THE SCRANTON TRIBUNE-TUESDAY. MARCH 15. 189S.
8
THE flAKING OF
A riAN-0'WARSriAN
Just What Jack's Daily Life Is Aboard the Receiving Ship
and While at Sea Busy Days at the Various
Navy Recruiting Stations.
From the Philadelphia, Prow.
The Ufa of n. sailor Is hard even under
the best condltlono, but It is nn Inter
esting life; nnil every day good-look-Infr,
IntelllKent nnd well-dressed young
men offer themselves ns candidates for
the blue uniform. Most of these appli
cants havo been found unfit for service;
23,000 men and 2.G00 boys were rejected
for physical disability and other causes
last year more than four-llfths of the
applications. The physical defects
which are a bar to service In tho navy
in time of peace Include Impaired vis
Ion, Impaired hearing, defective teeth,
communicable diseases and a long cata
logue of weaknesses or chronic ail
ments. For "Jackie" is required by tho
regulations to be "of robust frame, In
telligent, and of perfectly sound and
licnlthy constitution." It was 2S0 of
this class of citizens, native and adopt
ed, tliat went to death In Havana har
bor. At convenient points along the coast,
where there are naval stations, nre
placed receiving ships old hulks, once
serviceable In the wooden navy, but
worthless In these days of big guns.
Ihere are eleven of those ships nt Phila
delphia, New York, Uoston, Washing
ton, San Francisco, etc.
TAKING TUB OATH.
It Is an impressive scene when seven
or eight young men gather In the cap
tain's ofllce, hat in hand, to take the
oath which completes their enlistment.
It Is the last step which virtually cuts
them off from freedom for three long
years. However little they may like
the service, once they have taken tho
oath, they stay aboard ship for thlrty
bIjc month, or lose their citizenship and
risk Imprisonment at Uoston. How Irk
some the privation of his Independence
may be to the sailor is shown by the
fact that 1,149 men gave up their citi
zenship actual or prospective last year
rather than serve out their enlistment.
"You do solemnly swear ," says
tho captain, holding the IJlblo In both
hands as he stands before the little
group of recruits; and with right hand
uplifted they take oath to the state
ments ninde In their applications. He
fore this, all of them have been strip
ped and examined by tho surgeon to
see If they are qualified physically.
After the brief seance with the cap
tain they go to the lower deck of the
old ship and draw their uniforms. Be
fore night they have put aside their
citizens clothes and are wearing the
blue flannel uniform.
The ratings of the men who enlist
are various. Apprentices, of course,
are not actively In the service, though
a large proportion of the 1.G00 now at
Newport, Maro Island, etc., can be used
to man the ships even now, and many
have been transferred for that purpose.
The grades above apprenticeship for
which men enlist arc chiefly lands
men, ordinary seaman, Beaman nnd
coal passer. The pay of these is $16,
$19, $24 nnd $22, respectively. Firemen,
sailmakers, shipwrights, etc., receive
more.
The landsman Is a man who lms no
knowledge of sea life. He must bo na
tive born and between 18 and 25 years
of nge. The ordinary seaman must
have been at sea at least two years and
must pass an examination. The sea
man must have had four years' experi
ence and his examination Is more rig
orous. Tho 'prentice, when ho reaches
the age of 21, Is usually qualified for
a seaman's rating. The landsman,
after three years' if he enlists, becomes
nn ordinary seaman and may be pro
moted. He has no hope, ns the sol
dier has, of earning a commission In
time of peace; though in war anything
is possible.
The man who enlists Is usually with
out a dollar in tho world. Within a
few minutes after ho has left the cap
tain's ofllce, he Is In debt to the navy
department $40.03, the price of his out
fit. This outllt is delivered to him by
the pay-master's clerk or yeoman, af
ter tho recruit has been measured by
the Bertlllon system, and he proceeds
Immediately to put on his new togs.
Ills blue uniform he flnds lacks one
feature. There Is no ribbon around the
cap showing In gilt letters the name
of the ship to which ho belongs. That
will not come until he is assigned.
Meantime ho need not worry about
the figure he will cut with his friends,
for ho will not havo shore leave itil
ho has worked out the price of hit M
flt. That may be In four months, and
it may not be In five or six. Forty dol
lars Is a big debt when your pay Is
only JIG a month.
BREAKING 'EM IN.
Breaking the landsmen In to sea
duty on a "receiving" shin Is not a
disagreeable business on either side.
The men, ns a rule, are enthusiastic
about tho porvice, and though the old
timers may guy them a little, no haz
ing is permitted. The fare they get
Is quite good better in fact than they
can expect to get when they are away
from land.
Tho raw recruit has to earn this food
and i $1G pay by cleaning the decks,
polishing tho brasses and doing other
plain work about the ship, nnd by
practicing the Infantry drill and the
setting-up drill every day. Hilt for the
most part, tho period Just after enlist
ment Is a period of Idleness. The lands
man learns to sling his hammock and
is educated in the language of the
bells, the boatswain's whistle nnd the
bugle; but beyond that, he Is not kept
very busy. If he Is an enthusiast,
though, as most raw recruits are, he
welcomes the day when he Is assigned
to duty, nnd, slinging his "dlty" bag
over his shoulder, he starts away, with
a squad of blue-Jackets, to take the
train for Norfolk or whatever the
point may bo at which his ship is
waiting. There ho goes aboard, reports
and Is entered on the list of the ship's
crew.
A fixed number of men Is assigned
to each ship so roany landsmen, so
many ordinary seamen, so many sea
men, and so on through all ratings.
Thcro Is always a small shortage, duo
to deaths and desertions. Each lands
man when ho reports for duty, Is as.
signed to one of tho four or live div
isions aboard tho 'ship. Ho Is taken
below, shown where to find his ham
mock and where to sling It and the
locker In which to stow his clothing.
He gets n ribbon with the name of tho
ship which he puts on his cap and he Is
ready for his duties.
DUTIES ABOARD SHIP.
These are simple at first Ho assists
In coaling the ship. He Is assigned to
a place In n gun crew and ho learns
all the duties at tho gun, but particu
larly those which are to fall to him. Ho
Is told to keep a certain part of tho big
gun clean, this being known as "bright
ening." Ho learns all tho drills, Includ
ing those with side-arms, pistols and
broadswords, All this drilling nnd
hreaklng-ln Is done by the potty offi
cers, with the assistance of some of
the older men who are quick at licking
a new man Into shape. It is not done
very gently and tho new man In modo
to feel tho rigor of a severo discipline.
Then he is assigned to a boat, In
which he is to pull a specified oar; and
ho practices rowing until he can feath
er and pull a strong stroke without
crab-catching.
After a month or six weeks of study
ing the school of the sailor, tho new
man Is fit for general duties aboard
ship. But there is much about reeling,
steering, knotting, splicing and the
other details of sailor's work which he
has to pick up in odd hours and ho Is
fortunate If he understands enough of
It to take an ordinary seaman's rating
at the end of his three years' service.
ONE DAY'S IIOUTINE.
The sailor's life Is a busy one. Here
is his day's routine: He turns out at
5.30 o'clock In the morning nnd lashes
and stows his hammock In seven min
utes. Then he eats a continental break
fast a cup of coffee, a roll. After this
he scrubs his clothing or he cleans ship
sometimes the former, but always the
latter. The ship's deck must be kept as
clean ns sand and water will make It;
and every day the paint must be
scrubbed Every day, too. a detail of
"side-cleaners" goes over the paint on
the outside of the ship and makes It
clean.
At S o'clock the regular breakfast
call Is sounded An hour Is given to
each meal and In what part of this
hour he is not eating, Jack can do as
he likes.
After breakfast, which Is ulways a
substantial meal, Jack, who has been
working in his suit of white, puts on
his blue uniform and appears in It at
sick call This call Is for those who
have slight ailments who are examined
by the surgeon and prescribed for and
sent to the hospital.
After sick call, the sailor has to pol
ish the bright work of the big gun and
the small arms until 9.30. when the
whole crew is called to order for in
spection by the captain. At this In
spection any sailor who has a griev
ance may voice it to the captain and
be sure of a hearing and of fair treat
ment. After the inspection, thcro Is drill for
a half hour or more. It may run up to
nn hour and a half, and if the captain's
breakfast disagrees with him. it is quite
likely to be the longer period. Brutal
ity In the navy now flnds Its vent In
drilling the men until they are nearly
dead from exhaustion; and a captain
who overworks his men can usually be
told by the number of desertions from
his ship.
After gun drill, or drill with the
small arms, the dinner call is sounded
nt 12 o'clock. An hour later tho men
may bo ordered to man tho boats. Some
of them may be put nt repair work,
which is always going on aboard nhlp,
or at other duties. There Is always
plenty to keep them busy till 5 o'clock,
when the supper call In sounded. At G
the men arc called to evening quarters
when everything is examined to see
that it Is secure for the night.
AMUSEMENTS.
Then the sailors sling their ham
mocks and for the intervening time un
til 9 o'clock they may amuse them
selves as they like. Borne of them
spend the time In playing cards, some
In athletic games, some with concer
tina or violin, some in smoking and
"yarning." Tho Bailor is a great talk
er und lie seems to havo as much to
sa,v at tho end of his three years' terms
as he had nt the beginning. In this
particular, he Is different from tho of
ficers in the ward-room, who get heart
ily tired of each other before cruise
is ended,
Jack is not only a great talker, but a
great eater and in many cases a good
Bhnro of his $1G a month goes for food
to supplement his regular rations. The
ration Is reckoned at 30 cents a day
nnd it consists of good, substantial
food In what a landsman ashore would
consider liberal quantity. Under tho
regulations, fresh meat and fruit can
not be served oftener thas four times
a week unless ordeted by tho surgeon;
but this Is no privation, for tho old
tar, accustomed to a diet of hard tack
and salt Junk, often complains if he
is forced to cat soft bread and fresh
meat.
On all ships some of tho rations nro
commuted that Is, drawn In money.
At one time It was In the discretion of
tho captain, to commute any of the
sailors' rations, but tho regulations
now limit commutations to one-fourth
of the whole number, nnd require that
the fresh food bought with this com
mutntlon money shall be served to nil.
When the ship Is In port, the, sailor
fares almost ns well as the recruits on
the receiving ship.
Men nnd Trees,
"Men nro not like trees."
"Why, no."
"No. Now, tho good reputntlon of mist
trees depends upon their shady character.
A Match.
"I've Just been to a variegated wed
ding." "What kind of wedding Is that?"
"A negro wedding, of course a combi
nation of colors."
THE MAN MHO KNOWS IT ALL.
This world Is full of misery
That ought not to exist.
Folks have no right to charge to Fato
The luck that they have missed.
We tako tho wrong road to tho goal,
And stumble, trip and fall,
When right noxt door, perhaps, there
lives ,
Tho man who knows It all.
He's ready, too. to give advice.
If you aro Indigent,
Ho'll tell you what you ought to do,
And not charge you a cent.
Tho fault Is yours. If you go wrong,
And fall, and have to call
For help. You should have gone and
Asked tho man who knows It all.
Oh, what a wretched, wretched placo ,(
This erring world must bo.
Without tho constant help vouchsafed
By him and such as he!
Bo when you meet him anywhere,
Before him prostrate fall,
And worship, as you ought to do.
The man who knows It all!
Somerville Journal.
L
oimoi i Vamiiuanact
12J&a)12Q'MSHIM&TON AVENUE"
Fancy Hosiery
For the coming season seems to h&e
the call. Our line for Ladies' and Men is
Large, Varied, Reliable and Low Priced.
Especial attention is directed to our dis
play of
Plaids and Stripes
From 25c to 50c
Of course, black will be in demand as
usual, and 'our Black Stockings are just as
good and cheap as ever.
onnollv) & Wallace
127 and 129 Washington Avenue.
WALTER W. BRANSON,
Chef of Jonat Long's Sons,
Philadelphia Caterer.
Honed Turkey Croquettes, Saladi of All
Kinds, W'eddlnsi.l'ftilles; Kiporloncpd Mon.
All ordei a promptly attended to. Order onn
bo left at 12 1 nslilngton rvo., or can ba
teen at Jonas Long's .Sons' L'ufo.
THE DICKSON M'PG CO,,
Bornnton and WUltei-Barre, Pa.
Manufacturers of
LOCO MOTIVES, STATIONARY ENGINES
Boilers, Hoisting and Pumping Machinery.
General Ofllce, Bcrnnton, Pa.
mmm
m
UflUC Vflll Brj Throat, Pimples, Cop
tmVu lUU per-Colored HpotB, Aches,
Old Sores, Ulcers In Mouth, Hntr Kalllnir?
Write COOK kUMEDV CO., 651 M.snolc
Temple, Chicago, III,, for proofs of cures.
Capital, $500.00. Worst caie) cured In 15 to
35 days. ioo-page book free.
ntA)n)At&
66
SPRING TOP COAT TALK.
99
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There is a great deal of stir about our Spring Overcoat Consignment all
who have seen them say they are the finest tailored and best values we have yet
offered. You know what that means from past experience with us.
A Strictly Stylish Overcoat, jaunty and serviceable, eminently proper, the materials include coverts,
and whipcords, the shades are most correct for this season, tan, drab and brown, made in the latest box style,
lined with the best Italian cloth, and the price a wonder, -
The next grade consists of a well-tailored nobby Top Coat, double strap seams, with all the points of a
coat made by the highest priced tailors; the cloth is of the wear resisting quality, all the latest shades, in
cluding that popular shade of brown, a coat that we can compare with any sold at $12 and $18,
Here is a coat of the oversack style you see in the fashion plates of the best tailors, made with double box
seams and lined with the best riohair Victoria Twill, double faced and finished, it is a short, baggy coat, with
all the custom tailor's earmarks; the shades are brown, tan, and the more quiet black and blue grey. Our Price,
This one would make the best custom tailor weep a coat that is made to suit the most fastidious dresser, a
fault defying copy of Pool's, the noted English tailor's original "Pool's Spring Special," made of high grade
twill cord, in the new shades of tan and grey mixed, box strapped seam, a work of art, and the price,
$
$
$
8
10
12
15
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UA)Al)l0)0))))A) , JftOur $ 18, $20 and $25 Overcoats are the pick of the market they come in the new Rosemond Shade of ,l .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
gi wit?jiwwiijuwug. tan and French Grey Hned and faced to the edge wth the best ojl boj,ed silk j and buHt wUh that fuH 4ipool rf MaaaaaMa)a1aMaIaM&
, . si by the very best tailors. 3 S
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SAMTER BROS
Furnishers, Hatters and Clothiers.
3 WINDOWS.
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