Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1876-06-17


GAMMA.
Trials of a Midshipman.
To the Editors Of the Independent:
We left our midshipman last
week supp0sing that he had sue
cessfully passeda all of the examina-
tons, but before we get him into
the Academy and on board the old
"Constitution" where the enter
ing class used to be quartered a
few years ago. / must describe one
trial which is sometimes very
amusing, that 0 f''going before the
battery.n The battery is the whole
examining board, and any appli.
can't who is not quite up to the
standard in any one subject is
brought before this board for ex-
animation on that particular SUBJ
ject. 1t is called "the battery" by
the ''plebes' because they receive
such a shower of questions, from
first an old Naval officer and then
some civilian professor, that they
can only liken it to the rapid dis
charge Of shot from a battery, and
having failed in any branch, or
partially failed, whether he is adj
mitted or not depends in a great
measure on the intelligence he
displays in answering a great va
riety of questions propounded to
him by this board.
Surprising him to have success
fully passed this he is handed a
sealed letter from the president di-
rected to the Admiral, and carry
ing this over to his Office he is at
last introduced into the presence of
this mighty man, and handing
him the letter waits In fear and
trembling the decision of the
board, of which he is still ignorant.
The Admiral was very busy writ
ing and looks up with some dis
pleasure at the Interruption, and
taking the letter from the tremb-
ling "mid," tears it upon careless
ly and reads the contents then for
the first time, looking square in
the face of the young applicant,
and seeing the fear and anxiety
there depicted, says kindly, "well.
youngster, you have passed, take
this letter to my secretary, in the
next room, he will tell you what
to do" This he is very glad to do,
for he feels like claping somebody
on the back, and telling them the
good news, and it would hardly
do, to take such liberties with the
Admiral ; so obeying his first Or
der he goes into the secretarieS'
office, where he learns that he
must report on board the
Constitution" Immediately ;
but it is finally ascertained
that next morning will be time
enough, so he goes to his boarding
house to write numerous letters to
hrs friends and relatives, inform
ing them of the fact that he has
passed his examination, and that
hereafter he is to be Known under
the title of "Midshipman, of the
United States Navy" On return
ing to the Yard on the following
day he is told that the first thing
necessary for him to do is to go to
the store and deposit with the pay
master the necessary amount to
purchase his uniforms, books, &c
this amounts to about two hun
dred dollars. His outfit that he
strarted from home with having
been found deficient in such arti-
cles as a hammock mattress single
sheets, blankets, ect.; these to-
gether with such articles as ''regu-
lation stand up collars" and drill
gloves" he had to purchase at the
store, where he found he could buy
any and everything that he needed
at nearly their cost prices. He also
had to be measured by one of Deo-
lin & Co.'S cutters for his uniforms,
consisting of a fatigue uniform
made of dark blue flannel for
rough work, and the parade uni
form, which consisted of a blue
cloth jacket with Il double row of
medium siZedNavy buttons down
the front, and a gold anchor, an
inch long, embroidered on each
side of its stand up collar with
blue cloth pants and vests TO cor
respond with the jacket. The
fatigue uniform he received about
two weeks afterwards, and was
Immediately put to work in it {;
but the handsome parade uniform
did not make its appearance for
nearly two months, much to his
disgust. G.. l..
Brooklyn, June 10.