The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05
UNCLE SANS JACK TARS,
How AMERICAN MAN-o-WAR SAIL
ORS ENLIST.
The Most Desirable Recruiss-Why
Desertions are So Frequent
Overstocked With Foreigners.

EJ is Shlu GllaG ouly VI AotO JSnES JoUhS
men of American birth have been induced
to enlist in the navy as m The most
desirable recruits, apart from the naval
apprentices, are those who enter the SER
vice between the ages of twenty-five and
thirty-ive years, and comparatively few,
SAYS a writer in the Boston Bulletin, re-
main for more than one cruise.
By signing the shipping articles of the
navy a man binds himself to serve the
Government for a term OF years. Before
signing the applicant for enlistment must
take the oath of allegiance. A recruiting
officer is enjoined to guard against the
enlistment of improper, unsound or in.
competent persons. During a three years
service as clerk at a recruiting station the
writer often felt that were the officer in
charge to abide strictly by this orderther
would hardly have been a boats crew OF
men enlisted during his tour Of duty.
Bows are now enlisted as apprentices
in the navy and, with the consent of their
parents or guardians, are accepted be-
tween the ages of sixteen and twenty
one. To the reader who possibly may
have a son DESTROYS of entering the navy
as an apprentice, it may be advisable to
say that unless the youth displays In his
actions more than ordinary aptitude for.
the profession Of a sailor he is by all odds
to be warned against entering. 1t would
be only throwing away time for him to,
serve as a naval apprentice. !
No person under sixteen, no insane or
half tipsy person, and no deserter from
either the military or naval service or an
ex-convict is to be knowingly enlisted.
The rules concerning enlistments read
somewhat as follows: A landsman cannot
lawfully enter the service if over twenty
five wears Of age unless he has some me-
chanical trade, nor after %thirty-four years
of age even though he be the finest work
man in the land, unless by authority fsom
the Navy Department. This rule, be 1t
understood, does not apply to men who
remain continuously in the service.
In order to first enter as an ordinary
seaman the applicant is supposed to have
been at sea in square-rigged ships before
the mast for not less than two years and
a seaman four years. Both must pass a
satisfactory examination in seamanship
before signing the shipping articles.
This rule in European navies is strictly
adhered to; in ours it is not.
We have to-day hundreds of Burns"
and Barney McNickols" men, as they
are styled, on board our var ships.
Where an American or EnglA-speaking
sailor applies for examination in order to
ship in our navy he is closely questioned
in ~seamanship, and must return intelli-
gent replies under pain Of being passed
as an ordinary seaman only. Where for
eign-speaking sailors apply for enlistment
it is often found difficult to understand
what they say, and thus they are fire.
quently passed into the navy as seamen
by careless and easy-going boatswains,
whereas they are not in any sense quail
fed for such a position.
The Burns and "McNickols" men
are those who are engineered into the SER
vice by two INSCRIPTIONS individuals OF
the names given who run sailors board
lighthouses in the principal cities where
navy yards exists, A thick witted Nor
wegian or in fact any foreign speaking
| sailor who has proved himself unfit for
duty as an able seaman on board a mer-
chant vessel is eagerly seized upon by
| these two land sharks. The latter know
| all the questions usually asked recruits in
the navy and the proper wv ~f~ssSstto.
This information for a consideration OF
$40, to be paid out of the recruits adj
vance wages, is impaired to the green
horns, who, after committing the answers,
etc., to memory, usually manage to pass
| muster and become seamen IN the navy.
In the same way bogus fremen, who have
been coached in the answers to be made
to questions asked applicants for enlist
ment in the fire-room, manage to enter
the naval service as oilers and water ten
ders, etc.
Since or board their proper vessel these
fraudulent sailors and firemenG he easily
detected, and as a rule the boatswain or
engineer passing them is later on anathe-
| matized for months by officers in whose
departments the individuals may be serv.
ing. With the exception Of Irishmen
every foreigner in u navy serves only
for the pay he receives and is in no way
aetuated by motives Of patriotism when
enlisting, In the event Of q war between
this and their own country these foreign
ers would undoubtedly and naturally
desert at the first opportunity.
A majority Of the assertions in our
navy occur among the Ole Nelson's, Hans
Gubensacht and Johannes Johannesens.
Why's Simply because these men serve
only for pay. To them the navy is
looked upon as a nationaasailors' board
ing house. A cosmopolitan establish.
ment as it were-sai5 rs of AL nations an
free to Como and go AkAaB see ft. III
captain will condescend to appoint them
as petty officers these foreign sailors will
stay, otherwise they will desert their
ships and join some other naval vessel
until finally attaining their object, to-
Wit, promotion. One OF their number
may serve a cruise Of three years as o
seaman, or possibly as q petty officer.
Should, however, he later re-enlist and
be found upon examination to lack the
essential qualifications to fill either of the
ratings named he win, in nine cases out
of ten, desert.
Once o foreign sailor becomes q petty
officer in our navy he must thereafter be
retained in that position. Otherwise he
will growl away his time, rendering every
person near him uncomfortable, causing
many to desert and finally will run away
himself, although it is like drawing a
tooth for men Of this class to leave be-