The Republican journal., 1908-03-05
U. S. TARS IN TOW.

Se.,nap,s Society Reports Them From Pa.
cific Cruise Five South American Stations
Speed tackles, Hale and Hearty. Home
letters and Tidings Hold Them Safe at
Anchor.
New YORK, Feb. "a. That the fifteen
thousand iackes of the Pacific fleet are
slipping along the far coast of South Amer-
ca. hale and hearty, with ever an eye to old
home fulks. was reported in this city today.
From lheIr five branch stations along the
route. about the Horn the workers of the
American seamen's Friend Society are send
ing word to headquarters here of the event
full days of sho.e leave in which Uncle
Sans sailors SWarmed ashore to their quar-
ters for sight of a good American face and
the rare chance of a quiet smoke, talk and
a long letter home. Stamps, souvenir pos
tails, reading material from home and stacks
of letter paper are today exhausted at these
branches, the society'S officers declare, and
thousands IF carefully scrawled missives
have left their writing rooms for homes in
every part of this country.
AT Rio de Janeiro, Montevdeo. Buenos
Avres. Rosario and Valparaiso, where head
quarters for sailors have been maintained
for years by this organization, the navy tars
have been welcomed, entertained and pilot
ed pretty clear of the shoals that lie par
ticularly foul of the course of the foreign
sailor in these parts. Human life, vice ana
bad liquor, are valued cheapy in these TEEN
ing South American ports, and it goes hard
and often fatally with the seafaring man If
he gets into the hands of the natives. Not
even his U. S. navy uniform has saved many
a iacky from bodily harm in remote quarters
of such cities, and today the workers OF the
society throcg iout the lower continent feel
relieved and gratfied that the fleet has final
ly stood off toward its own shores once more
with every man. jack aboard and alive.
From Rio de Janeiro a report has just ar
rived telling of the advent of the Yankee
sailors there With other local organiza-
eions the American Seamen's Friend
Society's branch at this port organized a
constant entertainment for the men OF the
fleet An information bureau was equipped,
to which the sailors went on their arrival to
have their money honestly changed and en-
bark on excursions conducted about the
place f0r their benefit Every square foot
OF the rooms of this station of the society
was backed, each hour of the stay of the
batteships, by the American crews, smok
ing. warming or reading and writing home
letters. Before the squadron weighed
anchor large meeting OF the men Was ar
ranged by the socety's workers. Yellow
fever has stunted the growth of the seamen's
local organization in Brazil since it began
the struggle to help the sailors of the port
twenty-five years ago; but, for all this
handicap, its workers feel today that they
have been able to do great deal in giving
a hand to this regiment of their own navy
tars.
On the River Plate the American Sea-
mems Friend Society had three stations
ready for Admiral Evans men. Here every
thing was thrown open to the visiting
sailors and their path kept as straight as
possible The bloody violence of the crimps
of Rosario and this entire region has fallen
on many defenseless seaman in the pasT,
and after seven vears of hard effort the
workers of these branches have only just
succeeded in becoming a buffer between
them and the visiting sailors. That the
American jackies left Buenos Ayres in good
order is recognized as welcome result of
this long campaign. To the friendly offices
Of this, as well as the other branches of the
American Seamen's Friend Society, the
navy tars had been commended, long before
they sailed, by old friends in the active