Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1912-08-24
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-9Z4RRoARD EN7zNE 1FA NN2DERNZAVER

down the ladders, while he is franti-
cally searching for the source of the
smell he would give five years of his
! life to undo the oversight of the last
| five minutes.
Discipline in the merchant service
begins well enough at the top, but ii
does not work all the way down. 1t
| stops at the lowest grade Of man who
has certificate to lose, the junior en-
| gineer In the evidence at recent
nautical inquiry one read Of a man
smilingly informing the court that he
was ashore having last drink while
he should have been on board joining
in boat drill. A junior officer or en-
gineer dare not do such a thing. The
law and the owners deal severely with
him. He is supposed to behave with
naval obedience himself, while his
own authority is frequently floutcd by
those nominally at his command. Any
thing less like the navy could scarcely
be imagined. The idea that engineers
are given to chastising firemen with
any handy weapon is often found in
fiction. IL is fiction. In real life di6ci-
pine below decks depends almost EN-
tirely on the good nature of the fire
, men.
Surroundings Are Degrading
Socially the merchant service engi-
neer is equally remote from the naval
| type. His accommodation does net
often rise above the level set by oil
clothed tables and kitchen cutlery.
Such conditions have not an expand
ing effect on the intellect. His CONVEX
sation in the messroom is commonly
personal and bitter. If he comes from
the upper middle classes" his rela-
| tives too often find him morose at 10,
or vulgarized, or disappeared altogeth-
er from their ken. If he resists the
social influence of his environment the
result is often a curious mental COM
bativeness which seems to arise out
of the well nigh incompatible require
ments that he is supposed to meet
an artisan with supposedly the pres
tige Of a lieutenant and actually legs
authority than a corporal. The better
educated men strive TO rise above sea-
| faring. Examinations must be passed
and they can only be entered for by
men with certain amount Of sea serv-
ice to their credit. Twelve months at
least must be passed at sea to enable
a man to go up for a second class GER
| tificate OF competency-that Is to say,
! the certificate which legally qualities
him TO act as q second engineer or
on very small ship as chief engineer.
After obtaining that he must serve an
other year as engineer in regular
charge Of watch on board an ocean
going steamship before he may sit for
his first class certificate, which en-
ables him 10 sign on as chief engineer
Of any sort of vessel, from an .excur-
sion steamer TO the last thing in At
lantic flyers.
When he Is "up for second" he has
| to pick out the answers to questions
about, say, the temperature Of the hot
we'll under imaginary and distressing
| conditions dear to the hearts of .ex-
aminers, from mixed memories OF rau-
| cous laughing nights ashore and OF
days of anxious vigilance over racing
engines, when the propeller would be
flung clear of the wintry western
| ocean anu the snip QulNtT US lUOufSu
from earthquake. When he is "up for
chief he is set more difficult ques-
tons, but still not beyond the reach OF
simple arithmetic. II he aspires to
the honorary examinations extra
chief" Il is called-the questions be-
come more academic, and he unlocks
! the brain cell which contains the inte-
! grail calculus. The calculus is prob
ably stored next 10 visitors OF the most
important objects which IL is to
achieve for him--a surveyorship or
superintendentship ashore, a nice lit
tie home in Forest Gate or North
Shields, and wifely eompanionship un-
broken by voyaging. or perhaps the
protection of a widowed mother.