Life, 1914-01-01 · page 7 of 44
Life — January 1, 1914 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features **"Columbia's New Year Ball,"** a satirical illustration showing Lady Columbia (the allegorical female personification of America) surrounded by various figures in an elaborate masquerade scene. The accompanying text poses a series of practical questions to ship captains—about cargo capacity, crew discipline, wireless equipment, provisions, piracy risks, and navigation credentials. The satire appears to mock inadequately-prepared merchant vessels and captains during the early 1910s, likely referencing maritime safety concerns or shipping industry negligence of that era. The ornate ball setting contrasts with the serious, mundane questions about vessel readiness, creating ironic humor about the gap between America's grand self-image and the actual competence of its commercial fleet.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
wrt is your carrying capacity? Have you a full complement of life preservers? How about life- boats? Do they work? Do you use a fully equipped wireless apparatus? Have you a well disciplined crew under good control? Who is in charge of your vessel? Do you run it yourself or pay someone COLUMBIA'S NEW YEAR BALL Ahoy, There ! else to do it? If you employ a captain, what kind of a certificate does he own? Would it not be better for you to look into his credentials? Have you provisions enough to last out your voyage? What are your chances of being captured by pirates? Can't you trust your first mate? Do you overhaul yourself regularly EIEN HATA Wt to ascertain whether you are sea- worthy or not? What would you do if you ever got water-logged? Would you abandon the vessel? What port are you bound for? Where do you hail from? You don’t know, eh? Never mind, none of us know. We are all in the same boat, friend. comicbooks.com