The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-03-30
by a Worker Correspondent
(Continued.)

bpOI SuIpp1S USSau W dCJ QuS6Ily ,
sad and, sobbing one minute, he
would laugh out the next, and grin
ming all to himself he would keep
on chattering of Jesus, kings and
prostitutes-the poor fellow was
losing his mind.
Three weeks out and the longest
stretch of sleep we had thus far
was only three hours.
Rolling Over.
For three solid weeks the water
has been washing about in the
fo'c's'le. Once in a while big sea
crashing through the broken door
end flooding the miserable place
waist deep would wash the tired,
sleepy men from their lower hunks.
And laughter, mingled with cheers
and loud curses to heaven and hell
or earth, curses toward captains.
masters, kings and queens, would
fill the misty air! AS the old club"
rolled over, the sparkling green
water dashirg against the lee-side
Of the fo'c's'le sent a thick spray as
high as the roof flying across the
nlace-and out of our hunks we all
jumped.
Teddy" sleeping, perched high
in the top bunk, got his back wet,
and, jumping up and striking the
low ceiling with his round, closely
cropped head, he began to swear, to
laugh, to sing! "Join in fellows"
he said, Tets go to 'helP like men,"
and, taking up the strain of the
"Red Flag" he sang it vigorously.
Half-naked, wading about waist
deep and hunting for his washed
about clothing. Jimmy, the well-read
seaman from Ireland, swore vehem-
emily: ooh, the lousy, rotten. stink
mo owners, I could send them to
hell; I would reeve "a hand billy
'tackle) of their CUTS and drag
their accursed souls to purgatory."
And the young Dane with the
three broken ribs was grooming,
having been thrown from his bunk.
He was all wet; he was dying; his
FACE was thin and yellow; it was
lard for him to breathe-he was in
agony. =.
A heavy squat struck us again,
roaring outside; big cross sea was
running, and with her decks filled
- the rails and still scooping more,
the Irvermark, shaking, creaking
md rafting like an old coffin. would
I'll snd pitch, pitch and roll.
Knee Deep in Water.
g'iea water in the fo'c's'le is knee
deep and rushing from side to side
some are trying to sleep, some
of us are trying TO bail the ocean.
some picking up the floating rags"
tclothing); others simply do not
care--too tired, too sleepy to bother
with anything.
We, are cold, wet, hungry, miser-
eble-and the prostitute scribblers
or the capitalist press glorify the
"a, beautiful sea for them from
the shorel 1850 -
"If l could only get my hands on
he owners, I'd do for Them said
he big. sturdy and exceptionally
powerful Lett, dragging out his
aater-soaked and dripping "don-
ev's breakfast" (straw mattress)
ond throwing it overheard. And on
bare boards in his bunk, covered by
q piece of an old sail, he slept-a
tough man!
Veteran of the Barbados.
Faving fought on the barbados
in the first revolution, he had been
wounded, and showing US an ugly
scar, cut by a cossack sabre across
the back of his huge left shoulder,
he would grind his teeth-a des-
perate mani
Midnight came, dirty, black mid
night. All hands on deck-a hard
squall had struck US again, the wind
was roaring and the hail was beat
lng in our faces.
Laying over with her lee-rail
awash, the Invermark preached into
the heavy sea and began turning
turtle. The two helmsmen, iashed
70 the wheel, worked like mad; des-
perately they "put herup"-too late,
she was going. F. Crawling on his
hands and knees, somebody got over
to the lee-side and let fly the storm
spanker sheet; in moment the
sail was torn from the bolt-ropes
and made into shreds. That did not
help, and, listing more, the "old cof-
fun" was about to take a watery
grave.
Clinging to the weather rail, un-
able to do anything, we grimly
awaited our doom.
Just then the main lower tops1
sheet Carried away" The sail like
an exploding balloon flew off the lee
ard, and the Invermark, eased by
ehe loss of the after canvas, soon
lighted herself, and, falling off"
ahe flew before the gale. Rolling
IN our quarter, the big sea would
crash aboard and swamp us fore and
oft; and the seamen, tied with soul
nd booy" lashings and hanging on
for their lives, they had to keep on
elearing the rusty old washports.
Shooting before the continually
,creasing gale, the main hatch be-
an giving away, and, deciding to
take in" the reefed fors1, we anx-
;ously awaited the break of the
,ornine. Daylight came, gray, dull
a,orring.
Aftni. two hours of hard tug