Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1886-02-04
SEA SOLDIERS.
FACTS ABOUT THE UNITEn
STATES MARINE CORPS.
An Important Branch Of the Naval
Service About Which Little is
Known-How Marines
Are Recruited.

OOuSTeSS NOfcn1Dcl lO> Ito, WhcA 49,
regiments were ordered to be recruited,
every man Of whom should be an able
seaman. That was before a ship was
ordered to go to sea. These marines
adopted the motto Ever faithful, . which
has been handed down in that branch of
the sea service from the time Of Themis-
tocles, and their followers have since
held it sacred, though often at the sacri
fee of much blood. The deeds of the
marine corps have never been properly
appreciated by the public. They form
but moiety of ships crew. A ship
like the Colorado, Of forty guns, carries
only fifty-one marines all told, while she
might have crew of 600 men. A victory
won by the Colorado would bring great
glory to her commander and his sailors,
although won by the skill of the marine
sharpshootcrs or the precision with which
the great gun assigned to that corps was
worked. 1t is likely that not more than
one person in ten thousand knows that
the famous battle between the Alabama
and the Kearsarge was opened on the
Kearsarge by shot from rifled gun on
the forecastle worked by the marines
who ''nobly sustained the high repute of
their service throughout the conflict, as
the report to the navy department said
The man who would enlist in the ma
rine corps finds, on entering the South
Street office, the pleasant young sergeant
seated at desk busily writing. All
sorts of men, from corn-huskers to
brokers, go there in answer to the adver
tisement in the morning papers calling
for recruits, and many others drift in,
having seen the flag that usually floats
from the window over South street.
When man states his wishes the ser
ceant asks him how old he is. If he is
over twenty-one and not more than thlr-
tv-fiye. he is asked whether he is married
or not, for only single men are accepted.
Then the would-be recruit must show
that he can read and write the English
language with reasonable facility and must
tell where he was born. Finally he is passed
on to naval surgeon, who attends the
Office every week day from 10 to 1
o'clock. He is stripped and weighed
and measured. He must be at least five
feet five inches tall and must weigh 1875
pounds. For each added inch in height
he must weigh five more. He must be
able to pass an examination for color
blindness, and must read great primer
type across the room. In body and limb,
he must be sound. The number of appli-
cants who are rejected has sometimes
reached ninety per cent, and it is always
greater than the number accepted. Oc-
casionally runaway boy comes in and
says he is over twenty-one years.
The men who are accepted are sent to
the marine barracks in the Brooklyn
navy yard. The greatest number ac-
cepted in one day within the past year
was seven. During the last three months
ninety-nine were sworn in. At the bar
racks the recruits are divided up into
squads. who are taken in hand by the
drill officers and are made to ostand in line
and go through series of contortions
called the setting-up drill. They lean
forward till they can touch their toes
and then backward until they think
about broken backs and the pleasures 0
lying down with nothing to do. They
are kept at it until they can stand erect
with ''the breast out and the stomach
in, the little fingers Of their hands on the
seams Of their trousers, and their eyes to
the front falling on the ground at dis
tance of fifteen PAGES" Then they stand
erect on one foot and swing the other
until they can take step forward or
backward gracefully. From marching
they 60 to the exercise with rifles.
ssThe recruits are generally well drilled
after working with them two months,
but you couldn't beat it into some of
them. with a maul,s' said the recruiting
sergeant.
When well drilled the recruit is put on
guard duty every other day. There are
three reliefs Each man stands two
hours, and is then relieved for an hour,
when he goes on again for two more.
This lasts for twenty-four hours.
When guard is wanted for sea duty
volunteers usually are called for and OBJ
tanned. When ship has bad reputa-
tion men are assigned. The routine duty
of the marines corps on board ship is to
watch over the magazines, storerooms,
gangways, galleys, boats alongside or ap-
preaching or passing, and all lights and
fires required for the ships use, and to
give the alarm in case of fire; to preserve
order; to allow no swearing, gambling,
or immoral practices; to prevent theft
Of private or public property; to see that
the cooks are not interrupted in their
Iabors; to allow no smoking and wash
ing outside of hours; to see that no en-
listed man or boat leaves the ship without
the orders Of the officer Of the deck; in
time Of war to guard prisoners, who may
sometimes outnumber the crew to guard
consuIates in foreign countries; to guard
the boats when the ship is on fire. A line
Of marines stand in the port gangway
and salute men Of high rank who come
on board the ship. "A few are always
stationed near their arms to prevent sur
prise from without and insubordination
within. The necessity of body Of men