Evening star., 1906-06-16
LIFE ON OCEAN TRAMPS
Many Captains Would Not Ex-
change for Liners.
ADMIRED AND RESPECTED
Truly Kings, With No Passengers to
Cause Bother.
KNOW SOMETHING OF WORLD
Objected to Being a Transatlantic
Railroad Conductor--Strange
Things Seen.
KNOW SOMETHING OF WORLD

When we tramp captains come into one
OF your big world-ports with our battered
old kettles OF ships, rusted bright red
speckled with gray salt crusts and gener-
ally Unlocking and unsavory, we get crowd
ed away into docks that aren't good enough
for anything else, and everybody on pas
senger steamers. from the transatlantic
liners to the penny boats on the Thames,
looks down on us with amused pity. But
all the same there's something in the life
that makes lots OF US pity the captain of q
crack liner.
y liner captain is a king-in a way. He
Is admired and respected. and he can bully
even millionaire passenger. But his king
ship is strictly constitutional It's all
hedged about with rules and laws.
Now tramp captain Is most truly a king
There are no passengers to bother him All
the law he needs 10 remember Is expressed
in a few clauses of international maritime
regulations that he can carry in his head
aud most of that law Is everlastingly on
his side. The moment his ship sticks her
more or less ugly nose into blue water
there's nothing in the world greater than
he except storm big enough to sink him.
He's boss OF his ship and everything in 1t
from keel TO maintruck. and from the ships
cat TO the first mate.
Boss-Ship Worth Having.
<AIiu iAs bobS-slilp Is TIC hAiFu lHdt with
having. 1t extends over all things in heaven
and on earth or under water within his
range OF vision. He has more real power OF
life and death than any king, except, per-
haps, the Ameer OF Afghanistan, for he has
the legal right to kill his men on the spot
II they mutiny, and "mutiny'' is mighty
elastic term. He can chain a man wrist
and foot without even hearing, and throw
him into a cell and keep him there for the
whole voyage, even II II lasts a year. Show
me the monarch or court on land that can
Go anything like thatl
No matter how your passengers on a
liner may look up to you and fiatter you,
you've got TO kow-tow to them, even though
you may do il so that no one knows it
After all, the ship is run for them. The
owners profits depend on them. A liner
captain has to atterd meals. dress, make
speeches. straighten out thousand foolish
troubles, look after everything from cargo
to gamblers and generally make slave of
himself. We tramp captains walk our decks
in our paJamas II II pleases We eat
when and how we choose We bother ABOUT
Hobodys troubles unless they are related
directly to the discipline and safety OF the
EhiD.
Lure Of Tramping.
That isn't the only thing. however, that
Keeps many OF us ia the tramp and cargo
line despite all temptations Of superior in
comue and standing offered by the passen-
ger tFatlC. Ihere Is greater luIe
than that I can explain IL best in the
words of another captain.
l met him IN the harbor OF Port Limon.
down IN Costa Rica. l brought in a British
banana ship out OF New Orleans. and spied
the toughest-iooling drab-colored tramp at
anchor in the bay So after We were fast
TO the wharf and waiting for the banana
trains 10 come down from the hills | went
aboard
who should | lind aboard as skipper bul
man | had last met on one Of the crack
New York Southampton liners hrst otft-
GER with only year or so between hin
and a berth captain Of a big fellow!
We'll" said ]. This is a fine step In
promotion for your And l looked around
the greasy decks and at the hopeless wood
work and the painted iron mot a bit oi
brass in sight. and the unholy funnel.
will admit however. that his chart room
was as 1T any could be
We'll" repeats he, laughing. Il call II
promotion. IL you don't. Captain. sailors like
you and me that have knocked around
pretty much on our own papers can't stand
a regular ferry service for long Do you
know l came to the conclusion only few
months before the company launched
their new ship. when the masters certif-
cate for the old one was as good as In
my pocket. that I couldn't be railroad
conductor? And that's all @ liner captain
Is so far as am concerned Leave one
certain pier on railroad time, 90 one certain