The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1915-05-27
A Seafarer's "Reminiscences.
Capt. George L. Norton In The Marine Jour-

nal.
What would our eminent shlpmasters
of former days, whose efficiency and in
telllgence enriched the owners OF the
ships they commanded and with their
wages and primage were enabled to be-
come well to do, think of the present
condition of affairs maritime when the
Congress of the United States decides
the question and enacts law defining
the able seaman, as follows: "He must
be nineteen years of age or upward and
have had three years service at sea,
ETC." This is an act which ignores the
experience and judgment of the master
or officer who ships the crew and who
educates apprentices, some OF whom are
capable of becoming mates at less than
nineteen years of age. And we have
known an occasional able and successful
seagoing master at the age of twenty
years.
Many years ago younger brother of
the writer shipped as boy on the famous
big four-mast sailing ship Great Repub-
lie, built by Donald Mckay at East
Boston in 1858. She was new and lying
at the foot of Roosevelt Street, East
River, this city, loading for San Francis
CO. A fire broke out in nearby street
during a heavy westerly wind, from
which some of the sparks were blown
into the sails of this ship; this resulted
in her being burned to near the waters
edge before it was extinguished. The
next opportunity our brother had to go
to sea was in the small ship Grahams
Polly with Capt. G. o. Norton, an uncle of
ours. He continued with him for several
years as boy, able seaman and officer,
nd hon ob nf
the ship Lochinvar, much larger vessel,
he shipped my brother as first mate,
who was little over nineteen at the
time. 1t was year or more before the
Lochinvar came to this port. When she
did, at the first opportunity asked Uncle
how "Charley' got along. He replied;
Just as | expected. l couldn't have
made better selection or had bet
ter service. Were he little larger in
stature it would be easier for him, as
these packet ship sailors are difficult to
handle, and big mates can get away with
them easier than small one. But, not
withstanding this handicap, his intelli-
gence and perfect knowledge of seaman
ship enables him to astonish these west
ern ocean 'buckos.' If he was the least
deficient in pluck or knowledge of sail
orman and thereby not able to teach the
men forward every trick of the trade
from turning In set of rigging, strip
ping, and taking out lower mast to
slowing all kinds of cargo. he would not
have got along so well. An able seaman,
no matter how vicious, has a certain
amount of respect and occasionally admit
ration for a young officer that is as able
CT an ADLER seaman than himself"
How often in after life have thought
of what my elder relative had told me
about his nephew as mate and found his
words as true as Gospel. Nothing dis
arms an uneducated man, skilled in his
trade or calling, more effectually than
to find that his employer or superior Of
ficer knows as much or more than he in
regard to its detail. Young American
seamen of the present day are, as rule,
more efficient at an early age with the
same experience, than those of long ago
in consequence of having had the advan-
tage of more liberal education, which,
as we all know, sharpens the intellect
and perceptions of saiIorman as we'll as
that of landsmen.
And here comes in the moral of this
Renaissance, or rather the damaging
effects of the Seamen's Union bill, re-
Gently passed by Congress. A foreign
born, naturaliZed citizen, who hasn't
been to sea for over twenty years, and,
as far as know, was never an officer of
a ship, has, with the help of U. S.
Senator, forced Congress to enact a
standard in law by which a young Ameri-
can sailor cannot become an able sea-
man until he is nineteen years of age.
Neither can he obtain license to be-
come an officer of steam vessel through
ruling OF the Secretary of the Treas
ury to the Board of Supervising Inspec-
tors of Steam Vessels until he is twenty
one years of age. Foreign maritime
nations put the limit at eighteen to nine
teen years.
Is it y wonder that the layman asks
what's the reason we have no young
American sailors in the forecastle, and
that shipowners become discouraged
through the nations lawmakers adding
to their burdens year after year, while
the American shipmaster mourns for the
good old days when his owner used to
invite him to his home to dinner at least
once a VOYAGE?