Tag: Herbert Matthews

Letter from Herbert Matthews from Antwerp Belgium, September 20, 1913

Herbert wrote the following letter to his family:

To read, letter take sheet apart and read a whole sheet a time, follow number.

To my dear uncles, aunts, and cousins,

I drop you a few lines to let you know I am well and happy and still thinking of you and of those happy days I spent with a few years ago. I hope I will be able to visit you again before long. How are you and aunt Lena, aunt Alice and the children getting along these fine summer days. I hope you're all well and happy. 

I suppose you wonder how I got here so I will endeavor to tell you well the way it is. I left New York City May 30, 1913 on the SS Gordon Castle bound for South and East Africa, and India, and England via the Suez Canal. The next port will be London England. We will arrive in London the 30th September so that will be just 4 months to the day that I have been tossed about on the high seas. And believe me these are high seas I speak of. On the way going to India from Africa we met a hurricane on the Indian Ocean which swept everything off the decks, broke the doors of our rooms and and also washed them out. The waves dashed high over the bridge decks and this storm lasted for 5 days. I stood for 40 min. in the galley one day before I dare venture to cross the deck to the cabin so you can imagine how glad I will (be) next week when we will be paid off in London. But I am going to work for the company in London for about 8 weeks while our ship is in dry dock and then I shall return to New York on her. So I shall give you an address so you can write to me and I will surely receive all letters which you may send me. I shall also drop a line or two to uncle George and Aunt Helen and children. 

I suppose you are just harvesting your crop now are you not. I wish I was there to help you as I would rather harvest any day than take another servants job. My position on the ship is 2nd steward. I suppose you know what a steward is on a ship. He is a waiter and servant to Captain and officers. Now the 1st thing is we serve 3 meals a day in the saloon and there are 5 to eat in the saloon: Captain, chief officer, 2nd officer, 3rd officer, and chief engineer. Now I must wait on them 3 times a day. I must be up at 5:00 AM sharp every morning scrub out the saloon which is larger than your kitchen then I dusted every morning and rub all the brass every morning finished in the saloon at 7:00 AM. I go there to the chief officers room where I work till 8:00 AM. Make his bed, brushes carpet, change wash water, rub his brass up, spot down the white work, and so on and so etc. then from 8:00 to 8:15 every day I have to warm baths to fix up one for Captain and the other for chief officer. 8:15 AM to 8:30 AM set table, make breakfast ready, also clean myself up. Everything must be okay at 8:30 AM to ring the breakfast bell sharp. Breakfast over at 9:30 AM must help wash dishes, finished at 9:45 AM. Then go to Captain's room. Clean it out spotless, finished at 11:15 AM. Then go to 2nd officers room, clean it out finished at 12:00 PM. Then go to bathroom, clean out, rub brass, scrub floor, finished at 12:30 PM. The make table ready for 1:00 PM dinner sharp. Finished dinner 2:30 PM. Help wash dishes, clean silver, finished at 3:00 PM. Rest till 3:30 PM. Make tea for all with toast finished at 4:30 PM. Serve it to them while they are in bed. Chief officer has his tea 3:45 PM. Capt. has his at 4 clock p.m. 2nd officer at 4:30 PM. Pantry boy looks after the 3rd officer, finished at 4:30 PM till 5:00 PM. There make table, ready for 5:30 PM supper sharp 5:30 PM. Then finished with supper at 6:30 PM. The make sandwiches, cocoa, coffee, tea for midnight lunches, finished at 8:00 PM. Done for the day, go to bed and be sure to be up at 5:00 AM sharp in the morning for the same routine again. 

When ship is in port it is still worse as I must feed steadores and foremen who are working by the ship every time ship takes coal everything get black then all white work in saloon and rooms has to be washed down. We have already taken coal in about 5 ports so you know how much white work I have washed. 

In Africa native blacks carry coal aboard in little baskets on the heads and dump them in the bunkers on deck. It is wonderful to see them run up the narrow springy plank which they use and they must sing while they work. If singing ceases work ceases. There is usually a dozen or so natives with strong voices employed to jump about the coal barges singing in order to keep those working in the same humor. In India they call the ships the same only with coolie labor and they also sing while they work. In Port Said Egypt and Algiers Algeria coaling is done the same way only women are used in these places instead of men. The same here in Antwerp. The most of them working on our ship unloading is done by women. They handle bags of grain which way as high as 240 pounds each. Men and women work right along together. Women draw same pay as men. So Alice this is for you: Don't ever think of coming to the continent unless you are amply supplied with cash to keep you and also to purchase your steamship passage home again. 

Well I think I have written a long letter now of my experiences, and I hope when you read the part telling what I do you will surely feel sorry for me won't you. But it is a fact I do all of that and more too. Never again will I bite on a servant's job. Well I will close now with love to all from Herbert L Matthews.

Address over.

If you write to this address I will surely receive your letter.

Address
---------------------------------
Herbert L Matthews
In/c Union Castle Mail
Steamship Co. Ltd
London England
---------------------------------

Good night

Here's the actual letter:
Matthews Herbert - 1913-09-20 - Steamship Ltr

I left home while the family lived at Clinton, Illinois.  It was adventure in Blood at the age of 13, however my stays away from home were of short duration until Mothers Death, when I was about 17 years of age.  Family Parentage on the Fathers side was Scotch Irish and dated away back to Baltimore in 17th Century or thereabouts, at any rate Fathers relatives fought in the Revolutionary war.

My mother came to America from Stockholm Sweden when 8 weeks old and settled in Mississippi from there they journeyed northward to Sheffield Indiana where my Grandparents lived several years, later moving to northern Michigan Baldwin Michigan then later to Charlevoix where some of my mothers relatives live today.

My wanderlust activities began about the [time] Pres. Wm McKinley was President of the United States, My dad took me out of school when I was in the 7th grade and forced me to work and help support a large family, but the money earned was not used the [way] dad said it would be, he squandered it in inventions and patent attorneys fees which disgusted me, and in consequence caused me to leave home and hide out a great deal of the time. I have served sometime in various capacities in Department Stores in Chicago Ills, Seigel, Coopers,  The Boston Store, The Fair Store, Cap Factory in Chicago, Rabinger Bros, and Werner, Red Diamond Overall Factory St. Louis Mo.  Sewing Machine, Tin Shop, General Factory Work, Saw Mills, Veneer Mill, RR Round House Section Hand, Teamster, Hotel Work, Bell hop, Kitchen Help, Cook, Case And Martin Pie Factory  Chicago Ills. Worked for the Van nuy News Co Chicago Ills Traveled on Trains selling wares such as Fruit Candy, Magazines, Daily Papers, etc.  Was a Western Union Boy in Chicago.   Spent a year or so in Indpls prior to the time that my folks moved here.  Places worked at then were the Van Camp Packing Co  was a Box Nailer, and General Factory Work. Worked for a Wilmington Del Firm who installed the Stokers, Turbines, and steam fittings in the Mill St Plant of the Indpls Power & Light Co  was a steam fitters helper, was employed at Nordyke & Marmon Co as Line Shaft oiler, later employed in the tin Shop.

Entered the Postal Service on Dec 4th, 1916 at Indianapolis, Indiana.  Introduced to the employees and formally accepted for duty on that date, usually worked on the pick-up table, daubed small parcels, and assisted in sacking out Parcel Post Mail, the Parcel Post Law had only been in effect then about 4 years, all of the Indiana Parcel Post Mail in those days was worked in bins about 3 tiers high and now are outside the door leading into the Inquiry Section, they only occupied about 20 square feet, we used to clean up all the mail on the Indiana Rack by about 10:00 pm the out of town mail was very light then, I mean Parcel Post Mail, there were no Mail Handlers in those days, sacks were dumped by Clerks, there were no rest bars  neither were employees permitted to use stools or lean against tubs etc., standing up was the rule at all the cases, carriers stood for inspection on the steps in front steps of the Federal Bldg., about once each year, to see if shoes were shined, uniforms clean and neat.

Demerits were levied fast and furiously in those days for mis-handling mail, outbound schemes were thrown twice a year, nothing short of 99% on exams. and 100% on junctions, the twice rule applied to city schemes.  there were very few day runs, very little choice on vacations the hourly rate was 35 cts per hr.  40 cts if you were lucky enough to work a regular run, if a regular was late to more than 15 min he was told to take WOP and a sub was assigned at 40 ct time for that tour. Special Delivery Messengers walked or rode bikes. Mail was handled to the trains by horse drawn vehicles, on a contract basis with the Frank Bird Transfer Co. Your present Gen. Supt. of Mails and I made many trips to the Terminal Station to throw off the Mails which went by Interurban in those days. I joined up with the Feds and the Mutual Benefit Association when I received my first Pay, and have been in them ever since, I still expect to maintain my membership in both.

I resigned to join the Military in Aug 7th 1917, but Postmaster Robert E. Springsteen would not have it that way so he asked the Dept to grant me a indefinite Leave during my Military Service that was later done for all employees, on Oct. 10th 1917 he informed me that I had been promoted to Regular Clerk, I was then at Great lakes Ills  Before entering the Postal Service I had served considerable time aboard a British Tramp Steamer owned and operated by the Union Castle Steamship Co of London England, I served aboard that vessel in the capacity as the Captains Stewart, and we plyed between between New York Cape Ports and India, also European ports, such as Antwerp, Rotterdam, Belfast, Glasscow, Southhampton, and London England. After making several trips to these countries I came to Indpls because my parents had located here [since] when joining the Navy they were only allowed one recruit per day from this district, when they saw my qualifications that I had from my former service they decided that I was the man for that day so they immediately dismissed 20 applicants and took me, but I was 8 lbs underweight so I was told to go home and come back the following day, the doctor Thurston prescribed what I should eat before coming back the next day, which consisted of a big dinner plus as many bananas, and Buttermilk that I could eat, I did I ate two Plates of Spare Ribs and Beans, 1 dozen Bananas, 2 quarts of Buttermilk, after arising that morning until 2:00 pm that afternoon, when he weighed me the second time, he pronounced me as one lb over the minimum, I was given Transportation

(the remainder is missing)

Here’s the actual autobiography.

Matthews Herbert L — autobiography

For more on his steamship experience, see his steamship letter.