Year: 1875

for the Seamen--Reclxless Criminality--A Few of Many Gases.

 The following instances, among others, are given in MT. Samuel Plimsoll's ap- peal, entitled "Our Seamen," showing the recklessness with which vessels are often overloaded, and the lives of the seamen sacrificed

 On occasion of one of my visits to a port in the north, I was met by gentle man who knew what my errand there was likely to be, and he said |" Oh, MT. Pimsol, you should have been here yesterday; a vessel went down the rive1 so deeply loaded that everbody who saw kher expects to hear of her being lost. She was loaded under the personal di- rections of her owner, and the captain himself said to me sIsn't it shameful, sir, to send men with families to sea in such vessel loaded like that9' Poor fellow, it is much if he ever reaches port.

 She was sent. The men were some of them threatened, and one at least had promise of ten shillings extra per month wages to induce him to go. As she steamed away the police boat left her. The police had been aboard to overawe the men into going. As the police boat left her side two of the men, deciding at the last moment that they would rather be taken to prison, hailed the police, and begged to be taken by them. The police said "they could not interfere," and the ship sailed. My friend was in great anxiety, and told me that if it came on to blow, the ship, could not live.

 It did blow good half gale all the day after Sunday-the ship sailed on Friday was looking seaward from the promontory on which the ruins of T. Castle stand, with a heavy heart. The wind was not above force seven-nothing to hurt well-found and properly loaded vessel. I had often been out in much worse weather, but then this vessel was not properly loaded (and her owner stood to gain over 1000 clear if she went down, by over-insurance), and I knew that there were many others almost as unfit as she was to encounter rough weather-ships so rotten that if they struck they would go to pieces at once ships so overloaded that every sea would make clean sweep over them, sending tons and tons of water into the hold every time, until the end came.

 On Monday we heard of ship in dis tress having been seen; rockets had been sent up by her; it was feared she was lost. On Tuesday name board of boat was picked up, and this was all that was ever heard of her.

 MT. D--d was quite correct. On the Saturday he saw his wife reading the newspaper, and said to her: Look out for the - in a day or two. I saw her go out of the river. She is sure to be lost" She was lost, and nearly twenty men returned home nevermore.

 MT. B. and his brother told me that one day they saw vessel leaving dock. She was so deep that, having list upon her, the scuppers on thelower side were half in the water and half out. GA list means that she was so loaded as to have one side rather deeper down than the other ; the scuppers are the holes in the bulwarks that let the water out which comes on deck from rain, from washing, and the seas breaking over her.) They heard slight comm otion on board, and voice said to the captain stLar- rvs not on board, sir" He had run for it. Nothing could be done for lack of time to seek him, so they sailed without him. And these gentlemen heard the crew say, as the vessel slowly moved away from the dock gate: "Then Larry's the only man of us'l be alive in week." That vessel was lost.

 The L-, a large ship, was sailing on long voyage from a port in Wales, with cargo of coal. MT. B. called friends attention to her state. She was good ship, but terribly deep in the water. MT. B. said: "Now, is it possible that that vessel can reach her destination unless the sea is as smooth as a millpond the whole way 2"

 The sea does not appear to have been as smooth as millpond, for that ship was never heard of again, and twenty eight of our poor, hard-working, brave fellow-subjects nevermore returned to gladden. their poor wives and play with their children.

 The large ship, put to sea one day. She was so deep that MT. J. MI said to me as she went "She was nothing but coffin for the poor fellows on board of her." He watched and watched, fascinated almost by the deadly peril of the crew and he did not watch for nothing-before he left his lookout to go home he saw her go down.