The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-05-19


martial strains, more greetings. Cars
Of the idle rich ranged around the
pier at Hoboken, the occupants listen
ing to the music on the pier.
A ship of the United States lines
is leaving for a port in Europe with
a cargo Of rich, pleasure-bent passen-
gers and freight A haze Of romance
seems to pervade the atmosphere on
the departure of a ship of these lines.
Such ships as the Leviathan, George
Washington, the President Harding,
President Roosevelt and other liners
assume a sort of holiday air on their
departure. The passengers disport-
ing themselves on deck and in their
cabins listen to the music blaring
noises of departure and they are en-
tranced.
It's great world after all, Gods
in his heaven, all's still right with
the world.
No Romance For Seamen.
Little are they concerned with the
abuses and suffering Of the men that
make their pleasure trips possible.
They watch the seamen pull in the
lines, and they also are imbued with
the false air of romance that this
capitalist machinery Of transporta-
ton takes on.
These sailors are workers like other
workers when it comes to realistic
slavery at a few dollars month.
They have furthermore to be really
skilled in their trade, before the
autocratic ship owners. will hire them.
They must show at least six good
discharges from former voyages to
prove that they are efficient and
able seamen.
Also they must produce lifeboat
ticket. Then there is absolutely no
question as to their ability as first
class seamen. Just before the ship
sails, they are forced to buy uni
forms from the ships slop chest at
$50 per cent profit to the United
States Lines. Of course the passen-
gers think that the company furn-
ishes the mems uniforms free of
charge.
S62.50 A Month.
The wages of a sailor are $3.50
a month, and tho he knows that the
conditions on these vessels are pretty
rotten, he is forced to ship on them.
There is always an unemployment
situation on the waterfront, so he
hasn't any choice of jobs and is
pretty lucky to get any job at all.
My experiences on a voyage on the
President Harding are typical of the
environment thru which the sailor
passes aboard these vessels, with the
exception that I am more class con-
scious than the average seaman that
I meet, and can consequently under
stand the conditions and their cause
a little better-it is the same expert
enee.
Eastbound we worked two nine
teen hour days on mail baggage and
freight. No overtime pay and no
time back for this hard work was
given. This is long steady work and
we were continually being called out
at all hours of the night thruout the
voyage.
Four days in port in Bremenhaven,
and on the morning Of departure,
there was a council muster on deck.
All men who did not appear were
fined four days pay. Westbound
before a gale of wind, we were obliged
to wash oil from the fore part Of the
ship. This oil had leaked out of the
fuel tanks of the ship.
No Clothes for Sale
| applied fer sea-boots and oil skins
which are supposed to be purchasable
at the ships slop chest. but there
weren't any in stock. This, despite
the fact, that maritime law requires
that every ship carry these articles
for the seaman's use in heavy
weather. Consequently, had to
weather the gale without any,
At the port of Queenstown, we
took the tender alongside, with mail
baggage, passengers and freight
This tender flys the free State flag,
and her crew are organized. Never
thless the crew of the President
Harding was asked to go abroad and
handle baggage. l refused to con-
cede to this demand, as my contract
called for work on an American ship,
and not a foreign one. How was /
to know, if there might be a strike
on, and might be scabbing on my
fellow workers in their own country.
Thrown in Brig.
For refusing to do this work I
was placed in wet brig behind iron
bars, and | had to sleep on an iron
floor. Here l was for % hours.
They brought me white bread and
water for sustenance. / was pretty
angry and refused the food on the
basis that white bread did not con-
tain the necessary minerals TO keep
life and activity in the body. So
right thru the long hours Of the
night | tossed about on the hard
r -. 4