The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-12-09
SAILORS WELL KEPT.
MANp OLD HARDsHIps OF sEA.oo.
ING DONE AWAY WITH.

Than Some Land ocoupasons---
Jack Ashore.
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 a sailors life now has too
much ease and luxury about It. and
that the charms of a sea life have dis
appeared.
The days when sailors were i'll fed,
slept In wet, cold forecastles on the
soft side of plank, worked like slaves
when at sea and were shftless and
spendthrift when on shore are fast
passing away. Now those who go to
sea have three coed square meals per
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 sailor light
and easy, and those who are fortunate
enough TO ship on a modern sailing
craft are often more comfortable than
pr twelve hours day to earn SLIPS.
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 en- the
ship were in the forward part, and in
rough weather would get wet and re-
main wet for days and weeks at
time.
For this sort of work they were i'll
paid, rarely getting more than S15 a
month, and these who sailed on long
voyages, such as from this port to San
Francisco, would often on being paid
off receive a few dollars for Il 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 pal
aces compared with the old style YES.
sells. 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
lumber who can pick out few tunes,
and there are always some who can
sing.
Pianos are not found on sailing
sraft, though, as often as organs are.
Tho piano is injured by the dampness
of the sea air, while the organ will
keep in shape much better, and rarely
gets cut Of tune.
There Is not a sailing craft OF over
500 tonnage built nowadays that does
not have donkey engine. There is,
too, steam windlass to get up the an
chor and hoist the sails.
The cargo is nolsted from the light
ers or piers and lowered into the hold
by steam derricks. There are steam
pumps. The vessel 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 40
to 60 fathoms of cable out, and big
anchor at the end of it. to get the an
chor up meant an hour or two Of the
hardest kind of toll
The capstan was manned, and round
and round the sailors would walk.
turning 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 fuming and swearing at his men
fol- not working harder.
Now that magic power steam turns
windlass. The cable Is brought up in
short time, and the men who are de-
tailed to the work nave simply TO
watch and see that all gees well and
cathead the anchor when it comes
above the water.
The sails are to be hoisted. These
great pieces of canvas are heavy and
unwieldy. The sailors cast off the
gaskets, the halliards are attached to
capstans 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 long 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 vessel. as well as to the sailor
There is o. great saving of time. An
chors are got up much quicker than in
the old way. and sails are set and
drawing in the time that 1t 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
sailors can give their whole attention
to the navigation of the vessel and to
the sails.
Many a vessel he's been lost and all
on board drowned because the leak
has been more than the hand pumps
could overcome, and the men, tired
out with long work at pumping, could
not save the vessel. While they have
manned the pumps and worked for
dear life, spars, sails and rigging have
gone by the board, and the vessel has