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The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, April 30, 1898, Image 2

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Persistent link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86063147/1898-04-30/ed-1/seq-2/

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LIFE ON A WAR SHIP.
HOW THE WEN SPEND THEIR
LEISURE HOURS.
Ua*lc Play* a Very Prominent Part
A* a Rule the Sailor* Art Pretty
llautlr with Their Pints —The Ship's
Orator.
(Washington Letter.)
HE American peo
ple have gathered
considerable infor
mation concerning
modern meu-of
war since the
\faiue catastrophe.
The facts that have
been presented to
them. however,
have been, for the
most part. Df a
T
mosi piti i. ui •*
purely technical sort, relating largely
to the structural peculiarities of war
hips as compared with the different
constructive points of non-fighting ves- ;
seta, the storage of fuet and ammunl- i
tlon. the prerogatives of men-of-war
■jffleers, the comparative rigidity of
Jiscipllne of American naval crews and
the crews of foreign warships and
other data bearing more or less direct
ly on the tattle ship explosion in Ha
vana harbor. Not much has been said ,
of the daily uaval life of the “man
forward," for the conditions under j
which the blue jacket lives on board a
modern man-of-war are little known
or understood in this country.
The enlisted man of the navy of the
United States is even more interesting ;
as an individual and as a servitor of
the flag than the enlisted man of the
army, and a man of no less experience
tnd brains than Kudyard Kipling
maintains that "the man that packs the j
gun has more character In the crook of
either of his arms than all his officers
have In their whole construction." In
the United States army there are In
numerable men Jest as humorously
devilish, ingeniously mischievous and j
opportunely disobedient as the mem
bers of Kipling’s characteristic trio of |
Tommy Atkinses, Mulvaney. Learoyd |
and Ortherls.
“I’ve read all that 1 care to read .
about their drills and their work and
their discipline." said a Washington I
man the other day. in talking about
American naval sailors, “but what I
want to And out is what the four or
live hundred enlisted men on a big
ship of war do when they’re not work
ing or drilling or disciplining? How
do they put m their time? When
they’re not permitted to go ashore, as
was the case with the men of the Maine
how do they get Monotony , yith a big
M. by the throat ar.d throttle It? How
do they keep from going craxy. any
how?”
The main idea of moat persons who
are unfamiliar with the life of the man
forward on a man of war is that the
tedium of such an existence can hardly
be little short of unbearable. They can
understand how the officials might And
it possible to put In their sea service
comfortably and enjoyably, and as a
rule they can see nothing for It but
a general twiddling of thumbs on the
part of the whole ship's company for
ward of a man of war when the men
are not actually engaged In earning
their monthly money by the sweat of
their brows. There are frequent Inter
vals during the progress of the routine
of the naval day when the smoking
lamp at the break of the fo’c’sle is
alight, and when there is a glow in
the smoking lamp that means that
there Is nothing for any man forward
to do but to loaf and Invite his soul or
to seek amusement in any way he
elects to seek It. so long as he does
not bump Into regulations. The bo'-
Bun’s mate's "knock off' pipe Is shrilled
at about the hour In the afternoon
when the government clerks in the
Washington departments are closing
their desks, and from that hour until
pipe-down at 9:30 o’clock at night the
time of the bluejacket or the marine is
practically his own.
For example, American men of war’s
men are fond cf mock scrapping.
THE SHIP’S ORATOR.
(Their penchant for serious scrapping
on occasion was written about in the
Star some months ago.) The man for
ward who knows how to use his hands
effectively la generally regarded with
a good deal more respect by the ship's
company than the enlisted man who
has an overplus of brains or informa
tion to fit his ship's rating- the latter.
; Indeed, being always in grave danger 1
iof acquiring the name of a nian-o'- j
war chaw.” Most American men-of- i
' war’s men know how to box well, and
| those that do not imagine that they do. j
! When “knock-ofT* goes in the after- j
* noon, there is a general breaking cut .
j of boxing gloves on the main deck ami
; the bluejackets and marines go at each !
other for point*. Nor is it to be ira-
I agincd that the men only dish out love
I taps to each other. The work is per
-1 fectly good natured and harmless, but
1 none the less they bang each other
about for fair, sluggingly or sclcntiflc
j ally, in accordance with the measure
I of their skill. The writer has wltne?*-
! ed some friendly bouts of this ebarac
i ter in which the eventual knockout of
I one of the mixers has been as pretty
and complete as any that happen in the
j regular ring. He has himself been—
j but that belongs to another reel. No
■ attempt is made by the officers to pat j
j a stop to the boxing of the men. and i
even when a man is put out no notice
!is taken of the thin*. The knocked- j
out man is brought around by the
apothecary, and the following evening
he will very likely have another try
at the man who sent him to the deck
j The officers give the men to understand
; that when they box It Is advisable for
j them to keep well clear of running
! gear, bulkheads, turrets, or other deck
furnishings liable to injure them in
ease they should come Into sudden con
tact with them, but unless, as happen*
once in a great while, a pair of mock
combatants get angry in the course of
| their bout and begin to deliberately
j rough It. the officers not only let them
alone, but watch the boxing with in
terest. While this Is going on on the
main deck the most notable boxer In
the ship's company is usually engaged
down on the berth deck forward in In
structing an enthusiastic class of ap
j prentice boys in the art of handling
j themselves fistically. If every appren
j tice boy who served on the cruiser
Philadelphia when Sharkey, now a
1 famous pugilist, was a second rate
Imaster-of-arms on that vessel, did not
become a first rate boxer. It was not
the fault of Sharkey, who had a couple
. of dozen of the lads bammeriug away
| at each other, as well as at bis tnvul
! nerabie head piece, every evening dur
i i ing his term of service.
I i United States men of-war’s men are
A QUARTET
music lovers. In a large ship's com
pany there are generally a score or
more of men forward who can perform
creditably, and In some cases even
brilliantly, on musical instruments of
one sort or another. It Is to be re
membered that men of unusually fine
education and accomplishments very
olten drift into the United States navy,
and it is this tlass of men who furnish
the better order of instrumental music
aboard war vessels that are not blessed
with bands—and only flagships have
bands. In a large ship’s company
there are always banjo plunkers and
guitar and mandolin thrummers in
numerable up forward, but in the line
of higher grade music there are few
good sized ships In the American navy
that can not produce one or more ex
cellent violin or zither players.
A young Pole of noble family shipped
as a landsman on an American war
ship at Gibraltar a few years ago. and
before he had been aboard twenty-fotir
hours he had all the officers aft as well
as the men forward In a trance over
his violin playing, lie did not have a
violin of his own—it was in pawn
somewhere in Italy—but he played on
a violin belonging to an Irish marine.
who<»e musical ability consisted only
in Ills rendition of “The Rakes o' Mai
low’ and “The Devil’s Dream.” This
young Pole was simply a master of the
violin. When the ship on which he
served returned to the United States
he was permitted to leave the service,
and now he is Trevinck. the well
known violin Instructor of Chicago—
but he was not Trevinck in the navy.
The musicians do not ordinarily
bring out their instruments until after
supper. But by the lime darkness falls
the forward portion of any American
man-of-war in any port in the world
might be taken for a floating conserva
tory of practicers. The clever players
upon whose ears discord falls like vit
riol take to the quieter portion of the
ship below decks for their wooing of
the harmonies, and they are generally
followed by cliques of the non-players
who yet understand and appreciate
good music, from home. Also, there
is the usual number of the vast mouth
organ brigade take their practicing sta
tions In t lose but oblivious juxfaposi
tton tb each other on or under tbs i
to'gallant fo'cYl*. and play away, each 1
man mauling a different tunc, to their i
hearts' content, regarding not the Bab
ylon of unmelodlc musical emissions ]
all around them, which Is simply stun
nlng until you get used to It.
The instrumentalists do not furnish '
all the music. There are always aom••
flno voices among a man-of-war Bhip’s
company, and some of the night slug
ing of the numcious male quartets up .
forw-ard is very beautiful, if conducive j
to homesickness on the part of the
young fellows not long away from
home. Also, these is the usual num
ber of men in an American tr.an-of-wrar
ship's company—just as a similar com
plement is always filled ashore—who
imagine that they can slag, and there
fore inflict unassuageable woe upon
those who are compelled to listen to ;
them. The man who can't sing, but j
who only fancies he can. Is Invariable
suppressed in t ire, however, by his
shipmates—by impalement on the
sharp points of their humor at his ex- ,
pease. The essentially American chAr- 1
acteristic of parodying all things
breaks out in the vocal music furnish
ed by the really good singers smong .
a man-of-war ship's company. Just as
it does ashore. There is nothing ir- •
reverent, callous or disrespectful In the
United States bluejackets’ funny par
aphrasing of the soggy home and moth
er songs that occasionally become epi
demic ashore; rather, their American
sense of humor Incites them to poke
. parodying fun at the beery maudlin
ne«# of such songs.
The bluejacket who is a good Jig or
buck or w<.&g dancer is always a pop
ular man oa a ship of war. but he is
not given much rest by the shipmates
when the smoking lamp is alight. No
matter what he may be doing writing ,
| letters, sewing or patching up his
' wearing gear, or engaging in any other
! occupation that he wants to get 1
; through with—when one of the
! mouth-organ men aft at the main
gangway suddenly starts up a Jig. all
I hands around him begin the patter of
hands and the yell penetrates forward
for the dancer. If he doesn't respond
within a reasonable time an irregularly
organized committee of husky blue- |
Jackets la organized to go forward af
ter him. and they always fetch him.
Then he has to dance as if he were do
ing It for wages, but once he gets loto
his stride he needs no further encour
agement or applause, but goes right
ahead until he is about ready to drop,
the men around him clapping and
stamping in time with his steps and
making a cheerful uproar not unlike
the dancing bee* still to be seen at
I some of the southern cotton ports.
The ship’s buffoon is as well marked
aboard a man-of-war as If be wore the
I uniform of cap and belle, and be la
I generally a clever and well-liked man.
if not very seriously regarded. His
antics in the progress of the amuse
ments after "knock-off" keep his fol
lowers going, and not infrequently
amuse the officers aft as much as they
do the men forward. One of the ship’s
buffoon's most entertaining schemes
is to suddenly mount the bottom of a
bucket or the top of a chest at one of
the main gang-ways and to begin a
stump speech with no apparent sense
in it for any man who is not a member
of the ship's company, but full of
sharp but good humored "knocks" for
member* of the crew forward who In
dulge in peculiarities of temperament
or manner All of the speaker's lis
teners understand these allusions
strung through the apparently crazy
address and roar over them.
Thought ll«r m VUIon.
In "Life and Letters of Harriet
Beecher Stowe" Mrs. Fields relates an
anecdote Illustrative of the peculiar
faculty of Professor Stowe of seeing
visions. From early youth he had pos
sessed the singular power of seeing
moving about him persons who could
not be perceived by others. Mrs. Stowe
during her residence at Andover plan
ned to go to Boston one day on busi
ness. Making her preparations hur
riedly she bade the household farewell
and rushed to the station, only to see
the train go out as she arrived. There
was nothing to do but to return home
and wait patiently for the next train;
but wishing not to be disturbed, ihe
quietly opened a side door, crept noise
lessly up the staircase leading to her
own room, and sat down by her writ
ing table In the window. She had
been there about half an hour when
Professor Stowe came in, looked about
him with n preoccuffled air. but did
not speak to her. She thought his be
havior strange, and amused herself by
watching him; at last the situation
became so extraordinary that she be
gan to laugh. “Why!" he exclaimed
with a most astonished air. "is that
you? I thought it was one of my vi
sions!"
Would Not Take Ilia Own Medicine.
Guest (in cheap restaurant) —Here,
waller, this meal is simply vile. I
won’t pay for It. Where’s the propri
etor? Waiter —He’s out at lunch, sir.
—Ttt-Blts.
A Wail.
Brown—" There is no rest for tbs
wicked." Jones —"The righteous worry
them so." —Pick-Me-Up.
BOSTONIANS IN TEXAS.
E*-«o»*rnor Hoc* »» d I‘srtjr Go Hast- |
Ins v>til* Blank « artcld***.
From the St. lgrala Post-Dispatch
They have a great Joke on ex-Governor *
Hon down In Texas, also on a party j
of Bostonian*. The whole affair was (
arranged by CapUln AUdorf Faulkner, j
who conducted the visitor* to Sugar
land, to Initiate them into the delight* «
and mysteries of a bear hunt. *'Tbe
party was composed largely of ladle*
and gentlemen from Massachusetts.'
said Captain Faulkner, ‘ and of course >
quite a number of them had read ‘Uncle ■
Tom'* Cabin.' and the entertainment;
wra* arranged for them accordingly. Of j
course the visitors were not let Into the
secret. The Massachusetts people
were eager for the hunt » begin. Each
one was anxious to take a abot at tbr
bear, little knowing that their shell*
would do nothing bat make a loud re
port. Finally all was arranged, an!
the signal was given to unchain the
bear. The fetters were taken off of
bruin and be began to wander almlew*-
ily about the thicket. The born was
sounded, the dogs collected, all yelping
Iln one voice, and the gay part) of
hunters, astride of horses and mule*
and armed with salt loaded shells, went
off. Soon the hounds struck the trail
of the bear and there wae music In the
air. Spurs and whips and sticks were
. brought into requisition and the gay
' cavalcade moved off toward the yelping
hounds. Soon the bounds brought the j
bear right by the party of hunters, and
almost everybody took s whack at him
with firearms, but. of course, it never
feazed him. The heavy firing, how
ever. frightened the horses and mules,
who were altogether unacrustomed to
| this kind of amusement. One old c >rn
! field mule kicked up hts heels and lit
out across the field. The gay Bo<-
. tonian astride of the animal stuck *«
| him until he imagined he had found
i woft place to alight, and he Jumped
He landed on a marshy spot, so con.
: mon in the Brazos bottoms, and 1
thought he would never step sinking in
, the mud. He was finally extricate,!,
and he was the worst looking ohjedi 1
ever saw. !u the meantime the cba«c
after the bear was fast and furious.
IThe hunters were still using their fire
arms w Ithcut effect, and finally th*
bear came near ex-Governor Hogg, and
he had supposed that it was In the pro
gram for him to kill the bear, so he
j took deliberate aim and fired twice.
! It was like the puffing of the wind, and
the ex-governor Immediately said that
the Job had been pnt up on him also.
A Ml»r«l Karr.
r«ot all Americans are Anglo-Saxon
Even in the south, where the propor
tion of people drawn from that source
i is greatest, there are strong Infusions
of French, Irish and Scotch-Irish
blood. In the west are extensive Ger
man. Irish snd Scandinavian popula
tions; In the east a vast Irish popula
tion. a large Canadian French element,
and an immense number of Germans
Even what Is called the Anglo-Saxon
Stock la mixed with Dutch. Huguenot
and Scottish contributions. When this
country has lighting to do. she does not
• look to one race among her people, but
to all. and her foreign relations cannot
be planted on the affinities of Anglo
i Americana or any other ethnic ele- ■
ment. When we have cleared our 1
minds of error, prejudice and injustice. !
enabling ourselves to understand what j
Americanism means —how it Is not the
predominance of any race or religion ,
■ —we shall perceive the exact worth 1
and character of the friendship sub
-1 slating between Great Britain and the
; United States. There is a common
language; there is a common law;
' there are many common political ideas;
there are common Interests in trade, so
that the prosperity of the one Is more
| or less intertwined with the prosperity
| of the other; and lastly both are free
states, having an active, educated pub
lic intelligence, peculiarly responsive
to the appeals of a universal humanity.
—Syracuse Standard.
Mnklnc n Distinction.
Miss Cayenne had caused her part
ner a great deal of annoyance by for
getting what her long suit was and re
maining oblivious to trump signals. He
mopped the perspiration from his brow
and ventured the observation: “I was
under the Impression that you said you
were accustomed to playing whist.”
“Yes,” she answered, sweetly, ”1 play
it. I don't work at It as some people
do.” —Washington Star.
Feminine View of It.
Mrs. Diggs—l was too 111 to attend
the Woodbe-Uperton wedding. Were
you there? Mrs. Biggs—Yes, indeed!
Mrs. Diggs—And what did you think
of the presents? The papers praised
them very highly. Mrs. Biggs—They
were just too lovely for anything. I
do wonder of what firm they rented
them. —Chicago News.
' How She Judful.
Mr. Daykin—‘‘For my part, 1 can’t
tee anything very artistic about this
new rug you’ve bought.” Mrs. Day
kin —“You can’t? Why, it waa the
most expensive r-r* *hcy had in th®
place.”
FREAKS OF FIRES.
I'rrWHatilr \rtlrle, ***»o.| 4,4
Hnm*«L Hfl
“Speaking of tire*." a.;:,1 the
anw mail. “they ar.- :!)••
thing* in the world A lir>- :ii *.
time* take inrtnlt** |M.n> -t un
everything lnde*trtn tiM.-
leave nn lufl»imunM.> strt.l,>
touched l tutve run a. r ill
■ f .jn.M-r fieak* played b\ n : ., a -r^Hj
time. H
“In a print In ft otlk-e tire cry
wan charred ami every lii*»- f
type wan either mel’e.l .»r w irs»«i
11 h to he of 110 fur Ik-r u»e. hut
only font of wood tyi*e ;n il»e
turned up all right, and when the
need oil which had boiled out of
w.«ml and »tor«d nil over l: in In'UtuH
: wiped off It wan an good a* ever. H
j "I remember otter when i tnwiixi
hi one entrance r.* a cemetery n!r,h[H
thought wan a* wafe ah a l»ad of
Iron under water. Iwt the hura-i^B
up Inside of n month. B
“At another dm* I MwrvM a pobqr ■
on a rickety oM frame planing i&2 ■
which 1 knew would bum up u«& ■
of a year or two. Thar mi twenty- ■
five year* ago. Miner then every Iryt ■
planing mill that 1 have in»um! ba* ■
lieen burned, hut *”> nld frame ■
-rood until la*t yea when it w.i* t«t ■
dow n and replaced by a new bot ■
building fl
“Ice hnßW> won Id aeetn to U- gw« ■
rtaka. but they burn mere rapidly that ■
match fßCtorlti. ami wheo the fire a B
over the eon tent* are uwnallj a waj fl
lom I would richer tonure gunp-wder fl
than lee any day." 1
Mm With NwCfHH tUiatoff
“Now.” *ald the lawyer who «u I
• •inducting the a. 1
”wlll you plea ar Mate !h»w and wber* I
you flr*t met thU man T"
•I think. ' »aid the Udy with tb* I
kharp no*.-, “that It was “
“Never mind what yo*» think," later I
rupted the lawyer. “We want fact*
here. We don't rare what you thiak. j
und we haven't any time to waste It I
listening to what you think. Now
pleaxe fell u« where ami wheo I: *n
that you tlret met lUU num ’*
The wltnena math- no reply.
■'Coin*-, come,** urged the lawyer J*l
demand an answer to n»y qortllon **
StIU n<> rnpa—t from fbe wltn****
“Tour honor.” wild the lawyer, turn
in* to the court. “I think I aiu cntltl-1
to an answer to the tjueatloit 1 bavr
|Wtt.“
"The v'.iimw will pleas# an*w#*r tb*
Ituewtkm.” Haiti the conrt In Imprassiv*
tone**.
“Can't," naltl th*' lady.
“Why not Y'
“The «vvurt .(neta't care to hear what
I think. does It r
“No.*"
'Then tliere la no aw <iu«lk>nin;
me any further I am not a lawyer
I can't talk without thinking”
Ho they called the neat witness
Cleveland !>*ailer.
<r« Car* C***llp*lt** for»»«r.
•tan* fawareu (Wndv ‘ »tt.» rti« iOc or TV.
IT C. C. C- tall to cur*. druggut* refund tatiwaf
“Any n«-w*r- “Tt«: the cn-tdraa of liberty
1 t« going to be tyaeeo of May tbla year. *
Feeling. Go to your druggist and get
a bottle of Hood's Sarsaparilla and be
gin to take It today, and realize at once
the great good It Is sure to do you.
Hood’s Sarsaparilla
Is America's Greatest Spring Medicine.
POMMEL
Ke«ps both rider and saddle per
fectly dry in the h.irdest storms.
Substitutr swill disappoint Ask for ‘TIC*
1807 Fish Brand Pommel Slicker—
It I* entirely new. If not for sale in
vour town, write for . atalogue to
jBB iJ. TOWER. Boston, Mass

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