Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-17

and crews, an immense acceleration OF speed
was also gained. Most OF this Improvement
was due TO the vigorous Yankees, born sea-
faTers and shipbulders. who for a quarter
OF century were the pioneers IN all that
made for celebrity In seafaring and ameli-
Grafton Of the conditions OF living on board
ship both for seaDien and passengers. Bet
ter accommodation and vastly better food
were supplied. even II II must be admitted
that far as work was concerned they
treated their crews with the utmost cruel
". officers and commanders behaving as
IT, with regard TO the lives Of their men,
they were entirely above the law and were
judges and executioners at Will. But the
British shipowners. following the Yankees
good example In matters OF improvement
On shinboard. never emulated their brutal
fty. and many an old sailor regards the de-
sNuction OF Yankee maritime commercial
supremacy at the time OF the civil war,
as judgment upon the nation that could
treat its sailors so Ill. That supremacy
the United States has never regained nor
are they apparently ever likely to do so.
4
And now "Going down to the sea" has
become for the landsman one of the most
delightful OF interludes In his humdrum
daily life The element OF danger has so
far been eliminated that low the death
rate from accident Is for passengers on
our railways. 1t IL beginning to be chal-
ienseo ny that from disasters to shipping.
AS for comfort and convenience well. 1t
Is figure OF speech that Is often used
In describing the appointments OF some
modern liner. To say that she Is a floating
hotel We may go farther than that and
Say that in no hotel In the world are the
comforts and elegancies of life so wei
catered for. as they are In many or our
modern liners. while there is no comparison
at all as to price in favor or the ship. IL
may safely be said that a man with no
home, fond of good living and aceommo-
dalton. might spend his life much more
cheaply and comfortably In continually
voyaging than he could In any first-class
hotel ashore.
But what about the seafarer? Has this
mighty change, ali brought about pract-
cally within the last half century affected
him for the better2 Most certainly II has
although in far less degree than II has
the passenger, which was only what we
might expect. Moreover there are still TO be
found vessels sailing under our flag where
in the conditions as regards comfort ana
food are very little improved from what
thew were half a century ago. while I'm the
many small sailing vessels which Sefil ply
around our shores very primitive condi-
lions still remain And not only Is this
the case with sailing vessels, but in many
of the small steamships carrying cargo
only. and run on the cheapest possible
lines, the life OF the seaman Is really
terrible one. only lightened by the fact
that, the passages being short, there are
frequent intervals of relief This part of
the seafarer's calling offers really no In
ducement to any of our workers to leave
the land, even III opportunity onered ana
certainly none OF our unemployed laborers
would stay at IL more than one passage.
There has however. with the advent and
development of steam shipping, arisen an
other class of those who go down to the
sea In ships whose lot is worthy Of our
warmest sympathy but who get little. IL
any, recognition or consideration except
that they receive higher wages than the
seaman l allude TO these helots of the
sea, the firemen and trimmers. whose duty
1t is to toll far below in the bowels OF the
ship at the terrible task of feeding tho
ever hungry furnaces. I have often won
dered how many men, with knowledge OF
what the ordinary conditions OF life for
others workers are. can be found to remain
in such employment But many thous-
ands of them do remain, and although they
are. speaking generally, as hard-bitten a
lot as you could meet anywhere. they ex-
tort my highest admiration and esteem.
Compared with their work, the task OF the
coal-miner Is a pleasant amusement, while
they have none of his relaxations and GER
tainly nothing like his pay or food. Few
people ashore have any idea OF the condi-
lions under which these hardly entreated
men OF the sea live and labor. and fewer
still care. And worse still. II any did care.
the necessary conditions OF the work pre-
clude any idea OF there being any anchor
alton In the lot of these grimy toilers who
do literally go down to the sea in ships to-
day.