The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-30
Merchant Marine Cadet Explains Why
Big Lines May Have Difficulty
in Finding Officers

.e' NV IL vi
serving 1t is open to Improvement.
There is usually a table in the sea-
mems quarters. or "~fo'castle," and the
food Is put on this in pans Each
man gets out his mess gear and helps
himself. Then he takes 1t over to
his bunk, or out on the hatch IL the
weather is good.
In American ships the crew usually
get enough to eat, such as It is. In
n pan a man will have meat, pota-
toes. peas, gravy and some kind Of
slop designated by the cook as pud-
ding. Then there is coffee and bread.
When a man is hungry 1t tastes ex-
cellent, but he has to be hungry to
enjoy 1t.
After supper one Of the men goes
on deck to stand the lookout watch.
Maritime law requires a man to be
stationed in the forward part Of the
ship where he can see clearly during
the time the masthead lights are
lighted. The purpose Of this Is to pre-
vent collision with another vessel. In
the smaller of the West India run
ships no place is provided for the
lookout to stand his watch. as in the
Atlantic liners. The man in the small
ship has to walk back n forth across
the bow in the biting wind of winter
or course in two or three days the
weather becomes warmer as the ship
goes southwark. but for the time the
weather is cold the job Is a most I'M
pleasant one. Each man has his trick
at lookout. and in that way loses a
part of his sleep. When his watch is
over he goes below, and We shan go
with him TO see where and how he
lives.
Away forward in the bow of the
ship the seamen are quartered in what
Is known as the "fo'clstle." Imagine
a dimly lighted. poorly ventilated V
shaped ROOM, the apex of the V facing
you. Down one side Of the
hunks line the wall. The other side
cannot be seen because the capstan
engine with it's attendant gear takes
up the centre of the space and adds
it's odor Of grease n steam from
leaky joints to the other odors in the
tobacco laden air.
Assorted clothes hang from lines
like stalactites in a cave and ditty
bags are slowed wherever there may
be room for them. When you pick
your way around one end Of the
machinery to the other side Of the
room you see the same thing. There
is a mixed smell Of warm oilskins,
rank tobacco, stale food. tarred rope.
salt water and paint, which always
characterizes such a place.
In these quarters the men spend the
greater part of their time of watch.
To- rnruh r.aothar tho n1pDe In the
hawse pipes leak, and there Is water
, on the ioor to add to the other dis
comforts. to say nothing Of the boom
and crash as she takes the solid
green" over the bow. The reason the
men are put here Is because the space
cannot be utilized in any other a
The prospect is no one that would
tempt any one to leave a steam
heated fiat.
Now m the question Of pay for
the work the seaman does. The
monthly stipend is $50. Nowadays
the United states Shipping Commits
sioner sees that the nan gets all the
money that is coming TO him n
that the captain or company does not
hold out on him, or fine Clog Is the
technical word) him extortionate
amounts Tor petty onences. VI iate
years more attention has been paid
to the seaman by legislators. The
money is handed 20 the commissioner
who counts it and turns it over to
the sailor.
To see just how little inducement
there is for a young man to ship as
an A. b., compare the lot Of the aver
age laborer ashore. He gets from
$1.75 to 50 per day for eight hours
work. When he puts on his hat at 5
O'Clock he is through until the next
morning. No husky boatswain is CO.
ing to turn him out in the middle
OF the night to a down a deck
awning because a storm threatens to
blow II away. II he doesn't like his
job he can quit at the end Of the
week, while the sailor must wait until
he returns TO port before ne can
leave, and that nay be months or
weeks. When the food at his board
ing house doesn't suit him he a
find another one. At night he can
go to the movies or indulge in any
pastime his purse permits. The sailor
is thrown wholly upon his own re-
sources for amusement. These are q