Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1888-12-22
JACK TAR'S CHRISTMAS.

/
as he came down from the foretopsail
| yard. where he had been lending hand
| to furl the remnant of a topsail, blown
almost to ribbons by the fierce winters
| gale that was bowling one Christmas
morning. and began blowing on his frost
bitten fingers and rubbing them in the
snow which covered the vessels deck, is
a very good exposition of the practical
| side of our universal Christian holiday.
as frequently seen by the hardy toilers
of the sea. Stern necessity sometimes
| demands that the work must be
done and the ship made safe
and snug before Jack Tar can
think of bean soap or Christmas pud-
ding and other fixings, and not infre-
quently, as the sea remembers nothing
and pays no homage to customs, no mat
ter how ancient, imagination of grand
banquet can alone be relied upon to ap-
pease the appetite; as shot water and
spoons" are very apt to be about all that
can be obtained in the way of a square
meal, and even the luxury Of the hot
water is often omitted, as the tossing,
restless ship, lurching about from side to
side, makes it impossible to keep any
thing on top of the galley stove, if, in
deed, it be practicable thing to keep up
the fires at all. In such case the cud
of discomfort, so to speak, must be rep
resented, as the song gives it, by the
starboard side of an old sou'weSter.
Christmas away from home is, how
ever, always kept in some way or
another, even under such adverse cir
cumstances as those mentioned; as
little something to warm him up ls
quietly given to the half frozen man by
some kindhearted officer as he comes
down from aloft, and before drinking he
manages, as rule, to pull off his CAP
and to say merry Christmas" which is
about all the circumstances of the case
will admit Of Wind and weathe per-
hitting, however, only the absolutely
necessary things are done, and the
Christmas dinner is made as sumptuous
as the paymaster's stores will permit, or
the foresight of the mess caterer in lay
ing in something extra before the ship
left port has provided. The ration gives
more or less variety of things that put
up to keep during the cruise, but Jack
prefers the things that are not made
to keep, and, being proverbially improvi-
dent, the day generally finds him
depending on plum duff as the grand
piece de resistance, and no matter how
much of the resistance there may be
about the compound the relish with
which it disappears is proof sufficient of
its ability to take the place of other pos
sibly more digestible articles. The bags
containing the sailors personal effects
are piped up and the men given an OPP
portunitv 10 overhaul their clothing,
write letters or do whatever the limit of
the ship will admit. Smoking is per-
mitted outside the daily regulation hours,
and everything is done to make the men
as comfortable and the day as much of a
holiday as possible, having, of course,
due regard for the handling of the vessel.
When, however, the ships are in port,
and it happens to be one where there is a
good market, all that it affords is brought
off to grace the board, and the scene pre-
sented on the berth deck of one of our
men-of-war ON such occasions is lively
and picturesque in the extreme. The
mess tables are screened off with canvas
and bunting, and very often evergreens
are used to complete the ornamentation,
each mess wing with the others to see
which can make the prettiest show. An
extra dollar or two apiece is usually
served out, "to put in the mess" the
aggregate sum making great possibilities
in the way of procuring the good
things which are not found in the daily
ration. The tin pot, pan and spoon which
form Jack S cover are made to shine like
polished silver, the mess cooks taking
pride in getting the brightest of pOlishes
for the occasion, Some more stylish,
though perhaps less thrifty, messes, get
crockery from shore, which sets off the
table very prettily, and possibly to some
of them seems more homelike and gives
e,
to the observances of the day; one might
haps, to the feast. But whoever knew
of sailors not being ready for a good
square meal at any hour of the day?
One who has watched the rush for the
hatchway when the order ''pipe to din
ner" is given, is quite apt to be convinced
that Jacks stomach is as sharp as
sharks" and that he ''never was in finer
condition for feeding" at any one time
more than at any other. When every
preparation has been made for dinner
and the viands set forth, the officers are,
as a general rule, invited to inspect, and
very often to sample, the good things; the
captain of the vessel generally grants the
request for bottle of beer or light wine
apiece, and in fact most any reasonable
departure from the ordinary daily Gus
toms is allowed. In the afternoon, if
the request is made, a large liberty
party goes ashore, and is permitted
to remain away from the vessel until the
following morning. Boat racing is fire.
quently the amusement, especially if
there are foreign vessels in the same port,
and great is the excitement in the inter
national contests. Prizes are offered,
and as many boats are entered as can be
spared from the different shFIs. Water
tournaments, catamaran RACES and va
rious other aquatic sports are INDUCED
IN, as Christmas is not always in the win
ter season, much of a vessels cruising
being done in the southern hemisphere,
and the 25th Of December often finds the
thermometer SO high that plunge in the
briny is an immense relief.
The great evening amusement is min.
strel or variety show, which brings out
an amusing display of talent that one
would hardly believe possible until he
had witnessed some of the character
pieces or listen to the fine singing often
heard in ships company. The original
jokes, which very often spare nobody.
from the cabin windows to the hawse
poles, are always amusing, and
serve for many a day after to
hurl at the head of the poor UNI
fortunate whose peculiarities have
been sufficiently pronounced to catch
the ever ready eye or ear of the humor-
ist, who has them carefully slowed away
until some such occasion as this gives
him a chance to numerically bring them
forth. When "pipe down" comes, the