The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1889-02-15
Aboard O Man of War.
MODES OF LIFE ON suIPBoARD-THE
PLEASURES AND HARDsuIPs THAT
FALL TO THE LOT OF A SAILOR
-JACKEY AT SEA.


Ihe Jolllty OF sea-tarlng life ls pro-
verbal. There is not boy in all the
world, within the reach of books, who
has not pondered over the stories of
the jolly, rollicking, careless and easy
going rover Of the sea. How his in
terest has been aroused by the tales Of
adventurous sea dogsl How he has
even stolen the hours from the night,
not TO mention those moments surrep.
titiously taken from his studies of
which only boy can give an account
10 gorge his fancy with the recitals of
heroic sailor lads, who iu the truest
sense have shaken the dust from their
feet, who sleep in hammocks rocked
by storm and wave, who have been
eye witnesses of monstrous sea SER
pents, who have boarded treasure
ships, and who have done greater i'm
possibilities and seen stranger things
than were ever dreamed of n philoso
ply or approved by common sense!
With all its glamour, amid the fas,
cination Of its surroundings - for the
ocean has an irresistible charm for old
and young alike-the life of sea-far-
er s not quite all that fancy paints. 1t
is sometimes burdensome, often dull
and always exposed TO peril. The
close quarters, even in the most COM
modious steamers, which become ones
home for months and years, are the
most irksome restraints. The strict
discipline, so essential among men of
all classes and dispositions, and the ex-
acting forms in which his duties ste
cast, tend to reduce the fanciful sailor
life to the hardpan of human expert
ence. The recurring watches, the
messes, and the demands upon him at
all hours and in all kinds OF weather,
bind him more closely than the arms
of an octopus ever embraced deliri-
} Gus story. teller.
To begin with, sailor must be a
healthy and robust mar. His duties
are multitudinous, and require great
aptitude. A good deal of hard and
rough work falls to his lot. There is
no place on a mau-of- war for any but
the strongest, n ost enduring and hard
lest of men. The law of the survival
of the fttest is pretty sure to assert
itself on shipboard, and it generally
favors those who can stand the most
knocks, and are built after the moCel
of the descon's one horse shay.
Inasmuch as the ships crew is di.
vided into watches Of four hours each
for Jackey to sleep longer than four
hours at time is out of the question,
and as he is required to be at his pos,
of duty three times during the twenty
four hours, his dreams under the mos,
favorable circumstances, that ever ex
ist on a war vessel, are quite apt to be
interrupted. He is likely to be called
mp at any time, from doing stokel
work below to hauling at ropes above
deck, and isn't sure of ordinary sleep
not to think of unbroken dreams, un
til after he has slept his full allow
ance.
Everyone on board ship of war il
necessarily assigned to particular
mess, for besides sleeping and working
at stated hours Jack must needs ea
' at regular intervals. The provisions
for the ship have already been provid
ed, consisting of those staple articles
that may be prepared and served a
sea. An abundance of wholesome anC
well cooked food is served.to the mer
three times day, but without the lux
uries and re6nements of table etiquett,
that are to be found in--well, say
Fifth Avenue Hotel.
The crew is divided into messes O
about sixteen men each, with one o
their number as cook to prepare th,
food, wash the dishes and perform th'
various culinary duties for the mess
To be sure, the dishes of sailor arr
not numerous, his regulation kit con
sisting of a tin cup, tin pan and ;
spoon. In pleasant weather they
spread their mess cloths on the spa
deck, and squatting about them il
groups or sitting upon boxes eat thei
ship fare, but at other times the bertl
cabin, which is devoted exclusively tt
the use of the crew, is made to resoupC
with the clatter of the dishes aud th'
hurry and hustle of a ships mess.
A typical sailor does not spen'
much time at his meals. He swallow
his food as quickly as possible, anC
then lights his pipe for few moment
of real enjoyment, demonstrating tn,
fact that he is an American in tn,
highest sense, capable of eating hi
dinner it as many minutes as he ha
fingers on one hand, leaving the mat
ter of digestion TO laws of chance
The less time be takes for his meals
the longer he may devote himself t.
the solace Of his pipe.
With his cup, pan and spoon, mad'
of tin and sometimes the worse fol-
usage, with hammock and blanket
for bed, with bag in which to keel
his clothes and with a small box TO
his needles and thread, sailors out
fit is complete. He is allowed to have
nothing else. He mends his clothes
does his own sewing and becomes
about az independent man, in tn
minor affairs of life, as one is eve
likely TO meet.
The PROVISIONS which were put OF
board at the Navy Yard, in cans anC
ooxes and packages of every descrip
tion and in quantities to last thre
months, are prepared in the galley b,
the ships cook, most important per
sonage. Not only is this functionar,
responsible for the condition of thu
food, which is served by the mes
cooks to their mates, but he is regard
ed as the origin, by some occult gift
of all the yarns and rumors on ship
board II is supposed that gale,
yarn can emsnate from no source bu
the ships cook. Whether or not thi
= faculty bears any relation to the cook
ing or the food is not known, but on
. think is notorious--the storage capa
2 city OF sailor passes all oomprehen
y sion.
His appetite is phenomenal. II
can eat more in less time than an,
"a other man in existence. Il is no ex
70 aggeraiion to say that he eats as muc
as three or four ordinary landmer