The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-05-11
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When Shanghaing Was Common
= C. F Merrill.
- y ~ y ss& ~ - e = = = = ,
G. F. Merrill.

Man s lnhumanity to man. has
caused many q man to take trip to
sea that he had no intention Of tax
ing; IN fact, he was well on his way
before he knew it. It would be almost
an endless as well as a thankless task
20 attempt to figure up the number of
men who have been shanghaied onto
deep water ships to make up the num-
|; Der OF hands Necessary to work the
FesseI across a traekIess ocean. The
Iaet that the victim of a shanghai
gang has never been to sea before does
not enter into the reckoning at all.
The chances are that he will be a good
sailor before the ship reaches her des-
| tination
Those who have taken trip to sea
| IN a thorough orthodox manner by paw
ing goodly sized sum of hard earned
money, and also, in nine cases ont of
| ten, exchange their dinners for the
privilege of watching old ocean. usual
| ~ retain, to their dying day. vivid
recollection of the feelings they then
experienced when they threw up home
friends and everything else, and in
some cases, when it seemed that there
was surely nothing else in them, the
moon came up.
At such times the ordinary voyaper
can take to his bunk and receive what
consolation he may from frequent Wis
ITS Of the steward and possibly the doc
tor But what about the poor euss
that has been shanghaied? IF he hap
pens to be sailor, and familiar with
the workings of ship, the fact that
nes comes tumbllng up a narrow com
panlonWay to the deck some fine morn
ing and finds towering mountain of
canvas over his head and the ship out.
OF sight of land, he is not the least
bit disconnected. The chances are that
he will not even ask the destination
OF the ship. On the afternoon before,
when he was wandering around the
lower part of the city, drinking with
his cronies and few who were not
his cronies, he fully expected To wake
up in his little cot in some sailor board
ing house the next morning, but he
didn t and that is the end of it. He
has no outfit except what he stands in
as the shanghai gang are quite incon-
siderate of so small a detail when they
nip victim, but that will all be regu-
lated from the slop chest, a sea term
applied to the stock of clothing. tobae-
Eco, etc, kept on board by the captain,
and for which prices are charged that
| Will use up the best part of the wages
| that he may have coming to him for
| the first two months worls-vIn fact.
things are in his favor, and sonaeti lines
a smile of satisfaction will cross his
woo fflxa7. t1a.. 60 I II
been ashore for some time, and in that
event 1t is safe TO state that he owes
the sailor clearinghouse, which has
been keeping him after his money is
gone, quite little amount. which
amount he will never have to pay now.
Il he had shipped in the regular way
and signed PARTICLES, = the amount due
the clearinghouse master would have
been paid as an advance by the captain
of the ship and deducted from his
wages. Being shanghaied, he has SIM
ply dropped out of sight and will prob
ably not visit that port again for years.
What he obtains from the slop chest
IS his although he has paid double the
price for them
II men of the above stamp were the
only ones who are shanghaied all might
be well, but there are others. Farm
hands, city buns and even merchants
form good per cent. of those .who
go down to the sea in Ships but not
willingly If they are in their right
minds
Shanghaing in its viIest form is
nearly thing of the past as far as
American ports are concerned. but
there is still enough of it going on to
make one sit up and take notice If
they are interested in such doings.
Rube Pumpkin has come to town,
after five or six months of strenuous
wood ehopping in the mountains. Rube
has few dollars that he has saved
and he is going to have good time |
and then he is going back to the coun- |
try. Rube's clothing is not of the !!
latest cut, and his hat band NAV be I
a little soiled and being conscious of |
his short comings in this respect he |
steers clear of the heightened saloons /
and naturally drifts down to the water |
front, and before evening has come he |
has made many friends, and has also |
been spotted by the gang as hav-
ing the markings about him of a good |
sailor He represents to the .gang''
about twenty good American dollars
or more, all depending on the supply
and demand for deep water sailors.
Rube wants drink but he does not
want to drink alone, so he carelessly
turns from the bar and casting his
eye over the crowd, invites one of
he number to have a drink with him.
That is where Rube makes the mistake
# his life. Naturally, he longs for
,ompanionship and totes his new found
friend along with him to the next
aloon where they have another drink.
f the friend'' has not the necessary
knockout drops at hand that fact is
oon made known to another of the
gang and they are quickly forth
omlng. When, in the opinion of the
friend, Rube is about ripe and +
eady to pick, small pill is secretly S
Iropped into his glass of whisky and
he drinking delayed till it has had
ime to dissolve. In few minutes J
tube gets very sleepy. sort of loses {
interest in drinking and drops into a {
emile slumber in one of the bar-room |
hairs. 1t is then that the gang I
cts in its work. When Rube awakens 9
he next morning he is under the i'm j
resslon that small sized earthquake I
) getting in its work and he fears V
hat some of his piles of wood may a