Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06

1T IL MOST DANGEROUS OF occUPA
TONS.

volunteers for this most desperate OF oc-
equations never falls below the demand.
The ship riggers are to be seen along the
water fronts of all great ports perched
high In air, like great spiders, busted
with their strange architecture. They
work in all sorts Of weather, both by day
and night. No other calling demands
such combination of skill and courage
and the ability to work quickly In the
face often OF appalling danger.
There Is no exaggeration In the state
ment that the rigging of ships, especially
those requiring repairs after long service
is the most dangerous Of occupations.
A rigger must be steeple climber,
sailor, q tightrope walker, something OF
q trapeze artist, and an experienced ship
builder rolled into one. He must be
literally jack of all trades and master
of several of them.
A ship rigger must keep perfectly
cool head in the face of dangers which
might stagger Nelson or Dewey.
The rigger knows no safety In his sup
port. The fact that his services are re-
quired aloft means, of course, that the
complicated rigging is faulty. The masts
or spars may be rotten to the breaking
point, the ropes may part at any instant.
It Is Just this uncertainty which renders
the rigger's life "extra hazardous" He
must mount with the agility OF cat and
work quickly in network of rigging
which may part at any instant.
1t would be different II he could even
choose his own time and weather, but
the rush inseparable from such work al
lows him no choice. Rain or snow or
ice greatly increases the danger by rem
dering the spars or ropes treacherous to
the hand or foot. Then again, when the
work goes forward by night, the blind
ing rays of the searchlight to a man
delicatsly balanced on icy ropes make 1t
extremely difficult to judge distances and
positions.
The most experienced sailor, no mat
ter how much at home he may feel in
the rigging in any weather, will often
balk at the work of the rigger. The
sailor is at least reasonably sure OF the
strength of his rigging II his ship be sea-
worthy. Then, again, II sailor slips or
falls the rolling of his ship is likely to
throw him overheard into the water,
where his fall is partly broken. 1t is
different with the rigger, who, If he falls,
must come down on the bare boards.
The ship rigger must, besides, often
work with the masts and spars practi-
cally denuded of their rigging without
the safety which full-rigged ship lends
to an experienced sailor.
The wages of the skilled ship rigger
may seem high in comparison with that
of the ordinary sailor or even a ships
officer. Considering the accidents which
every rigger meets in his daily life, the
work is, of course, one for which no
amount of money can really compensate.
A frstclass rigger commonly receives
81 for days work of 10 hours. For all
| extra time the rate is double. Much OF
the work is, of course, done under the
usual pressure of time.
| When an accident occurs to a merchant
ship, for example, which is due perhaps
with perishable cargo at some distant
port, every hour economical in making
repairs counts against serious loss. A
great part of the work of rigging is
therefore done at night, the gangs OF
riggers relieving one another continuous
" until the ship is again ready for sea.
The ships rigger whose experience or
skill does not enable him to do the most
important work earns from 50 to $3.50 a
day, working ten hours, with the same
agreement for over time. During the
busy season in the great seaport towns II
is not uncommon for the riggers to work
continuously for from IA to 10 hours a
day. As result it is not unusual for
them to receive for months at time as
much as $50 a week.
In nearly all great seaport towns,
notably in New York city, the Triggers
are strongly organized. Their union is
probably the oldest of its kind in the
world. Not only have they played an
important part throughout the history
of American shipping, but their guild
was an effective one in London when the
ships were rugged which sailed against
the Spanish Armada. The laws which
govern the riggers in America to-day had
their origin in this ancient guild.
A revolution has occurred meanwhile
in the shipping of the world by the intro
duction of steam and the use OF iron and
steel in shipbuilding, but the dangers Of
the ship rigger's life, like the demand
for his services, have somehow remained
unchanged. So you may hear the rig
gers talk to-day much the same as they
did two centuries since.
A curious thing about the accidents to
Triggers, as any one on the water front Of
our seaports who knows will tell you, Il
that the most dangerous accidents spec
tacularly are seldom very serious. ANY
old salt or idler who haunts the docks
will be found full of marvellous stories
of such hairbreadth escapes. In SaI
Francisco sailor recently was dropped
nearly 100 feet by the parting of rotten
spar. AS he fell, apparently to certain
death, he struck rope, which caused
him to turn two complete somersaults II
his descent and landed him on pile o.
loose sails, which considerably broke hi
fall. While every one stood aghast, HI
picked himself up nimbly, shook him
self, and proceeded to climb back to his
original position.
Another rigger in falling from high
which threatened instant death struck
against a slack rope by great good luck
which broke his fall and swung hin
against mast. Instinctively he clutch
ed its smooth sides and slid quite un
hurt to the deck below.
To become an expert rigger, qualified
to superintend as we'll as execute thu
work, the man must undergo long ant
exacting apprenticeship. He must be
Igin his apprenticeship with at least two
years of actual service before the mast
He must learn to know the ship to thu
last detail of her rigging. Before he cal
be trusted with the more technical prob
lens of his trade the apprentice mus
pass to the drawing board, where b,
learns the theory Of shipbuilding and
ship rigging. This training is supple
mented in turn by course In some ship
yard.
Before rigger undertakes to repair
ship, for instance, he must know tn
name and use of every rope, must b.
able to measure distance accurately at
glance and thereafter calculate to nice
ty just what a ship needs. To all this
he must, Of course, bring skill to execut!
the theoretical side of his training, will
the courage to be gained only by actua
life at sea.-New York Herald.
Mark Twain and the Mariners.
Manchester Guardian.)
The following Is a new Mark Twain
story, according to the Reader, which
declares that it Is from his evidence be
, fore the recent committee on copyright
Mr. Clemens processes himself to have
Al -. e. lsonpa kDr I'd