WHO’S WHO ABOARD SHIP

Hokitika Guardian, 30 April 1924, Page 1

WHO’S WHO ABOARD SHIP

(By an old Sailor)

Doctors who have never walked a ward, farmers who spend nine-tenths of their lives afloat, idlers who work hard for twelve hours a clay. Paradoxical !

Yet they exist—aboard ship. They owe their being to the language that is spoken by the men ol Hie deep-sea sailing craft and tramp-steamers of tlie Mercantile Marine—the craft that are known across the seven seas as “hookers.”

In boats such as those the master is “Tlio Old Mail,” the first mate is invariably addressed as .“Mister”— without tho addition of his name— and the second mate, for some reason by no means clear, is as often as not referred to as “The Second Greaser.” , When a hooker is in her home port the man who represents tlio own and attends to her business in dock carries no such higli-falutin’ tally as marine superintendent. That title belongs to the big steamship lines. He is known fiv that grand, old-fashioned, romance-breathing term “Ship’s. Husband.” Easily the most important man aboard the hooker is tho cook, but be is never so vailed save ill tlie slop's articles. To everyone aboard he is “I lie Doctor.”

He has nothing to do with healing, but is a handy fellow to know as the proprietor of the only fire at which clothes may be dried on occasion i! bo be diplomatically approached.

Tlio sailmnker is “Sails” and the carpenter “Chips.” The hos’n Is nlwavs called nlain •"Doss.”

It so happens sometimes, bv reason of the way the reliefs fall, that a man has neither a trick at the wheel nor a turn oil look-out during the night watches, so that when there is no essential ship work to do lie can sleep during his watch on deck. lie is termed a "Farmer.”

The men who invariably work all day and sleep all night—cook, carpenter. sailmnker, steward—are “Idlers.”

Tlie men take it in turn to clean up the fo’e’sle, anil the one who has that, dutv is called “Peggy.”