Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-03-15
ZOE TIE NAVY.
Looking Into the Methods of One OF Uncle
SANS Reornitina Offioes.

Looking Into the Methods of One OF Uncle
Sans Recruiting Offices.
Just what sort of men the United States
wants for its army and how they are chosen
was a problem reporter was sent TO grapple
with yesterday afternoon
A well fed red faced and much waxcd as to
his mustache recruiting sergeant stood lean
ing against a dooriamb Of a house off the
Bowery and winked at long range at plump
Jewess, who was standing in the door Of a
pawnbroker's shop across the street.
The United States flag hung istlessly over
his head, and a red and white sign told passers-
by that recruits were wanted inside for the
marine service.
The sergeant took farewell look at the
plump Jewess and led the way upstairs The
recruiting barracks consisted Of one large
bare room with a stove in the CENTER and an
adjoining apartment filed up with a library
and several desks and tables This was the
surgeons room He was not in at the time,
but his blue dresscoat hung on nail where
it could be found when he wanted to slip
into 1t and examine an applicant.
eve have about sixty or seventy applicants
a month";" said the sergeant, land we accept
about thirty of them They come to me first
and look them over and see that they are
not crippled or fngeress or too young. Then
il they are apparently all right l take them
in TO the doctor and he puts 'em through a
most severe examination. After he is salts
fed that they are between the proper ages for
admittance-that is, not under 81 and not
over 35-he tells 'em to undress and stand on
the weighing machine. After they are weighed
they are stood under that measure and
their height is taken. Then he turns them
over to me, and | put them through about
twenty different movements. They must be
able to kneel ON one knee, to touch their fin
gers behind their backs, over their head and
to the floor without bending their knees
'They must be able to move every finger
and every joint in their body. Then they
must walk on their toes and on their heels
The doctor examines their lungs, teeth and
muscles, tests their respiration and inspira-
ton, their chest extension and their muscular
development in every part of the body.
"Then we stand the applicant over in this
corner and make him read those letters on
the opposite corner. The highest possible
mark for eyesight is twenty, and the eye
sight is one of the reast important tests"
The visitor stood in the corner designated
and the sergeant held piece of pasteboard
before one eye. The visitor spelled out the
letters slowly but without a mistake.
"That's pretty good " said the soldier con-
descendingly, "now try the other eye and
read them backward
This was also performed successfully.
They generally get mixed on the Gs and
Cs,n said the sergeant "Your mark would
be twenty. You cannot get i'll If your mark
is under seventeen, unless you are veteran"
Then thesergeant produceda box Of colored
yarns, and told the visitor to try the color
test and pick out all the reds
"You would be surprised to find how many
there are who cannot tell red from green, or
rather how many there are who confuse the
two colors. They won't mistake red for blue
or red for yellow, but green and red look ex-
actly alike to them OF course, this is q
very serious matter at sea, where red and
green are so often used in signaling
If the applicant gets through all these tests
he is handed over to the private, who forms
with the sergeant the guard at each barracks,
and who takes him Off to the station in Brook
lyn. There he is turned over to the drill
master and uniformed from head to foot, even
to his suspenders at Uncle Sans expense.
He is supposed to stay two years on land and
three years at sea, but this exact time is sell
dom adhered to; it often happens that his
first term Of five years service is spent entire
ly on land save for month or two at sea, or
vice versa His pay for the first term of
FIVE years, which is the shortest time for
which he can enlist, is Sl3 month for the
first year, $i7 for the second, SIS, $40 and $50
for the remaining three.
Besides this, all enlisted men, except must
clans of the band, serving on the first period
of five years are entitled to 81 per month for
the third year, 50 for the fourth year and So
for the ilfth year
Their rations are supplied them and their
only expenses are twenty cents a month to-
ward the hospital fees and Sl.25 a month for
washing New York Evening Sun.