Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-04-23
LOOKING AFTER TARS
How Seamen's Society Watches
Over Uncle Sans Sailors.
REACHES TO FAR CAPE HORN

Not a Man Lost Through Shore Leave
by Battleship Fleet In Its Long
Cruise Around South America-Many
Letters Sent Home From Society's
Coast Stations.
That the $4,000 sailors of the United
States battleship fleet were slipping
along the far coast of South America,
hale and hearty, with ever an eye to
old home folks, was reported in New
York city the other day.
From their five branch stations
along the route about the Horn the
workers of the American Seamens
Friend society are sending to head
quarters the news of the eventful days
Of shore leave in which Uncle Sans
sailors swarmed ashore to their quar-
ters for sight of good American face
and the rare chance of quiet smoke
a talk and long letter to the fol-
at home. Stamps, souvenir postal
reading material from home and stack
OF letter paper are exhausted at these
branches, the sOciety's officers declare,
and thousands of carefully scrawled
missiyes have left their writing rooms
for homes in every part of the United
States.
At Rio lie Janeiro, Montevideo,
Buenos Aires and Rosario, where
headquarters for sailors have been
maintained for years by this organiza-
ton. the navy tars have been well
coined, entertained and piloted pretty
clear of the shoals that lie particularly
foul Of the course of the sailor in for
eign ports. Human life, vice and bad
liquor are valued cheaply in some Of
these South American towns and it
goes hard and often fatally with the
sse3aHrtag man if he gets into the
haHas Of the natives. Not even his
naay uniform has saved many Il jacky
from bodily harm in remote quarters
of such cities and today the workers
of the society throughout the lower
continent feel relieved and gratified
that the fleet has finally stood off
toward its own shores once more with
all the tars aboard and alive.
From Rio de Janeiro a report recent
ly reached New York telling Of the adj
vent of the Yankee sailors there. With
other local organizations the American
Seamen's Friend society's branch at
New York organized n constant enter
talnment for the men of the fleet. An
information bureau was equipped, to
which the sailors went on their arrival
10 have their money honestly changed
and embark on excursions conducted
about the place for their benefit. Ev-
cry square foot of the rooms of this
station OF the society was packed each
hour Of the stay Of the battleships by
the American crews. smoking, yarning
or reading and writing home letters
Before the squadron weighed anchor
large meeting Of the men was ar
ranged by the society's workers.
on the river Plata the society had
three stations ready for Admiral Evans
men. Here everything was thrown
open 10 the visiting sailors and their
path kept rs straight as possible The
bloody violence of the crimps of Ro-
sario and this entire region has fallen
on many defenseless seaman in the
past and after seven years of hard
effort the workers OF these branches
have only just succeeded in becoming
buffer between them and the visiting
sailors. That the American jackles
left Buenos Aires in good order is rec
ognized as n welcome result of the
long campaign. To the friendly offices
of this as well as the other branches
of the American Scamen's Friend So
ciety the navy tars had been commend
ed long before they sailed by old
friends in the active branches of the
organization mt the Brooklyn navy yard
and Newport News.
Five large Institutes of the organiza-
tiOn will be on the lookout for the men
of the fleet when they touch home soil
again at Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, As
toria or Port Townsend. There are
some forty-fye of these branches keep
ing watch over the sailorman all over
the world, the officers of the society
say. That such close touch could have
been kept of the Pacific fleet in Its
continent girdling cruise is regarded
by them as a good test of the work.