Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-12-25
JACK TAR'S CHRISTMAS.

came doWn ION the lOrsupSdl yaru
where he had been lending a hand to furl
the remnant of a tOpssil, blown almost 10
ribbons by the fierce winters gale that
gss bowling one Christmas morning, and
began blowing on his frost bitten fingers
and rubbing them in the snow which COW
cred tie vessels deck, is q very go0d ex-
position cf The p2actical side If our uni-
versal holiday, as frequently seen by the
hardy toilsrs Of the sea. Stern necessity
sometimgs demands that the work must
te done and tia ship made safe and snug
before Jack Ter can think OF bean soup
or Christmas pudding and other filings,
and not inirtqleptly, IS the sea Iem'm-
bers nothing and pays no homage to GUS
toms, 10 matter how ancient, Imagination
OF a grand bar gust can alone be relisd upon
to appease the appetite; as ''hot water and
spoons arc very apt TO be about all that
can be obtaiUed in the way Of a square
meal, AID evea the luxury Of tie hot wa
ter is often omitted, as the tossing, restless
ship, lurching about from side TO side,
makts it imlos ibie TO keep anything on
top of tie galley stove, il, indeed it be
o practicable thing to keep up the fires at
all. Iu sucha case the cud Of discomfort,
50 to spsak, must bo represented, as the
song gives it, by the stsrboard side Of an
Old sou'WeSter.
Christmas away from home is, however,
always kept in some way or ARCHER, even
under such adverse circumstances SIS those
mentioned; as a little something 10 warm
him up is quietly given to The bali fczcn
man by some kindhearted officer as he
comes down frOm aloft, and before driuk-
ing he manages 10 pull off bis cap and to
say merry Christmss," which is shout
| all the circumstances will admit Of. Wind
ard weather permitting. however, only
the absolutely necessary things are done,
and tie CHI iSimss diuDer is made as sumpt-
uous ss the paymsstei s stores will permit,
or the foresight Of the mess caterer in lay
ing in scmeihiug extra before the ship left
port hiss provided. The ration gives more
or less variety CT things that put Up to
keep during the cIuse, but jack prefers
the things that are rot made TO keep, and,
hing proverbiallv improVidant, the day
generally feds Kim depending on plum
duf as the grand pisCc de ~resistar CO, SD6
no after how much of the resi.tanc there
may he about the compound tie relish
with which it dis pp:ars is proof sufficient
of it's ali ity to take the place of othtr
Z; Ssibly M re Gigesiible ar iclss The
bags containing the ~ssilOrs' per,ooal Ell; CTS
are Iip?d up and tbs msn given an OppOr.
tunity TO overhaul thsic clothing, write
letters or do whatever tbs limit OF TIE ship
v admit. Smoking is permitted out.
side the daily regulation hours, and every
thing is dore TO make the men az com.
Portable al the dsy as much o! a holiday
a. possible, having, # c)ursa, due regard
Tor the handling OF the vessel.
When, however, the thip5 are in port,
and it happens to he One where there is .
good market, sill that it affords is brought
off to grace the bOsrd, and the sce2e pre-
scented on the berth deck Of enc OF our
men of war on such occasions is lively and
picture:que in the extreme. The Dess
tables ara tcreened eff with canvas end
buJt;ug, and very often eyeIgreens are used
to complete the O"rnamentatlOn, each mess
vieing with the others 10 see which CSn
make the p~rtttiest show. AnEX!ra dollar
or two apiece il usually served cut, ito
pot in the mess" the aggregate SOM max
my great possibilities IN the way Of pro-
curing the good tbings which are not found
in the daily ration. The tin POI, pan snd
spoon which form Jacks cover are made to
shine like polished silver, the mess cooke
taking q pride in getting the brightest Of
pOlishes for the occasion. Some more
stylish, though perhaps less thrifty, 'messss,
get crockery from shore, which sst5 off the
table very prettily, aid possibly to some OF
them sesms more homelike and gives an
air of paying a little more attention to the
Ob5srYancts Of thedsy; one might say, !
srprO'p, q little bett r relish, perhaps, 10
the feast. Bnt whoever knew OF a %sailOI's
not being ready for R good square meal at
any bOnr Of the day?
Ole who has watched the rash for the
hstchway when the order pipe to dinner"
is given, is quite apt to be convinced that
Jacks stomach is as sharp as a sharks"
and that he ''never was in finer condition
for feeding az any one time more than at
any other. When every preparation has
been made for diuuer and the viands set
forth, the Officers are, as u general rule,
invited to inspect, and very CT, e1 to slmple
the good things; the captain Of the vessel
generally grants the request for g bottle Of
beer or light wire spe,e, and in fact most
any reasonable departure from the ordinary
daily customs is allowed In the after
coon, if thu request is IN .de, q large lib
erty party goes ashore, and is permitted
10 remain away from tie vessel until the
following morning. Boat racing il IRE
UueLtly the amusement, esl eCially If thee
are foreign vessels in the same port, and
great is the excitement in the international
contests. Prizes are offered, ard as many
boats are entered as can BE- spared from
the different ships. Water tournaments,
races and various other aquatic sports are
INDUCED in, as Christmas ls not always in
the winter season, much of q VESSELS cruis.
irg beirg done in the southern hemisphere,
and the 25ah of December often finds the
thermometer so high that n purge in the
briny is IN immerSe relief.
The great evening amusement IL q min
sirel or variety show, which brings ont an
amusing display Of talent that one would
hardly believe possible until he had Wit
nessen some Of the character pieces or
lis cred to the fine singing often heard in a
ships company. The original jokes, which
worry often spare nobody, from the cabin
windows to the hawse poles, are always
amusing, and serve for many q day after TO
hurl st the head of tie poor uuforturat
whose p:culiarities have been sufficiently
pronounced to catch the ever ready eye or
esr of the bumorist, who has them care
ftlly slowed away until some such Occa-
sion as this gives him q chsnce to unmerci-
fully brig them forth. when pipe
down. comes, the verdict is that, although
away from home, Telstiyes and the con-
ventionslities of tie holiday season that
ones earlier years hsve been accustomed
to, the day has been whit the noruing
greeting intends it should be-a merry
Christmas.
Stuffed With Chestnuts.
Merchant HdrtHer.
T..l ..n,;,la p,a 81 a cfnru - said Lem |