Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Second part - XII. Shipping and Navigation - The Sailors, by A. Raphael, Ph. D., D. C. L., Stockholm, H. Burström, Actuary at the Royal Central Bureau of Statistics, and Captain Hj. Gulda, R. N., Stockholm
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
974
XII. SHIPPING AND NAVIGATION OF SWEDEN.
Among all the sea-captains who die before leaving their trade, a third perishes
by a violent death (chiefly drownage, of course); among the crew as many as
nearly half the number. In younger ages and during work at the trade,
mortality is greater among the crew than among the officers, but in the older ages the
case is reversed. At the age of fifty-five, the average length of life is 16’4 years
for captains and mates but 16*9 for sailors, engineers, and stokers.
Because sailors spend a very great deal of their time in foreign parts,
measures have been taken at several places abroad to afford them assistance sad
protection, e. g. Swedish sailors’ chapels and seamen’s pastors, sailors’ homes, etc.
By the National Evangelical Society (see p. 269), a beginning was made in 1869
towards establishing missionary stations; such are now to be found in Liverpool,
Grimsby, Boston, Marseille, Hamburg, Lübeck, Bremerhafen, and Melbourne. In
Copenhague, there is a Swedish pastor appointed for seamen. In Liverpool,
Grimsby, and Melbourne, there are also sailors’ chapels. Out of the missionary
stations Sailors’ Homes have developed themselves (e. g., in London and
elsewhere); such Homes also exist in Swedish towns (Stockholm a. o.). The interest
for our sailors during their sea-life full of dangers has considerably increased
these later years. At several places abroad, often visited by Swedish sailors,
nothing has, however, been done as yet for their benefit.
Our Swedish seamen have everywhere in the world a good and well
deserved reputation for cleverness, courage, and trustworthiness. The merchant fleet
of Sweden — at present manned with 25,000 seamen — not affording full
occupation for the numerous sea-faring population along our extensive coasts, a great
number of Swedish sailors have got employment in foreign service, so that Swedish
sailors, engineers, etc. form a considerable part of the crew on board the
merchant fleets of the great nations, especially those of the English and Americans.
Old Swedish pilot.
At 72 years of age.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
