#3 and #4

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The National Association of educational broadcasters presents America's African
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heritage recorded in Africa by Skip Westfall program three
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glimpses into the life of a seaman.
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And here is Skip Westfall.
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I'm speaking to you today from my cabin on the good ship the African Patriot were
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filed in mid Atlantic about halfway between New York and Munroe via Liberia.
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This morning I was talking to one of the ship's officers up on the bridge near the pilot room. I
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asked him about where we were located pointing to a spot on the map he replied.
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That's where we are right in the middle of nowhere. So my voice is coming to
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you today from aboard ship right in the middle of nowhere.
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I'm sorry to have to report to you that this is not been a smooth voyage back
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in the States I rather enjoy rock and roll but I don't like the kind of rock'n'roll we've
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been getting on this voyage. It's been rough. I'll have to admit it took me several
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days to get my sea legs. I haven't been violently seasick but on the verge of it
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several times and I can testify to the fact that it's a rather uncomfortable
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feeling. However today is a beautiful day. The dark blue of
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the oceans stretching as far as the eye can see white fleecy clouds
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drifting across the blue of the sky. It's beautiful sailing weather just a
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kind of a day for roaming about the ship and visiting with members of the crew.
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As I've indicated in previous broadcasts one of the purposes in making this trip
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is to get some behind the scenes information concerning the products from Africa which
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played such an important part in our everyday living. But thousands of ships which
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sail the seas to the far corners of the world are like a huge bridge which
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brings to our country the materials we use every day of our lives.
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Toilet soaps lipsticks the perfume the automobiles the television sets
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and scores of other items we could mention. So we were interested in the seamen who
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sail e ships the hardships and sacrifices they must make as members of
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the United States Merchant Marine not the least of these difficulties is the
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weather. If you've ever gone aboard a ship in New York Harbor on a cold winter's day
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you have some idea of the kind of conditions under which the men are forced to work.
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Stand there for just a few minutes out on the pier with the bitter wind in your face chilling
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you to the bone. And watch those fellows out on the deck chipping ice from the cables
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and you'll decide that the life of a sailor is anything but pleasant.
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Then go with that Seaman across the ocean into the state fleeing heat of those West African
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ports and you will wish you were back with the Wind In The Snow in New York Harbor.
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I've been to Africa before so I know what to expect from the miserable heat of
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those African waterfronts. I was reminded of it this morning at the breakfast table when
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Mr Woods the third mate aboard the ship described the port of maternity in the Belgian
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Congo maternity he explained is surrounded by hills and the
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merciless heat settles down in that hollow along the waterfront so that you're hardly able
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to breathe. That is true especially at this time of the year the scorching
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sun beats down so hot upon the deck that you're unable to stand on one
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spot without burning the soles of your feet. The only consolation for the seamen
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is that after several days of this misery the ship will take to sea again
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and the weather will be more bearable. There is another aspect of the weather which
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the man of the sea must contend with stormy weather during the voyage. Sea
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sickness is not much of a problem with the hardened sailor but there are always those who
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are susceptible to that miserable experience. I heard recently of a sea captain who
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always gets seasick when the weather gets rough. Even those wonderful seasick
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pills are of no help to him at all. Last night I spent about an
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hour chatting with Theodore Lee Jr. chief engineer on the ship. He gave me a little
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glimpse into some of the ordeals of the men in the engine room when the ship runs into a bad
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storm. The chief told me that during one terrific storm he didn't get a wink of sleep for
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72 hours. He spent practically all of that time in the engine room trying to
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keep his engine from breaking up. Once in the North Atlantic off the coast of
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Norway his ship the George W. Alder ran into a storm a terrific
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wave hit the ship and drove one of the lifeboats right through the wall into the radio operators
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room. On another voyage out on the Pacific three days out of Japan
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his ship the SS were Costa took such a beating during a storm that
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all of her life boats were washed overboard. It wasn't only during the days of
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the old sailing ships that life at sea was rough and tough it has its
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hair raising moments even during these days of modern navigation.
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But of all the jobs on the ship's crew during a bad storm I should think that the work of the
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cook would be the most difficult. I've been at sea on several occasions when the ship was
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lurching and plunging so wildly that it was physically impossible for me to walk
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along the hallway to the dining room without clinging to the hand-rail every step of the way.
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And yet in the galley the cook has to stand before a hot stove handling
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pots and kettles of food trying to keep his footing on a floor often made
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slippery with the grease build from frying pans. It's a
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mystery to me how those boys can do it when the going is rough the
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cook puts up a rail around the top of the stove to keep those huge
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kettles from sliding off. But sometimes the ship gives such a lurch
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that it spills the soup all over the floor. The cooks have a rug on the
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ceiling over the stove which they grip with one hand or they would never be
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able to keep on their feet. And the waiter just to me it's nothing
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short of miraculous how and when the ship is rolling and tossing they're able to walk
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across a heaving floor carrying trays of food without spilling it. Sometimes I
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wonder of all of those boys I haven't had training in. Circus is
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tight rope walkers. No I don't want to give the impression that life at
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sea is always as rough as I have just described it. There are times of course when a ship will make an
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ocean crossing was perfect sailing weather or it may make several consecutive
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crossings without any serious difficulty. But for those who follow the sea for years as
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many of them do there are times when it takes real courage to ride out one of those terrific
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storms and then sign up for a return voyage.
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Now I think it might be a good idea to go below and see if we can't get some of the
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atmosphere of the hustle and bustle that goes on in the kitchen aboard a ship. The
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next sound you will hear will be the clattering of the pans and the dishes and the ship's galley.
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I'm not able to get an interview with cookies just a bit timid about this microphone. Furthermore he
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speaks such poor English we'd probably have a little difficulty in understanding him. But over in the
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dining room adjoining the galley is my cabin boy Jean Gibbons who also works as a
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waiter. I'm sure we can get Jean to say a few words. Let's move over into the
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dining room where we can get away from the noise gallery.
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Would you mind stepping over here man. Yes it would Vulcan to do point. But I'm always
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interested in knowing what state a man comes from. What's yours. A San Francisco
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California way out on the West Coast yes. I don't know if you're going to see Jean Paul
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VI 30 to 40 years off and on. That's quite right a little stretch isn't it yes it is. Do
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you like the job of being a waiter on board ship. Well not particularly I usually sail the edge of the planet or this is
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something rather new to you. Yes it is. I often wonder are you fellows can keep your balance when the
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ship is pitching in Reeling and you're trying to carry those trays of food. Well it's difficult
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sometimes but you get used to it. I suppose you've not used anything yet. Yes sir. If you
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ever have the experience of spending you soup down the captain the neck nose or not yet and
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I hope not to have it by the way what's that picture you were showing the
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cook a moment ago it's a picture of my 20. Or 20 yesterday I had
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today's her birthday a year old today. What do you know a year old. Do you mind if I look
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at a picture of me. Yes are proud of them too and they are cute little tykes a new
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venue they certainly have reason to be proud of. I bet you'd like to be at home today celebrating when I
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was home today. Well I hope on their next birthday you will be able to be
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at home with your family. I hope so too. Thanks a lot.
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There you have one of the most difficult experiences in the life of a seaman. A necessity of
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being away from his family for such long periods of time on this ship the average
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seaman has only two and a half days out of two months to be at home with his family.
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Now let's move on down the hall to the crew's quarters and listen for a moment to the
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conversation of the deck hands. Perhaps we can get in a word or two with
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one of the men from the engine room.
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Oh. I get.
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It. On one of the lower bunks is a seaman by the name of Charlie Land. What
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would you say Charlie is one of the most difficult experiences about the life of a saint.
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Well you're away from your people almost all the time really don't have any home
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life seems like by confining it is confining what Dad what do you usually do in your
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spare time during a boy call read write letters play
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cards some of them have hobbies like carving making leather goods.
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Some have pets some of them have pets if you've ever had a pet. Yes I had a monkey
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for about six months. I'm thinking why are you getting ready I wanted when
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there were two cartons of cigarettes. Why did you keep him in your own.
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No I made a hammock on the after deck and I used to keep her back there actually from
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the stem of avocado. What did you do with her during bad weather.
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Oh I pepper in a place where we keep our stored how you said you had the monkey
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six months why did you have to get rid of it.
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Well chicken became an awful nuisance to get into the men's rooms or socks or to
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hide them climb up on the sinks. There is little to look at herself in the mirror.
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Dirty up the sinks.
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All I can see are monkey would be quite a nuisance aboard ship is this ship often
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transport wild animals from Africa to America.
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Well this is my first trip on the ship but I have been on ships transported with
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other gracious large. We had a lot of monkeys. How many monkeys.
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We had about 500 monkeys on there some snakes some snakes. None of those snakes got out of
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their cages are all the members of the monkeys did.
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What happened then. Well we got into a bad storm and
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lighter cages got scratched up on the monkey escaped he was running loose on the ship it was
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impossible to capture them or just jump from one place to another to match from across the
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street.
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Cross the line and monkeys all over the ship. Monkeys all over the ship. That must have
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broken the monotony of the voyage. Shortage. What finally happened to the monkey.
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Well we pulled into Hoboken New Jersey we put our minds to the docks and the next thing we know the
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monkeys are running down the line. About 100 of them escaped 100 have got off the ship
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before we could stop them and there were monkeys all over all over.
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That must have been a sight to see all those monkeys climbing down the ropes and swarming all over the dock I
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was sure that there was excitement in that night and assured excitement in Hoboken.
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Kids all over town chasing monkeys. I want to take the cats and I understood it
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took a lot too much effort.
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Right well I wish we had the time to chat with you for about an hour Charlie and hear more of the
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other interesting stories that we've almost come to the end of this tape. Perhaps we can talk
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with you again later on.
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Boy one of the most interesting experiences of an ocean crossing is the
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opportunity to talk with the men who work at the job of running the ship. They're the men who
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scaled the mast high above the deck to repair the pulleys or the cables and to work at the
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paint job which seemed to be a never ending task. And they're the men far below
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decks in the engine room like Charlie Ladd the man whose voice you just heard. I
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spent about 15 minutes down there in the engine room this morning and when I emerged from that
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stifling oven my clothes were wept with sweat and I was panting
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prayer. The engineer says that the temperature down there sometimes gets over one hundred and
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twenty degrees and brother that's hot. I wish we could take more
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time to talk with the members of the crew for they all have some very interesting stories to
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tell but our time has just about run out. I just about 10 seconds
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remaining just time enough to say that this concludes our broadcast from aboard the African
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patriot. If all goes well we will be speaking to you again after the ship
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docks in Monrovia Liberia on the west coast of Africa.
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This has been programmed three of Americas African heritage.
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These programs feature recordings made by world traveler skip Westfall on a recent trip to
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Africa. The series is made possible by a grant in aid to radio station
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WOIO a state college from the educational television and radio
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center production is under the direction of Norman B clere. And this is reggae
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speaking for the National Association of educational broadcasters.
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This is the end E.B. Radio Network.
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The National Association of educational broadcasters braze and Americas African
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heritage recorded in Africa by Skip Westfall program for
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Monrovia Liberia.
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First port of call. Here is Kip Westfall.
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This broadcast is coming to you from the board of the SS African aid headed from
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Monrovia Liberia.
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Before arriving at the West Coast port I would like to do one more break if you
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live in that regard. We're sitting at the moment in the ship's radio room
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the radio officer in Mr. our story has kindly consented to answer a few questions.
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Let's begin this question. Just what exactly are the functions of the ship's
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radio operator.
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Close to us. Well to begin with the routine duties would be to send
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receive messages between into the ship's movements and conquer and to send and
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receive weather divisions and important duty of the video so as
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to maintain the electronic equipment and the storage batteries connected with the
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main emergency radio Telegraph installations. However
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the most important function of the video is to keep and only watch on
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five hundred dollars. International distress victims in the
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event the ship phones or something you need to send out the signal we all
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view to hear and S.O.S.
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I was beginning to wonder the other day if our ship would be sending out an S.O.S.
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Another big wave struck the bow was such as that did almost knock you off your chair
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in that burning heart only here when the waves like the kiln plates were such a terrific force
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it could break the ship until then that should be possible news that was full but
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then a modern merchant ship is both a vine and still not know what it would
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take a lot of fun to break into if it does break into I
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suppose our hands aboard with me well not necessarily.
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There have been cases with broken ships and made it safe but without
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any assistance you need to say that a half of a ship could come into work under its
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own power. Really it happened seven years ago.
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Swedish liner that was caught in a severe storm of these new cars that you
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and I picked up of S.O.S reporting that about our section was
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sinking but all of the passengers and crew members have safe we've been moved to the aft
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part.
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Well how is that possible.
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Why didn't the after part sent to the ships are
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designed constructed into water tank compartments which enable them
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which enable even a section of the ship to keep it up. Were you able to give this Swedish ship any
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help as much as we wanted to. Unfortunately we couldn't.
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Why weren't you able to help.
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We want to point the breaking up ourselves we were on the same stone all of that even in
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that night rolling from side to side to such an extent that most of us thought I was sure would
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be over at any moment. The main reason however that we're not tones of
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aid was that two United States military transports had arrived in front of this to assume and had
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already assumed charge is for the broken ship which actually proceeded on the
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phone on our own. Us into going into Tokyo.
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Me I must have been an unusual experience for the people aboard that vessel to be fighting the
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waves in a terrific storm. One half of the ship I'm quite sure they'll never forget that
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trip I'm sure they want me there. Now getting back to your function as a radio
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operator sometimes the ship's urgency does not involve danger to the vessel.
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But the onus of passengers or crew. What procedure do you follow if someone aboard
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becomes ill. We would send a message to the nearest
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hospital show request the medical advice I save But suppose the patient is
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dangerously ill and is in desperate need of medical attention.
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What do you do in that case neck case the news that was folded some 62 warships in
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the area to determine which one has a doctor going along the roadway or taking out
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their many ships with dock. There's a board member for a night in the Greyhound ceilings we Leo
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to London. There are scores of ships carrying doctors aboard the luxury liners on this
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route to Africa there are actually very few ships and it probably would take a
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considerable length of time to contact one with a dumb phone.
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All I can say is I'm glad we're approaching the African coast and that none of us has been in
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need of a doctor to continue your description of the procedure you usually
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follow. Now suppose there is a doctor in the area.
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What is your next step. Then we would request medical advice from him
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if he orders it. The patient would be transferred to his ship. Suppose the ships are
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traveling in opposite directions.
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The captains would turn the ships around to make it going to be no
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question at all about race sharing to know that even in this modern age the
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old traditions of the brotherhood of the sea are still what has
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been most interesting talking to you Mr. R. Terry I imagine you had enough experiences as a
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same and to write a book.
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That's true of all cities and since you just in my arm maybe you'd like to hear about the book I just
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finished.
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Always say you have read the book. It's about the sea and magic or is it
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about Africa by any chance.
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Oh we'll leave Africa to. I don't think I'm sure you do a better job with the naive
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since I've traveled to the Far East more than traffic in my novels. About that part of the world
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in fact the title The Last of all desire was taken from an Oriental home
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which is 2500 years old.
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It's interesting if you found a publisher for your book.
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Well I hope my fiance has found when she and I submitted it just a day or
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two before we sailed from New York and we didn't know if he did so well.
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Here's hoping you do get that book published Mr Yuri.
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Perhaps one day you will be another Joseph Conrad thank you very nice of you to think some was that was
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all encouraging too. Thank you for your good wishes and I hope that you have a very
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very interesting trip and thank you I'm sure I will.
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Just a short while after concluding that interview with Mr. R. Terry we had a rather frightening
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experience aboard ship. I crawled into my bunk to enjoy a good night's sleep it was
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about 12:30 in the morning when suddenly the fire alarm sounded that would have been a most
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uncomfortable thought on any ocean crossing. But it was especially disturbing in view of the fact that
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I knew there was stowed away below decks three hundred seventy tons of
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dynamite enough to blow the African patriot to kingdom come. For a moment all
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that could be heard was the wild jingling of the bells. Then there was the sound of the
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hoarse shouts of the men banging at doors and hurrying feet scurrying up and down the
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deck. This couldn't be a routine fire drill. Whoever heard of a fire
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drill being ordered at such an unearthly hour. Evidently the ship was
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on fire. I was about to get into my life preserver and prepare for the worst.
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Some of the passengers already had when the commotion began to quiet down a bit and we
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soon learned that it had been a false alarm.
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All of the excitement had been caused by a short in the fire alarm mechanism.
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You may be sure every man aboard was greatly relieved to know that there was no
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fire. After all one thing is sure there have been few dull moments
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on this ocean voyage. Speaking of sea adventures just a few moments ago
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Mr. R. Terry handed me a copy of the fair Aline's news carrying an account
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of a dramatic rescue operation at sea which took place recently on the Farah
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Lyons passenger ship the African endeavor. A seaman aboard the ride
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Darien freighter had been stricken with meningitis. There was no doctor aboard the freighter
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and the captain had sent an emergency request for medical aid. To answer this
[22:50 - 22:54]
urgent call the Endeavor turned about and steamed over 300 miles from her normal
[22:54 - 22:59]
route to make the mid-ocean run. The patient Gregory Peck's in the
[22:59 - 23:04]
US a Greek sailor was transferred to the Endeavor treated by the ship's
[23:04 - 23:09]
doctor and he recovered. You will recall it in our interview with the
[23:09 - 23:13]
ship's radio officer Mr. R. touré referred to the fact that a ship's captain
[23:13 - 23:19]
would never hesitate to sail off his course to go to the aid of a sick or injured seaman
[23:19 - 23:24]
if the situation required it. Here was an incident and every sent one where
[23:24 - 23:29]
this kind of an errand of mercy was carried out and a life was saved.
[23:29 - 23:58]
We have now arrived at the port in Monrovia. Our ship has been tied up at the Pierre and the
[23:58 - 24:17]
dock workers are beginning the job of unloading the night.
[24:17 - 24:21]
It's a scorching hot day as most of the days are this time of the year here in propping
[24:21 - 24:26]
Liberia. I see one group of longshoremen unloading sacks of cement another group of
[24:26 - 24:30]
Africans most of them barefoot or they're lifting and tugging those cases of dynamite
[24:30 - 24:36]
stacking them in an open freight car on a side track near the pier. A moment ago I
[24:36 - 24:40]
inquired of an African policeman who was standing guard at the top of the gangplank as to how
[24:40 - 24:46]
much the library and dock workers received. He replied seven cents an hour.
[24:46 - 24:51]
We had no chains on our wrists but we worked like slaves. We wonder
[24:51 - 24:57]
how it is possible for these men to support themselves and their families on 56 cents a day.
[24:57 - 25:01]
The question naturally arises why aren't these men paid better wages. Some of the
[25:01 - 25:06]
American shipping concerns I understand it educated for higher pay for the long
[25:06 - 25:11]
form but without success. Why would it mean that the men on the
[25:11 - 25:15]
rubber plantations would flock to the docks to get the better wages. Would it upset the
[25:15 - 25:20]
economy of the whole country. I want to attempt to answer that question. We'll
[25:20 - 25:25]
leave that to the financial experts who probably don't know the answer to either
[25:25 - 25:31]
one of my fellow passengers on this ship suggested that it would be on way to even mention the
[25:31 - 25:35]
low wages of these dock workers. Our country wants to have friendly relations with
[25:35 - 25:40]
Liberia she said and talk about seven times in our wages. Only cause
[25:40 - 25:45]
trouble and bitter feelings between two countries. But that idea is correct then we're saying
[25:45 - 25:50]
that Americans should be kept in the dark about some of the conditions which exist in other parts of the world.
[25:50 - 25:55]
Our schoolchildren friends should be kept ignorant about the fact that many people in foreign
[25:55 - 26:00]
lands work for extremely low wages. To me that doesn't quite make sense.
[26:00 - 26:05]
After all the purpose of this trip to Africa is to try to get something of the story behind the
[26:05 - 26:11]
manganese in the rubber and the many other products which are shipped to our country from Africa.
[26:11 - 26:15]
And certainly a part of that story is this before the manganese in the rubber reaches our
[26:15 - 26:20]
factories in America. It must go through the hands of these African dock workers
[26:20 - 26:26]
and the fact that these men toil eight hours a day under the blistering sun for a few
[26:26 - 26:31]
pennies NRA is something we ought to know about. That's a part of the story of the
[26:31 - 26:36]
hardship and the suffering that goes into the steel. And the rubber. That.
[26:36 - 26:41]
Make our fine automobiles. Americans and other gadgets which are so much of a.
[26:41 - 26:46]
Part. Of our daily lives are marching forward
[26:46 - 26:48]
to one of the family.
[26:48 - 26:53]
Do these boys ever sing while we were. At this time of the day he said. It's
[26:53 - 26:58]
too hot to say. When the sun goes down and the air is a little cooler.
[26:58 - 27:00]
You will hear them sing.
[27:00 - 27:05]
So we'll conclude this broadcast along tortie to see if we can't
[27:05 - 27:29]
record it of the song.
[27:29 - 27:34]
And now it is evening. Darkness is settling down on the busy scene here at the pier.
[27:34 - 27:39]
But the work goes on. We have our recorder set up near one of these freight cars or about
[27:39 - 27:44]
50 men they're busy at work backing up those cables. Right now it looks like the
[27:44 - 27:49]
foreman was right. They are beginning to thing as the sun goes down.
[27:49 - 27:51]
Let's listen to their song.
[27:51 - 28:21]
This has been program for America's African heritage. These
[28:21 - 28:26]
programs we do recordings made by world traveler skip Westfall on a recent trip to Africa
[28:26 - 28:32]
this eries is made possible by a grant in aid to radio station WOIO Iowa State
[28:32 - 28:37]
College from the educational television and radio center production is under the direction
[28:37 - 28:41]
of Norman B Clary. This is reggae speaking for the National Association of
[28:41 - 28:44]
educational broadcasters.
[28:44 - 28:47]
This is the end E.B. Radio Network.