Dedication
TO RUDYARD KIPLING
IN GRATEFUL RECOGNITION OF BOTH HIS
WONDERFUL GENIUS
AND HIS GREAT KINDNESS
TO
THE AUTHOR
Preface
It has been repeatedly represented to me by disinterested friends, that among the innumerable works of both fact and fiction dealing with the sea, there are none telling in a comprehensive way what are the conditions of life in the Merchant Service; in other words, that there is no work to which a parent, yielding to his son’s importunity to be allowed to go to sea, and seeking to know something of the nature of things on board of a merchant ship in detail, can turn with the assurance that he may there find what he needs. Nor can the youth anxious to go to sea in the Merchant Service find any guidance which will at once be comprehensive and reliable compacted into one handy volume. And as these same friends have done me the honour to suggest that I have the qualifications necessary for producing such a work, I have, not at all unwillingly, acceded to their suggestions, and undertaken the task.
The recollection of many kindly criticisms on the preface to the “Log of a Sea-Waif,” scolding me good-naturedly for what it has pleased them to term my exaggerated modesty, prevents me from sinning now in that direction. I will merely say that I have done my best to justify my friends’ confidence in me, and that I earnestly hope the book will not fall too far short of their expectations.
The planning of such a work seems to be comparatively easy. The first thing that suggested itself was the setting forth, in a series of chapters, the duties, required qualifications, difficulties, privileges, etc., of the various members of a ship’s company.
A doubt has naturally arisen in my mind as to how far it is justifiable to deal with sailing ships in these latter days. My own personal knowledge and predilections are on the side of the “wind-jammer,” and consequently I feel the less inclined to deal with her perfunctorily. I cannot, however, conceal from myself the fact that the passing of the sailing ship is being greatly accelerated of late years, and that in all probability another twenty years will witness her final disappearance. On the other hand, I should not be at all surprised to see a sudden recrudescence of sailing ship building. Considering the sailing ship’s economy, her vast carrying capacity, the fact that her very slowness as compared with the steamer is actually no mean advantage in a great number of instances, viz. to quote one, where goods are bought in a low market and are not required by the buyer for some months, so that their shipment by a sailer actually saves warehouse charges as well as freight—I cannot understand why the sailer should be suffered to disappear. Nevertheless, as engineering science advances, economies will doubtless be found possible in steamships which will so greatly lessen their expenses as to make the competition of sailers out of the question. The opening of a Panama Canal, too, which will certainly not be much longer delayed, will deal a tremendous blow at the vast sailing trade around Cape Horn. It seems, indeed, destined to be the final factor in the elimination of the sailing ship. Meanwhile the white-winged fleets come and go in far greater numbers than landsmen have any idea of; and as nearly all authorities are agreed that, in spite of the immense strides taken by steam navigation, the sailing ship is still the only school wherein to train a thorough seafarer, she will certainly receive her full need of attention here.
Care has been taken to avoid, as far as possible, all technical treatment of the subject. I have not assumed the possession of too much nautical knowledge on the part of my prospective readers; not nearly as much, for instance, as would be permissible in a work of fiction. Having before me, too, the hope that sons as well as parents will be able to read and enjoy, as well as thoroughly grasp the meaning of this book, I have aimed at making it entertaining, giving a plentiful supply of anecdotes as well to illustrate as to lighten what might easily become rather “stodgy.”
Finally, I feel constrained to add that, even if my friends are wrong, and there are works with which they, as well as myself, are not acquainted, better calculated to serve the purpose for which this book is intended, I have the temerity to believe that no apology is necessary for its appearance. The overwhelming importance of our over-sea commerce to Great Britain cannot be too greatly emphasized, while the astounding ignorance of maritime matters manifested by British people generally makes one gasp in amazement. Any book, therefore, that does anything to popularize knowledge of Mercantile Marine details cannot be superfluous in this country; and should this present one succeed in bringing home to our inland dwellers with any clearness the conditions of life on board the vessels upon whose regular advent depend our supplies of daily food, I shall feel abundantly justified in issuing it to my countrymen.
Dulwich,
July, 1900.
Synopsis
| CHAPTER I. | |
| THE RISE OF THE MASTER (IDEAL). | |
| PAGE | |
| Magnitude of the Merchant Service—Ignorance of its details ashore—Want of information upon the subject—Popularity of sea-fiction—And unreliability of its details—“Master” or “Captain”—Cadet ships—Their value—The way up (ideal) | 1 |
| CHAPTER II. | |
| THE RISE OF THE MASTER (REAL). | |
| Apprentice difficulties—Sketch of an officer’s progress—Looking for a ship—Classification of masters—Range between Atlantic “liner” and foreign-going schooner—Enviable position of the master of a “liner”—Pilots’ responsibility—Reliable officers—But the master is emperor—All responsibility centres in him | 9 |
| CHAPTER III. | |
| THE MASTER (OF A TRAMP). | |
| Tramp masters—Less pay, more work—Hardships of tramps—Economical owners—Anxious considerations—And all-round qualifications—The aristocracy of tramps—Shore berths for old skippers—Black sheep | 18 |
| CHAPTER IV. | |
| THE MASTER (SAILING SHIPS). | |
| Sailing ships—Their gradations—The beauty of seamanship in Sunda Straits—Ship handling and pluck—Devilish ships—Local knowledge v. “book larnin’”—The Horn—“Swansea men”—A glorious old skipper—Overdue ships—Mediocrities | 26 |
| CHAPTER V. | |
| THE MASTER (SAILING SHIP)—continued. | |
| The skipper’s temptations—His power over young officers—Painting v. sailorizing—And the result—Various temperaments of skippers—The discipline of the “Yank”—And of the “Blue-nose”—Their seamanship—The “Down Easter”—The Yankee clipper—His passion for cleanliness—And brutality—Elementary methods | 36 |
| CHAPTER VI. | |
| THE MASTER’S QUALITIES. | |
| The personal equation—An ideal commander—Want of tact—They do these things better in “Yanks”—Good to have a hobby—High standard of excellence—Difficulties of the British shipmaster with respect to his crew—Unpalatable truths—The fear of God—Honesty of shipmasters—Incitements to dishonesty | 45 |
| CHAPTER VII. | |
| THE MASTER’S DUTIES. | |
| A glimpse of navigation—The unstable compass—Dead reckoning—Pilotage anxieties—The shipmaster as trustee—As lawyer—As doctor—Rough-and-ready surgery—A true hero—The “malingerer” | 53 |
| CHAPTER VIII. | |
| THE MASTER’S DUTIES—continued. | |
| Voluntary duties—Knowledge of engineering—Of ship construction—Of natural history—The danger of drink—A drunkard or two—A memorable voyage—The Blue-nose skipper—His all-round excellence | 63 |
| CHAPTER IX. | |
| THE MATE. | |
| The “mate and his duties”—An ancient and honourable title—His range of importance—A long step from mate to master—Both in position and pay—Education of British officers—Examinations | 73 |
| CHAPTER X. | |
| THE MATE’S WORK. | |
| A good mate precious above rubies—Some difficulties of the young mate—Sensitiveness—Manager of a large business—A great gulf between tramp and liner for the mate—Low wages—Difficult generalship—A scandalous miscarriage of justice—Again better in the “Yank”—Compensations | 82 |
| CHAPTER XI. | |
| THE MATE’S WORK (IN A SAILING SHIP). | |
| Peculiarities of status—The excellence of the sailing-ship mate—“Humouring” a ship—Care of her aloft—The mate’s right-hand man—Keeping them at it—The joy of a good sailing ship—A happy mate—Keeping the log | 91 |
| CHAPTER XII. | |
| THE MATE’S WORK (IN A SAILING SHIP)—continued. | |
| Ideal log-book literature—Ruffianly mates—But splendid seamen—A “nigger-driver”—The mate as cargo clerk and warehouseman—His temptations—An exultant Hebrew—The drink question again—The mate’s privileges | 101 |
| CHAPTER XIII. | |
| THE SECOND MATE (IN STEAM). | |
| “Hazing” a second mate—His importance—His assured excellence in a liner—Careful selection—Really first lieutenant in a liner—But in the tramp “a servant of servants shall he be”—An upper housemaid—An anomalous position—As stevedore—The Yankee second mate | 112 |
| CHAPTER XIV. | |
| THE SECOND MATE (FIRST STEPS). | |
| The passing of the “Board”—School-boy work—Theoretical navigation—Practical seamanship—Colour-blindness—Queer instruction—A kindly examiner—The astonishment of the schoolmaster—Only mate—And “bo’sun-second-mate” | 121 |
| CHAPTER XV. | |
| THE SECOND MATE (OF A SAILING SHIP). | |
| The difference between steam and sail—A kindly skipper for a beginner—The second mate’s position as pupil—The seamy side—Everybody’s dog—Again the difference between lime-juicer and Yank—The second mate of the East Lothian—Oh, what a surprise!—The value of muscle—The want of discipline in our ships | 131 |
| CHAPTER XVI. | |
| THE THIRD MATE. | |
| Of great importance or none at all—A suggestion from the Navy—No respect due to him—The owner’s pet—The poop ornament—His bringing up—A lost opportunity—The bully third mate of an American ship—An error in judgment—Idlers | 142 |
| CHAPTER XVII. | |
| THE BO’SUN. | |
| A romantic figure—Rough but genuine—The naval bo’sun—The working foreman—Bo’sun and “lamps” combined—The old-time bo’sun—A thorough sailor—A queer bo’sun—A broken-down bo’sun—A brevet bo’sun | 151 |
| CHAPTER XVIII. | |
| THE CARPENTER. | |
| His general excellence—And unique position—A man of many qualifications—All carpenters in British North America—As in Finland—“Chips” and sailor too—An independent member—Always plenty of work—The whaleship carpenters—And boat-builder | 161 |
| CHAPTER XIX. | |
| THE SAILMAKER. | |
| An occupation that is passing—Its fascination for good sailors—The art and mystery of sailmaking—The Yankee sailmaker—His contempt for British sails—Like the carpenter, the sailmaker always has plenty to do—The beauty of sails | 171 |
| CHAPTER XX. | |
| THE STEWARD (IN STEAM). | |
| Wide range of status—But always a steward—Wonderful colspan=”2” align=”center”management—A small army to control—Work never done—The tramp steward—His duties and difficulties—The “providore” | 180 |
| CHAPTER XXI. | |
| THE STEWARD (SAILING SHIPS). | |
| The passenger sailing ship almost extinct—Consequently few chief stewards in sail—The responsible steward—The captain’s pet—Funny little ways—A bitter experience—The Yankee steward—His onerous post—The stewardess—My friend’s pathetic story | 188 |
| CHAPTER XXII. | |
| THE COOK (IN STEAM). | |
| The most interesting figure on board ship—A chef indeed—Where do they come from?—Difficulties of ship cookery—Under the best conditions—Careful, hard-working men—Australian cooks—Black Sam—Humpy Bill—His tribulations and triumphs—The cook of a tramp | 195 |
| CHAPTER XXIII. | |
| THE COOK (SAILING SHIPS). | |
| His materials—His usual qualifications—No room for a good cook—Good sailing ships—And bad—From the food point of view—Bad food wasteful as well as dear—The craving for vegetable—The cook’s day’s work—So different in Yankee ships—Blue-nose cookery—“Cracker hash”—“Duff” | 205 |
| CHAPTER XXIV. | |
| THE COOK (SAILING SHIPS)—continued. | |
| Salt junk—The never-satisfied sailor—Pork and peas—Dirty cooking—Abysmal ignorance—A lower depth—Bad weather | 215 |
| CHAPTER XXV. | |
| THE APPRENTICE (SUGGESTIONS). | |
| A serious matter—Want of knowledge—The system of apprenticeship—Need for revision—The influx of foreign officers—No want of aspirants here—An experience of my own—No-premium apprentices—Training ships—The housing of sea apprentices—A vexed question—To stop the waste of young seamen—An A.B. no mere labourer—A good example—A model ship for apprentices—Training ships in America | 223 |
| CHAPTER XXVI. | |
| THE APPRENTICE (SOME FACTS CONCERNING HIS LIFE). | |
| The average boy’s helplessness—The need for lessons in homely things—An unhappy home—Waste of outfit—Need of personal supervision—And honest treatment—Apprentices substituted for sailors—Some instances—All depends upon the master—Wasted years—The embryo officer in the U.S. and Canada | 234 |
| CHAPTER XXVII. | |
| THE APPRENTICE (SOME PRACTICAL INFORMATION). | |
| How to get your boy to sea—Beware of the apprenticeship broker—A typical instance—Some hints as to outfit—A list of necessaries—The choice of a ship—Personal relations of parents with officers—Hints to apprentices themselves | 244 |
| CHAPTER XXVIII. | |
| THE A.B. (GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS). | |
| The “common sailor”—His one-sided view of things—His difficulties—The reading sailor—Argumentative qualities—His shyness ashore—The religious sailor—Misconceptions of his duties—Hardships of good men from the shipment of duffers—The skilled A.B., some of his duties—The “steamboat sailor”—One instance | 253 |
| CHAPTER XXIX. | |
| THE A.B. (HIS ROUTINE). | |
| Some details fixed—Others varying indefinitely according to the will of the master—The incidence of watches—Difference of work in steamships and sailing vessels—No easy times in American ships—Keeping them “at it”—Wheel and look-out case in point | 263 |
| CHAPTER XXX. | |
| THE A.B. (HIS POSITION). | |
| Putting a premium on incompetency—The steamship partly to blame—Are we getting lazy?—The need for a Naval Reserve? Why does the Reserve languish?—Not a bad life after all—Plenty of British seamen to be got—But they must have discipline | 276 |
| CHAPTER XXXI. | |
| THE O.S. (ORDINARY SEAMAN). | |
| His elimination—No system—Many better than A.B.’s in the same ship—A typical instance—An O.S.’s duties—A piece of technical detail, crossing a royal yard—His position in the fo’c’sle—“A servant of servants shall he be”—A rough-and-ready way out | 283 |
| CHAPTER XXXII. | |
| THE BOY. | |
| A romantic figure—Changed conditions—The bad old days—Better treatment forward than aft—The unfair change for a boy from the training ship to the trading ship—Cleanliness barred—Bad advice—What to do for him—Running away to sea—An old-time shipping office—Small ships, bad and good | 294 |
| CHAPTER XXXIII. | |
| THE ENGINEER. | |
| Need for literary engineers—A noble calling—Its perils and its pride—No sea-joys for the engineer—A nineteenth-century hero—A unique profession—Producing a high-grade man—The evolution of the marine engineer—No foreigners allowed—The E.R.A.—In case of war—No mere mechanic—The blindness of the Admiralty with regard to the engineer | 305 |
| CHAPTER XXXIV. | |
| THE FIREMAN AND TRIMMER. | |
| Why do men become firemen?—A terrible calling—Some of his duties—The voice of steam—Better drunk—Cleaning fires—The slavery of civilization—A lower deep—Are we nearing finality? | 317 |
| CHAPTER XXXV. | |
| CONCLUSION. | |
| Pertinent questions—The whole truth—Does magnanimity answer?—The peril of the alien—No Trade Union for sailors—The officer’s chance—A valuable educational factor—Our national safeguard—Finis | 328 |