Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-03
Humble Tramckers
BY FRANK T. BuLLEN.

~ RDINARY, everyday truth compels
me TO state that as far as the fore
mast hands Of a ship are concerned
such traffic as Is limited at In the above title
Ia OF most minute proportions And we
may extend that statement in the present
day TO the officers. 1 remember the
time when captains grew rapidly rich, be-
cause OF the permission given them to trade
on their own account and the space in the
ships sets apart for the stowage Of their
personal ventures. Then IL their salaries
were small their profits were great, espe-
oially In the East Indian and West African
ports; indeed, many a great fortune has
been founded upon such small beginnings
as the carrying OF gewgaws from home to
BE exchanged for more valuable commodi-
ties abroad.
The extension OF modern commerce has
put an end to all that Captains and Off
GERS now know full well that they cannot
buy, much less barter for anything abroad
nearly so well as can those whose business
1t is to watch the markets, and know few
more humiliating experiences for a man who
has invested a great portion of his small
capital upon curosities abroad than to find
precisely similar goods to his own exhibited
for sale In certain shop windows at home
for less than he gave for them. That, how
ever, is an experience which few officers
are troubled with today, for they have
learned their lesson effectually.
Enough Of the officers. who may be trust
ed to take care of themselves. We Will deal
exclusively with the seaman. the common
seaman" as he is somewhat contemptuous-
ly termed by those who know nothing of
l~xf,, tie
attachments in ship knowledge vary from
one generation to another; he learns how
to forget the handling of sails and becomes
an expert steam or hydraulic crane driver;
but one lesson he apparently never does or
never can learn. which is. how to be bust
neas-like, incredulous of the specious tales
told him by the willy peddlers who visit
ships in the far east But here it becomes
necessary, as usual, to differentiate between
Beamen in sailing vessels and seamen In
steamships. The former, being naturally
30 much longer on their voyages and call
Ing at SO few ports, have much more money
to their credit than the latter and are also
less able to spend it because the steamship
30 much more frequently than the sailing
vessel goes alongside wharf, where get
ting ashore is easy.
on a Sunday, for instance, in a harbor
like Bombay the deck of sailing ship will
be crowded with box wallahs. displaying
their meretricious and valueless wares,
which take the eye of Jack and lead him
all too frequently to eXpend considerable
portion OF his hard-earned wages in rub
Dish that he could buy, if he only knew 1t,
far more cheapy at home. He Is somewhat
hampered, it is true. by the fact that his
captain is usually unwilling to advance
money for this purpose, and, of course, the
sailor who has private store for money
Is a rara avis indeed. Still, good deal
F.f h51t.f Mare and IL is the most
usual thing to hear Jack say, upon being
demonstrated with by some slightly wiser
shipmate: We'll, anyhow. l can always
gel my money back for the truck when /
get home" Poor Jack 1t would be inter-
esting to trace the destination of those rub
bishy 'curios" and to compare what Jack
gets for them with his outlay.
-.
Most of Jacks purchases abroad, however.
must be credited to the bumboat. the pur-
veyor of fruit, soft bread eggs. etc, luxu-
ries which his stomach longs for after his
long abstinence at sea and for which he
gets no return in cash. In some ports, too,
ne spends money on clothes and for wash
ing: that is to say, he runs up bills which
the captain will by-and-by settle upon re-
ceivlng a liberal discount for himself. And
I have known cases where surreptitious
bottles of unspeakably vile liquors have
also been purchased by him at exorbitant
prices from these visiting merchants and
entered as bars of soap, or a monkey, or
a parrot. which has died or flown away
opportunely. 1 say I have known. for it
has usually been my lot TO be bookkeeper
and enter up In the native vendors ledger
the amount each individual had expended.
receiving a small honorarium In kind for
my services.
But what, 1t may be asked does this
sailor buy to sell again? In what is he a
merchant on a small scale? II must be con-
fessed that he does very little in that way