The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-06-02

NEW YORK. June mo trace oI
the ships library which President
Roosevelt presented for the American
Seamcn's Friend Society in hi maiden
speech forty years age has been dis
covered by the Office, OF th organi'
cation to-day. That this chest OF
books, which was launched on the
clipper ship Rival by the President
in his tenth year may still be tossing
on the high seas was proved possible
by thte return this week OF similar
library which was sent on itS travels
October 18th, 1900, two years before
the Roosevelt Athletic Class sent
ont theirs. Records OF the 2s,742
book chests circulated by the society
since 1850 show. however. that a life
Of iorty-two years for these volumes
in The iorecastlc is exceptional,
Whether Captain Uriel Ddane. who
set sail for San Francisco on Dccem-
Der 18th, 1868 with the books present
ed by young Roosevelt, is still alive or
whether ship or crew survive 20 tell
the tale of their fate cannot be deter.
mined here to-day( because OF a fire,
years ago. which destroyed all ship
ping records, Only one report, how
ever, was received by the society on
the corresponding library shipped two
years before for Galveston and just
now finally returned. On December
10th, 1873 this book chest was report
ed transferred to the "piscatauqa," a
Gloucester fishing craft Its return
by express from its forty-two years Of
service, by Captain Israel Bartlett OF
this vessel, brings the first tidings OF
it for thirty-hve years.
From 5000 captains, mates and sea
men the American Scamcn's Friend
Society has to-day exact records OF its
loan libraries now known to be anoat
These records show that 6lS,400 vol
umes have been read by 1920 sea.
men, while l2o,3l5 jackies Of Uncle
Sans service have read 3o,4l5 books
especially sent ont in navy bottoms
More than a hundred and fifty OF
these chests Of books have been re-
ported as in use in Y. S, Life Saving
Stations where 1897 keepers and surf
men have read their $3.50 volumes.
Each library is numbered and regis
tered, and reports OF its voyagings
ntade to anyone who may launch and
keep it ahoat by paying twenty dol
lars.
A weather-beaten case Of these
books is today awaiting reshipment at
the society's headquarters after hav-
ing served for two years on board the
Peary Arctic Clubs steamer "Roose-
velt' in quest Of tthe North Pole
During the long Arctic night from
October 18th to March 9th, Lieut..
Pcary declared, every book was read
and rc-read by every member Of his
crew. These libraries, Of which al
most 300 have been sent to sea this
year, contain forty-three volumes of
travel and adventure, biography, ref
erence and religion A bible, diction-
ary, atlas and Pilgrims Progress are
included with many Of the latest and
most suitable works of poetry and fic-
ton. Half dozen Of these books are
in the Swedish, German and Norweg-
ian tongues Records Of tthe 100 IL
brarics sent through the society as a
memorial to the heir OF Aberdeen by
tthe Dowagcr Duchess Of Aberdeen in
1870 show THAT many Of the books
dedicated to this wandering George
Gordon, who left dukedom to fol-
low the sea and be swept overheard,
still travel the seas, thumbed hard in
the forcastle.