The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-01

\U mia gave an impetus to the
 building of clipper ships, and from the time their keels were laid along the blocks until they ran their lines ashore at the wharf in San Francisco the one controlling impulse was speed. Some of the clippers were fully rigged on the stocks, and launched with sky sailyards across. then hurried to their loading berths, where cargoes were shipped night and day, and when cap- tains got to sea they never let up on their ships or crews till the Golden Gate was over the taffrail and the anchor on the ground in San Francisco bay. It was drive, drive, drive and the captain that made the fastest passage was the hero of the hour.
 The superiority of the clippers in speed over the old full-built vessels was even more marked in the average length and regularity of their voyages than by their record passages they could be depended upon not to make long voyages; with their sharp lines and lofty canvas they were able to cross belts of calm and light winds much quicker than the low-rigged, full-bodied ships, while in strong head winds there was no comparison, as ths sharper ships would work out to wind ward in weather that held the old type of vessels like a barrier until the wind hauled fair or moderated in a word, the clippers could go and find strong or fa- vorable winds, while the full bodied ships were compelled to wait for them.
 Many of the clipper ships-indeed, near ly all of thenl--made speed records which were not equaled by the steamships of their day, and more than a quarter of e century elapsed, devoted to discovery and invention in perfecting the marine engine and boiler. before the best speed records of the clipper ships were broken. And even today there are not more than 30 ocean mail steamers afoat whose speed excels the best 24 hours run of the Amer ican clippers of 50 years ago, while their records under canvas, over courses en- c,rcling the globe, for the superb stake of commercial supremacy and champion ship of the seas, stand unbroken and unsurpassed.
 On board the American clippers there was no allowance of food, as in British ships barrel of beef. pork, bread, or four was supposed to last about so many days, according to the ships company; little more or less did not matter. The water was in charge of the carpenter and was usually carried in an iron tank which rested on the keelson abaft the mainmast and came up to the main deck; this task f, nf from three to four thousand gallons some of the larger ships carried their water in two of these tanks. Each morn- ing, at sea, water equal to one gallon for every person on board was pumped out of the tank and placed in a scuttle-butt on deck; the carpenter then made re- port of the number of gallons remain ing in the tank to the chief officer, who entered it in the log-book During the day the crew took the water they needed rom the scuttle-butt, the cook and the steward what they required for the gall Icy and aft; and while there was no stint, woe to the man who wasted fresh water at sea in those days, for if he managed to escape the inst wrath of the officers his shipmates were pretty sure to take care of him. The sait beef and pork were kept in harness cask abaft the man- mast and when ;L fresh barrel of pro- visions was opened. the harness cask was scrubbed and scalded out with boiling water, so was always sweet and clean. "Plenty of work, plenty to eat and good pay Is what sailormen used to say of the American clippers; the sort of ships good seamen liked to sail in.
 Perhaps the most marked and impor- tant- difference between American mcr- chant ships and those of other nationa!i- ties was with regard to the use of wines and spirits. On boz I'd British ships gros was served out regularly to the men be- fore the mast. and the captains and offl- cers were allowed wine money. Nothing of this sort was permitted on board ot American vessels Robert Mnturn of the firm Of Grinnell & Co, in his evidence before parliamentary committee in 1Sis, statod that teetotallsm was not only en- couraged on board of American ships by the owners, but actually earned bonns from underwriters. who offered to return ;c per cent on the insurance premium upon voyages performed without the con srmpton of spirits. On board the packet ships and other American vessels car rying passengers there was usually wine on the captains table, but the captains and officers rarely, if ever made use of It. The sailors were allowed plenty of hot coffee night or day in heavy weather. but grog was unknown on board American merchant ships.
 .l,o superseded watch-tackles, and steamship | agents are glad to secure s20 freight per l ton from New York to San Francisco, the rates received by the clipper ships