
ed to the work have simply to watch
and see that all goes well and cathead
the anchor when it comes above the
water.
The sails are hoisted. These great
pieces of canvas are heavy and I'M
wieldy. The sailors cast off the gas
kets, the halliards are attached to cap
STAINS worked by steam. and soon the
sails are set. and all the men have to
do is to make fast the halliards and see
that the sails are trimmed right. This
used to be done by hand, and it was a
lone job to get all the sails up and
drawing.
This use of steam power is, of course,
a great benefit to the owner of the ves-
sci as well as to the sailor. There is a
great saving of time. Anchors are got
I'D much quicker than in the old way,
and sails are set and drawing in the
time that it used to take to get up one
piece Of canvas.
The steam pump is handy thing, too
in time of storms When a vessel is
leaking and there is a gale blowing the
steam pumps are started, and the sail
ors can give their whole attention to
the navigation of the vessel and to the
sails. III
Many a vessel has been lost and all