The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-06-05
VOYAGE WITH @WT0M0US CREW
SAILORS BECAME DESPERATE.
lMide World Magazine.l

l Wv lue NoIlA AldSdZlHe.
Before joining the customs l fol-
lowed the sea, on and off, for a good
many years. l have served in every
to a mail boat: but the toughest
craft l ever struck was a Yankee clip
per which | will call the Z.
After a long spell ashore in the Aus
tralian b~ack-blocks. | found my way
To sydney. Soon after my arrival
there ] took a walk down to the a
hor mouth. where. standing on South
Head. / heard the great rollers break
with hollow boom upon the rocks be-
low. The free winds of ocean were
blowing in my face. while stretched be-
fore ME lay the broad Pacific in all its
blue immcnsity. Then, once again.
felt the old. old yearning to take ship
and traverse those wide waters.
Vessels q fvarious rig and tonnage
lay within the harhor; all sorts of
rraft--trim any tiny South Sea Island
trading %schooners, large, Formidable
looking British w%arships. dingy coast
ing steamers, and lofty, sw~ift-sailing
Neutrality-suspicious. brave old ships of
teak that laced for Australian wool
carsoes before the days of long-voy-
age steam vessels. Other craft We're
passing to and fro. inward and out
ward bound. n one of these, coming
in, arrested my close attention.
She glided past South Head-a big
American ship, with Il cloud OF canvas
spread on her lofty, tapcrins spars
and the Stars and Stripes futtcring
from hcr peak. while painted in gilt
letters on her bow appeared her name,
L. This vessels shining spars.
snowy canvas, and trim appearance
made her a thing of beauty as she
sailed nI-nr the blItn r,,,,l;+ ,,tLrr.
yet ] WAS soon to learn that her spot
less cleanliness was only brought about
by incessant toll and drudGery on the
part of Il Scant and cruelly-trcated
crew.
Her skysails and other light cloths
We're heing furlcd as she passed me:
then. r"lndinS-to with topsails aback,
she came To an anchor in Watson's
Bay. II 50 happened that this ship.
hound from Melbourne IN Manila, and
thence ,o SAN Francisco. had run
short of drinking water. and her skip
per had put into sydney Harhor to re-
rlenish his supply.
On the day following her arrival !
saw q notice displayed in a ship
chambers window, which stated that
a second mate WAS in demand on board
the q. Now. | felt that n voyage
to san Francisco. Via Manila. would
suit mo Very We'll. and ] therefore re-
solved to apply for the Job. although.
as my sea experience was at that time
rather limited, I thought it probable
that the skipper would refuse the Of
fer of my services. The Z, how
ever. had gained such a bad reputation
among sailormcn that no other Hppli-
cant came forward: thus her CAPTAIN
MAS obliged I % take whoever he could
get.
1t was in the sllip-chandler's store
that / interviewed Captain Joshua
Hicks. master of the Z. a tall. SAL
l"w-complcNioned man. with an ag-
sressive chin and hard, steely eyes.
He looked mo up and down with a
swift, searching glance.
SO YOU want ter ship as second
mate with me. che" he said. How
long have YOU bin sailin' as a ships
officer"
"Not very long. Captain 1 replied.
I've served as mate of a pearlins
schooner, hut | may as we'll tell you
that haven't had much experience OIL
board a square-riggcd ship
Can YOU navigator inquired Cap
tain Hicks.
YES" | answered..
Guess you'n do said the skipper
tersely. Wages. did YOU say Why.
$40 a month, and bring your gear
aboard tonight. I'm sailin' at day
break"
Late that night ] Joined the 4.
n before we We're out of sight of
sydney Heads | found out to my re-
greet. the sort OF craft on which | had
shipped. She WAS known all over the
sea world DIS a holy terror or a red
hot packet"--one of those floating
bells that were allowed to exist until
the latter part of the nineteenth CEN
fury: ships commanded and differed
by brutal rutfians who starved and
beat their unfortunate crews to such
an extent that the men were glad to
desert Whenever an opportunity Of
fered. Thus they forfeited their pay.
a large proportion of which money
Went into the shippers pocket, he be
ing. IN most cases, q part owner of
the ship.
Joshua Hicks owned II share in the
r.; therefore he was quite willing to
pay mig wages to amy mate or sec
ond mate who would help him to drive
the sailors into desertion. Now, Hicks
and his chief officer. a man named
Read, We're a brace Of tough scoun-
drels whose doings We're we'll known
in many ports. Strange TO say, how
ever. despite their evil reputation. the
d always managed to get a crew,
the reason being that when t'orecastle
Jack is hard up or drunk he will ship
IN any craft that comes to hand.
1t was not long ere Captain Hicks
found fault with my method of car
rying out the duties of second mate.
Having had but scant experience of
square-rigged vessels. 1 thought he
would. perhaps. he dissatisfied with
my seamanship. This. however, was
not the case: it was my demeanour
toward the crew that caused him dis
pleasure. On the day following our
departure 1 was experimenting the
hauling down Of our fore and aft sails.
III" skipper too watching for
awhile; then, when / came aft on the
poop deck he voiced his feelings.
See here, mister" said he. ~ amt
PAWN o forty dollars a month to
let them fellers get fat an saucy. Just
hustle EN- around some. else you and
me will fall out"
They weren't long over the job.
sir" l protested.
ITO long to suit me-" replied Cap
tain Joshua. II shipped you as sec
ond mate because you're a big. strong
Teller: an if them chaps forward there
don't fly around quick and lively,