The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-20
The TURK AN AMUSING SAILOR
HIS HAPPY.GO-LECKY METHODS
AS A NAVIGATOR.

Man OF Mar-Turks Good sailors.
when Kept Under Proper Discipline.
The Turk as q seaman il as amusing az no :
is terrible as a soldier For every story
Of Macedonian outrage by bashi- bazouk
one about the funny antics Of his seafarins
brother in Islam can be told.
A story that has become classic among
Mediterranean sailors illustrates the Turks
inability as a navigator. f..
A Turkish steamer with native captain
put out Of the Dardanelles, bound Tor
Trieste, Austria. As soon a. he lost sight
Of land the Turkish skipper likewise isst
his bearings.
Just then another steamer came up from
astern. and the Turk made signals that
he wished to speak with the stranger. The :
latter, on approaching, proved to DO
French tramp.
Where are you bound forl' asked To
Turk.
-Brsst," returned the Frenchman.
The Turk asked no more questions and
allowed the Frenchman to 20 ahead. The
next morning the French captain notfoed
that the Turk was astern, and following
In his wake When on the second morning
he still found the Turk in his wake, his elr-
prise grew. On the third day 1t was the
same, and 40 on the fourth-ths French
captain always made out that lurHnn
steamer coming up astern.
On the fifth day he let the Turk overhaul
him and asked for an explanation. BY
this time thcy were we'll down the Meda.
terranean toward the French coast.
why do you keep 30 close astern OF mss'
roared the French captain through mega
phone.
Il am following you to Trieste, answered
the Turk.
Whereupon the French captain sent
boat aboard the steamer flying the crescent
| to explain to her commander that he was
about Ave hundred miles on his course
and to instruct him how to regainit.
! Wonderful to seaman's ears are the
81 cries told Of the small Turkish schooners
that navigate the Black Sea. the Bosphorus
and the Sea Of Marmora. In tho first place,
| 1t IL said that no watches are kept ana
| that all hands, including the man AZ the
wheel, not intrequently sleep at once.
There Is no discipline. The sailors never
clean ship or wash down decks. This
is easy to believe. II you ever sail close
to windward OF Turkish craft one whin
from it's decks will convince you that clean
ing is not the Turks strongest point In
seamnnship
II is further averred that these schooners
never carry compasses and dare not lose
sight OF land. They have captains, but
the rest Of the crew are all equals; they
eat, sleep and quarrel together. and are At
liberty to call themselves the mates or the
sailors, a. they choose. =.
On ono ship boarded by tho writer AL
hands we're on deck, each ono dressed most
picturesquely in fez and loose colored jacket
and trousers. Every one Of them was
hideously dirty.
As we were talking q sheep came up
from the cabin and was followed by big
cat which rubbed against the sheep In a
most friendly and purring manner. Chickens
were perched about on any place that
offered roost. A goat that had rubbed
its whiskers into the universal dirt until
they were fringed black and white at the
roots ambled about the decks.
visit to Turkish man-o'war showed a
sight quite as odd She was big. wooden
box-snaped craft, with high, old fashioned
poop Che was anchored In the Dardanslles
doing temporary custom house duty, 40
we had to board her on business.
The deck seemed to have had trouble
with a gale, but that may have been due to
the fact that the sailors were evidently
irving to build what looked like big coop
for chickens. An elderly gentleman with
spectacles was experimenting the work IN
| h1a ahirt sleeves,
he had q broad, benevolent smne; It
took In strangers a. we'll ~ the crew. But
beyond an intense desire to b pleasans
the old gentleman did not seem to know
me- Several sailors stood about In pensays
attitudes, contemplating what was 70 b.
done, but not doing It. Tho benevoaens
gentleman In shirt slesvss was tho besn,
We were told.
The captain, trimmed UP In much eoId
lace, smoked q hookah on the poop a1o
seerned to And the mess aInidships a1apas
food for contemplation. His Lieutsnanf.
who was fishing over the rail, pulled up
fish about three inches long with merry
: whoop, just Is we stepped on tho cabin
deck. After he bad ba1ted his hook again
he turned to attend 10 our businses.
When they are we'll oflcered, Turks are
} not bad sailors But Turk cannot oon-
maud q Turk on the water. AZ 2 result.
almost all the few steamers that form the
Turkish merchant marine are commanded
Nv Austrian officers, while only the -petty
ofacers and sailors are children a !siam.
The engineers are usually Scosonmen.
; When so Differed the sailors are nos 90
likely to lose their presence OF MIND IN
moments Of danger.
An incident ii the harbor Of Tdesto.
Austria, shows how much an sfiloient ofnos!
: means 70 Turkish sailors. A fire OCCURRED
on q Turkish steamer with an Austrian
8 captain, who happened at the tne to b
, off his ship.
. No rational attempt was being made ID
, ettin rulsh the fro The bo's'n trotted "
and down, calling on Allah. Ono quarter.
master was making an heroic attempt
1 to check the flames BY throwing whtei
r On the outside OF the deck house with glass
, Another man had taken refuge In the man
:, shroude, where he was bawling forth uAin
tellipible advice to those below. Twt
! others were undoing . boat flashing VIII
/ frantic haste, forgetful Of the fact that tn
8 boat, attached only by painter, hoatet
q alongside.
But the coming OF the Austrian skippe
made an instant change: As he landed o.
deck he let out q roar. Instantly the PAM
abated. Each man stood quiet.
Then, in a calmer voice, the AUSTRIAN
: gave ont succession Of orders, and In nv.
I. minutes all hands had formed into vel
D organized bucket brigade and were passtn
water to the burning house. The nre, D!
!. this time, had gained some Roadway. but Ii
half an hour il was under control and he