The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-11-28
deep Sea Sailors Are Disappearing


New York, Nov. 27.-The American
sailor is passing. Indeed he has al
most disappeared, and with him many
curious customs and practices of ear
ly days. Shanghaing-the practice
of obtaining sailors by force-which
under the less graphic name of I'M
preSSment was the chief cause of the
war of 1912 with England, has been
stamped out except in rare instances
its only survival being found in the
oyster fisheries.S of Chesa yeake Bay
There the practice of Shanghaing has
persisted. according to a writer il
AppletOn'S Magazine, to such an eX.
tent that the matter nas recently been
brought TO the attention of the federal
authorities. Generally speaking, how
ever, the old school of American sail.
Ors, together with the characteristic
features of sailor life ashore which
gave pictuTesqueness to the water
front section of every port city, has
disappeared forever In New York
the greatest port in the country, where
once the pitfalls for Jack ashore were
myriad, the number of shops and re-
sorts conducted especially for the
purpose OF separating tarS from their
money is steadily diminishing.
Chiefly this is due to the change
in all conditions. While the sailor
of a century or half a century ago
was a skilled member of an exacting
profession, he is now, as q result of
the general use. of steam, merely a
labOrer on water, needed only for the
scrubbing of decks, the polishing of
metal, and the handling of I.aint buck
cts.
Just where the term shanghaing got
-5oir of
the best authorities agree that it
came from the city of Shanghai, Chi
Ma. When the far eastern trade was
carried on by the fastest sailing ships
men could buiId-the famous clip
pers'-sailorS were artists in their
profession and well paid. Shanghai
was one of the great ports and there
sailors after their long voyage were
likely to disSipater their pay and fail
to report for the home voyage. AS
the value of eastern cargoeS depended
largely on prompt handling, the prac-
tiCe arose in Shanghai of obtaining
men to man the vessels by lorce or
by the use of drugs
and drink. and from this it is believ-
ed came the term shanghaing.
In the old days New YoTk's water
front. calculated first 10 get the mon
ey of Jack ashore and then to shan
hal him for the regular fee formerly
paid by captains was the most pic.
turesQue and roisterous in the coun-
try. What is now the famous Bow
cry was then Jacks special stamping
ground and its deterioration is held TO
be largely due to the disappearance of
the typical old-time sailor.
The Bowery was once the Fifth
avenue of our town" says the Apple
ton chrOnicler. but beginning on
Soutn street from CoentieS Slip, up
and down the water front. the dives
started TO creep in and fill the lower
east end of the Manhattan City. They
did not require much law in those
lurid. buxom years, and whatever hap
pened that wasn't right was mid be-
meath the fog of navy cut. blown up
from Jacks inevitable clay pipe. and
was drowned beneath the pluniSetT-
plunk of some yellowed and cracke
piano. Sailor men were more or lesI
of a luxury in the late '70's. and the
police. therefore. let them alone That
end of the big city was packed full OF
tne sea drift of the Seven Oceans.
Polacks and Swedes from the nortl
rubbed elbows with Chinks from Hong
Kong. by way of Frisco. with smoked
Irishmen.' as the sailors called the