The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-17

haif ~ ~ Hinres~nlh wrgr days ~ go sw
tNR esn raeHrHWf
No aaafEHN lHufNf ~ ~ NHa NJ ~ mang
harglaAins llsnh eueNHiarsH ~ ~ lNNnpsfphN
ffpy aRHfgfiHa lHH nv IN fssH r~Haeheafa
Huhfuf their fHfl1nH nVaf sNSe N w. a.
tNgHhA ~ y mi eyef heHH ffuU 10 -
gHHiHe pHaara haH hENn sNgFlHref
elf'E ow!nf I" ~ 'r-lrH- " n.y,ss
isteh m y iasaen srflss ~ Ath4 n'ir
Nnly ~ y me n4easafv fNf = rssassH Nv
Asst ailF aNd In wHHy eHssf lut ~
~ e,Nfes IN lhHee eFfL dFvt s'Hafn
eW oniy trelnning ~ ~ talheh slsaH hhd
efHirrHf aflNufiaia wrft ethaua'lhH tltHif
erFAiafiarv M aeUgh ~ ~ iteH ~ IlH roe
nrlivH rhWef 1HlhN HffihHd ~ ahfnflhe
Tho uanaasupHf. etp4fFepf evsHoiHfW rfofI
iss wugt iNa1b w hlgt Nv To aerHls ~ ship
ttng erFnrsHlfa frupi gIHh NJ hFtl thhrn
~ he qttartefe M istHfd HNd The stip hsd
sHltagi fhst Nv wHHtd neri I'll hs frrll'ndt
ard afNngfh NJ isvty ~ Hvr fhrtrtgh the
glea,ly iifrr iint HwHi'rd him ~ ilH 10 FrHr
dntkH
Ahv trt~ dearrlpsioo ~ ihc iornsnle
enhutnh ty etrigfhfaa IN llp F~flrn,i,,d
clirt~t shira ~ thH, dsy w0ihi ~ simply
diaR,tasihe w. rrad and lnsssai cotild srrvc
no gNrt %rtirru@n vhile srtirvy that acsfree
~ the @sa. was almuat tlnrherhed IN Hs
ravae'a H'noue huth ~ressphrpfa and Grows
4 movefnent having 81 IN toward I'm.
provHtreni. n fewiine that aeRfsglng nod
not 10 ~ fright ftl m or,iral fut r~HatrhfrrH
of ~ murierutp n calling for realrrn stead
ily Hnincd hrndway, until ~ n owning
~ tiN steamship thrrc vrre aplrndid aHiling
HhirN carrying p~assrngsra. whsrrtn WhNe
div constdrrntloh ~ Tar - rtH-ilhe Wv.
paid Ia thu lives ~ both r~ssseugpTp and
crewr, m immense acceIerHtion ~ arNrd
wa Alao gained.
Most n thiA Improvement wAa duo ~
ths vigorous Yankepa, horn s~referars
and ahip5uilders. who for n quarter al =
century were the p%loneers In al thst made
for celerity In Heafaring and ameloration
~ the conditions Of living on board ship
both for aearneu and passengers Better
accommodation and vastly better 1000
wore supplied even " II must he admitted
that IA far M work was concerned they
treated their ere VA with the utmost cruelty,
officers and commanders behaving A.. II,
with regard 70 the lives Of their men, they
we're entirely above the law and were
Judges and eEecutioners at will.
The British ship owners, following the
Yankees good example In matters OF
improvement on shipboHrd never emu
lated their brutality, and many An old
sailor regards the destruction OF Yankee
maritime commercial supremacy at the
time Of the civil war a. a Judgment upon
the nation that could treat its sailors 40
III. That supremacy the United states
va wv 'kofti' " " " 0
likely 10 to do.
Now going down to the sea- has
become for the landsman one OF the most
delightful of interludes in his hun1drum
daily life. The element Of danger has so
far been eliminated hat low Is the death
rate from accident is for passengers on
our railways it is beginning to he ohal-
lenged by that from disasters to shipping.
As for comfort and convenience. we'll,
it is no figure Of speech h a is often used
in describing the appointments Of some
hotel. We may go further than that and
saw that in no hotel in the world are the
comforts and elegancies Of life 30 well
catered for as they are in many OF our
modern liners, while there is no comparison
at all as to price in favor of the ship. II
may safely be said that a man with no
home, fond Of good living and accommoda-
ton. might spend his life much more
oheaply and comfortably In continually
voyaginR than he could in any first class
hotel ashore.
mighty change, all brought about practically
within the last half century, affected him
for the BETTER Most certainly it has, al
though in a far less degree than it has the
passenger; which was only what we might
expect gsssov.r tb.rs are stillto be found YES
| sells sailing under our flag wherein the con-
ditiona as regards comfor and food are very
little improved from what they were half a
century ago, while in the many small sailing
vessels which still ply around our shores
very primitive conditions still remain. Not
only is this the case with sailing vessels,
but in many Of the small steamships carry
ing cargo only and run on the cheapest pos
sible ines the life of the seaman ls really
a terrible one, only lightened by. the fact
frequent intervals Of relief. This part Of
the seafarer's calling offers really no induce
ment to anv of our workers to leave the
land. even If opportunity offered; and GER
tainlv none Of our unemployed laborer's
would stay at it moro than one passa &c ,
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 ifany
recognition or consideration except that
they receive higher wa gee than the seamen
allude to these helots Of the sea the fire
mon and trimmers, whose duty II is to toll
far below in the bowels Of the ship st the ter
rible task of feeding the ever hungry FUR
naoes. ,,
have often wondered how any men with
knowledge of what the ordinary conditions
Of life for other workers are can be found
to remain in such employment; but many
| thousands Of them do remain, and although
they are. speaking generally, as hard bitten
A lot as YOU could meet anywhere, they eH-
tort my highest admiration and esteem; .
Compared with their work the task OF
the coal miner ia a pleasant amusement,
while they have none Of his rela xations
and certainly nothing like his paw or food
Few people ashore have any. idea Of the
conditions under which these hardly
treated men Of the sea live and labor, and
fewer still care.
Worse still. if any did care, the neces-
sarv conditions of the work preclude any
idea of there being anv amelioration in the
-. l. IA .A~ IL,