Uw zoekacties: Sailortown,

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037 Sailortown
Erfgoedstuk
Bladmuziek
Sailortown,
Titel:
Sailortown
Naam uitgever:
Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd. - E.P. Dutton & Co. Inc.
Jaar van uitgave:
1997
Omschrijving:
Liedtekst en Liedtekst verklaring
Aantal pagina's:
360
Taal:
Engels
Plaats van uitgave:
London & Newe York
Auteur:
Stan Hugill
THE PACIFIC, AUSTRALIA, ASIA, AND AFRICA
in a service held on the poop—almost within the shadow of the great gold Buddhist dagoba, the Shwe Dagon. Neither Bangkok nor Saigon had any sailor quarter, although the
latter had, like Hong Kong, its 'Midnight Fairies', who, in charge of their mama-san would besiege each ship as she came to her moorings. Chittagong was another Eastern rice port, well known to square-
rigged ships, although here also sailor shore activity hardly existed. But when we go over to Calcutta a different kettle of fish was to be found. Calcutta, the Holy City of Kali the Destroyer, was by far the most popular place with seamen ashore, and probably had the big- gest Sailortown set-up, in the whole of the Orient. Calcutta lies over a hundred miles up the Hughli River, and the dangerous James and Mary Shoal at the point where the Hughli and the Rupnarain Rivers meet, had to be negotiated by all ships heading up, under tow, for the city. Budge-Budge is the oil-port for Calcutta, and the only dock in the last century—apart from the Government Dock where salt, a government monopoly, was discharged—was that of Kidderpore, opened in the i88os, where coal cargoes were worked by women and girls.
So we'll roll, roll, roll, bullies, roll as we go, For the Kidderpore ladies have got us in tow!
So sang the seamen of J. H. Williams' ship, but they didn't mean
the coal girls! The seamen who commanded the Bengal Pilot vessels—in the
early days all brigs—were both gentlemen and excellent seamen, coming aboard the deep-watermen off the Sandheads complete with apprentice, cook, Kulashi servants, and native leadsman. Once the tugs had the ship in tow it was the usual practice to unbend sails going up the river and stow them away in the locker. After the dread- ed James and Mary quicksands were passed the vessel would then be towed up to one or another of the many river moorings which stretched for more than six miles along the Hughli. One was Garden Reach, close to the Palace of the King of Oudh, the pigeons from which, according to Frank Bullen, would rise in clouds when sailing ships were heaving their anchors with the men shantying at the capstan. One section of Garden Reach was given over to the 'Country Wallahs' or ships owned locally, mostly by Arabs and Indians. In the thirties of the last century opium clippers would be seen here loading their 'lethal' cargoes for Chinese ports. Other moorings were those of the Esplanade, the Hastings, Princept Ghat, and of course those of the Maidan, right opposite the city, and, in later days, the moorings below Howrah Bridge. Paddle-tugs well known in the old days to Calcutta visitors were the Rescue, the Powerful, the Rattler, the Dalhousie, and the Warren Hastings. 312
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Organisatie: Shanty Nederland
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