The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-01-08
SAILORS WELL KEPT.
MAND OLD HARDsHlPs OF sEA-Go.
ING DONE AWAY WITH.

man some Land OcCuPatiohS-
Jack Ashore.
II 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 new 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 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 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 modern sailing
craft are often more comfortable than
the man who has to WORK on shore ten
or twelve hours day to earn SIPS.
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 re-
main wet for days and weeks at a
time.
For this sort of work they were i'll
paid, rarely getting more than SIS
month, and those who sailed on long
voyages, such as from this port to San
Francisco, would often on being paid
off receive a 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 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
number who can pick out 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.
There is not sailing craft of over
500 tonnage built nowadays that does
not have a donkey engine. There is,
too, steam windlass to get up the an
Choir and hoist the sails.
The cargo is noIsted from the light
ers or piers and lowered into the hold
by steam derrichs. 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 a big
anchor at the end of 1t. to get the an
Choir 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 Tuning and swearing at his men
for not working Larder.
Now that magic power steam turns
windlass. The cable is brought up in
a short time, and the men who are de-
tailed to the work nave simply to
watch and see that all goes 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 |
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 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 we'll as to the sailor
There is a 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 it used to
take to get up one piece of canvas,
The steam pump is a handy thing,
too, in time of storms. When vessel
Is leaking. and there is q gale blowing.