The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-25
INCOMPETENT SAILORS
A CURSE TO SHIPPING
Chief Drawback TO the Merchant
Marine Is the Lack of Capable
and Experienced Seamen.
CAUSE OF THE TROUBLE

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON. Jan. 24.-One of the worst
curses of the present merchant marine is the
incompetency of the seamen. and one of the
most important factors in the successful
management of ships at sea is a crew of
competent men If the master is
sonable man, supported by well-drilled and
competent officers together with a crew of
well-trained seamen, a good vessel can
weather almost any storm At the present
time shipowners find great difficulty in OBJ
tanning the services of EACH and all of these
men who are qualified for their duties, al
though many are found i'm possession of
good discharges. This Is due in great de-
gree 10 shipmasters, who frequently give
able seamen's discharges 10 men who have
spent but brief period at sea. United
States Consul Cooling, writing from New
castle. New South Wales says that ships
frequently reach that port the entire crews
OF which have never before seen salt water
They include laborers. doctors. lawyers
parsons, clerks. farmers and coal miners
1t is fact that men are shipped In foreign
going sailing vessels whose sea-going eXper-
fence is of the most limited description.
Formerly q long period of service was nee
essary before an able seamans discharge
was given. and such a document was a
guaranty that the possessor knew and could
perform his work. But in those days mon
made long voyages and were paid off in the
years service. In the majority of cases to-
day the sailor makes voyages from port TO
port. He is either discharged deserts,
becomes stranded in some seaport, and is
a. the mercy of the crmp and the boarding
house keeper. Consequently under these con-
ditions there is continual interchange OF
discharges The seaman who has been dis
charged for incompetency has deserted
and has been ashore for some time, becomes
a drug on some boarding house master $
hands. To secure him vessel. a discharge
is secured from seaman with good ere
dentias. recently paid off. and the incom-
petent man then goes to sea with a docu-
ment indicating that he possesses all the
necessary qualifications.
When Seamen are In demand there is moth
ing TO prevent a shore man from being sub
stituted for a competent sailor, as these
men are frequently put on board at the mo-
ment Of sailing 1t is manifest that the ship
master has no opportunity of testing their
ability until il is too late to make ex-
change. AS a result. many a shipmaster
has found himself with a crew from which
he cannot select three men who might be
trusted with the wheel in bad weather. TO
this condition of affairs disaster loss of
property, and sometimes loss of life, can be
traced. 1t matters not how stanch vessel
there are times when an incompetent crew
may bring about her destruction. BY long
experience IL has been found wise to en-
ploy competent sailors petty officers. but
too often preference Is shown for a class of
men whose chief qualification is a capacity
to handle cargo and drive sailors.
The prime cause OF this condition OF af-
house masters. who supply crews to vessels.
and partly to masters who give an able sea
mans discharge to incompetent men-many
times to get rid of them.