New-York tribune. [volume], July 14, 1901, Page 14, Image 40

About New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924

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11
JACK'S QUARTERS AFLOAT.
AMERICAN SAILORS ARE THE BEST
TREATED AND HAVE THE MOST
O tMFORTS.
The American deep water sailor has long been
considered a particular warJ of the nation, ami
; ,s su.ii he is vastly better cared for on ship
board than is the sailer of any ; >th,-r nation.
Much against his will he is encouraged to save
his money. K\<-n a carefully developed bill of
fare ha - been worked uut for him and made a
part of the shipping laws of the country. These
facts have lately 1 n Impressed upon the ship
1 wners r-f Great Britain by th.- arrival at Lon
d. n of the steamship N-ithw-st.-rn. the first v»-s
>t .| 10 enter ;.t that port \\\'U clearance papers
::.¦>;¦ Chicago.
T'm- Northwestern is a steamer of the Great
Lakes the lit-t of a new lii.-- which will try
tl , establish a regular service from Chicago
Lawrence
Hivei • 3s th< Atlantic to London, Her
lak< sailors, and iaU,- Bailors are
¦ 1 like no other sailors In the world. They
much the same rights and privileges aa
hav< shore labon rs. They have their labor union;,
1 nd dictate, to a certain extent, their own Bcale
• f wages and th-- amount and nature of th.
work that maj be r quired of them. Voyages
Great Lakes are of to,, short duration
; n 1 ill. chances foi deserting are too numerous
f.»r iake Bhip owners to dictate to their sailors
permit th< owners to Impose anything
liki the i.-ims whi.ii ih<- ordinary sailor en
dures.
It is n< wi ndi t that I. on. ion seamen have
Mo. ,) in open mouthed astonishment at th.- g )
fortune of the Northwestern's crew. They have
been surprised at the ease an.l simplicity of
discipline. The convfo is provided for tbe men
have caused wonder, as well a.- the liberality of
their n,-ii:rs They have also wondered at tbe
way ti..- lake sailors respond to fair treatment
instead •¦¦ ab ising it.
Although th.- Northwestern is a lake boat and
i- in consequence different in many respects
fr< m tl c l< ep sea "tramp" or sailing vessel, she
It not iij any means the only vessel from which
English, German, French and Russian shipping
...:. learn valuable lessons Sailors have better
quarters and ar> uniformly better treated on
American ships than they are on vessels flying
flags of ot hei st; ij.. .-¦ and 1 olora.
"The quarters for sailor? on American
have not changed greatl) In the last ten years."
Baid a large owner of seagoing vessels to a Ti b
un.- reporter yesterday, "but they are still f.tr
ahead of anything foreigners have ever put up.
There maj not be much difference In it:-- h nises,
but Ait:.;:, an captains Insist on cleai
MKSSItOOM AND QUAUTKKS KOK AI»PKKXTICES.
'>n :hi Ann ri in ship Acme.
Thai tin- American Bailor is better fed than the
Britisher <•• any other foreigner no one can
doubt wh., has ever read the lull of fare pre
scribed by t he government."
Th.- .lass ¦¦! the old forecastle, him- away in
tli. dark hold under th.- forward mast, are gone
forever, no matter what Hag th.- vessel may
carry. The forecastle on new .-t.-.-l ships is in
a deckhouse, well forward. On American ships
it is ventilated tike the skipper's cabin in th.
stern >,( the Bhip, has a skylight and apparatus
for heating. The men used to eat with their
plates on theii knees; now they have a mesa
table with racks to hold the dishes in place in
rough weather. Tanks on top of the house sup
ply running water, ami th.- reason modern fore
castles .(<> not have bathtubs is thai th< sailors
would rather take their baths on deck by throw-
Ing cold water ovei one another.
The diffei nee between American and British
Ideas of comfort for crews is well brought out
Ijy two new ships 1 the Standard <>il Company's
Beet which are now loading at Constable Hook
untl tli.- Tidewater refineries. The wheelhouse
iU th.- etern which, l»j the way, ha.- been con
sidered 11 ssary on sailing shi|.s only within
(h.- last few years tells the tale. On the A.m.-.
v Steel four Blaster built at Uath, Me., a few
JNUVV-YUKK TKIISUJN.H iuj stkatki> SUITLEMEAT.
months ago, the wheelhouse Is a solid st*M
itructure iik>- the pilot house of a Bteamer. It
has plenty of windows, and protects the helms
man from the weather on every side. The Brill
iant, a still larger ship built by Russell, at Glas
gow, lias a steel wheelhouse which resembles
the scoop of a larg( dredger. It is entirely open
m fr< nt, affording protection only from fol
low j> :^ waves, and leaving the man at the wheel !
almost as much at the mercy of the wind and
cold a^ he was « h.-n the wheel was abt
¦ ¦ ted. Hen Is the I 1 • •_:•.• Id. as
imfori as . x;p sse I bj th.- :i:at.- of
the Brilliant:
"We lon'l u.i:. 1 to make th.- men t m
fortable. If we had the wheelhouse entirely
closed ¦ ¦ : made th.- room warm and com
•' do on •he n< -v Am
ships, the uld be sitting Mown and
¦ p the first th 1 now. No, i
A CORNER OP THE CAPTAIN'S CABIN.
On tho American ship Acme.
IN THE UALLEY OF Till: WllilihAN SHIP ACME.
sir, too much comfort spoils a sailor. . s;
a British sailor."
< >n th< Standard « 'il Company's new Ars
ship tbe A( me an effort is ma le to h
apprentice boya away ft the r.-st of the crew.
They an- the youngsters who will
command the vessels of t!; mpany's r! ¦• t To
quarter them with the crew would be t 1 make
bad boys of them, according to the officers of th-
Acme. For that reason she has a deckhouse
ami !shl| s tor the apprentl .- boys and the under
officers. They have th.;r own mess table, lock
mfortable bunks .ii-.-l plenty of room.
The officers' quarters on both American and
British Bhips have been growing mon
ble .i- : elaborate aa b) tilding his advanced.
• tin of the Acme 1 onsists ol a large saloon
and dining room, with the captain's stateroom
on one side and on the other the steward a pan
try and rooms for the officers, it la timsh-. i la
IN THE FORECASTLE OF THE SEW BRITISH SHIP BRILLIANT.
white enamel, an.l the saloon portion is fur
nished la green leather. Morris chain and com
fortable sofas are scattered about The hard
wood floor is covered with rugs. There are oil
paintings on' the walls. Sofa cushions and bits
of fancy work tell of a woman's presence, for
Captain Laurence is usually accompanied by his
wife. The Acme is the pride of the company's
American fleet, and for very good reasons.
The cabin quarters in the Brilliant are pat
terned after the British idea. There are more
mirrors, nickeled lamps and panel work. All of
th.- rooms are finished in »irdseye maple and
black walnut. In the dining room there is a
fireplace, with fittings of mart.'..-. In the saloon.
or after cabin, there is an elaborate sideboard
with cut glass furnishings.
Twenty yean ago a sailor would have laughed
at the idea of a steam heated forecastle. To
day such quarters are common on American yes-
seta of a certain class— th-» big schooners which
ply in the coastwise trade. These vessels carry
small crews, from seven to ten men. The
spread of canvas is enormous, and th crews
would be unable to handle the ship without the
aid of steam. For this reason a small engine
is kept running all the time, an.i steam I.r
beating purposes is supplied to all parts of the
ship.
Th ' are vessels sailing out of this port
which are absolutely without forecastles. The
officers and crew liv,- together in a cabin at the
stem, They eat from the same table and have
exactly th,- same fare, except for the skipper's
private bottle of "sea sherry." which would be
called whiskey on shore. Near!] all of the Ash
ing schooners are Quartered in this way. ami
likewise many of the lumber vessels which bring
cargoes from Nova Scotia to the lumber yarOa
on the East River.
After all. however, the difference between the
comforts of American sailors and those accord
ed to the seamen of other nations lies more in
the food provided than in the quarters. British
skippers are noted for keeping their men on
short rations. An American captain would not
dare go below the scale provided by law. If hi
did. the crew would complain at the first sort