The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-12-21
vCHRISTMAS IN THE NAVY.
THERE'S no PLACE LIKE HOME
AFTER ALL ON CaISrMAS DAY.

Routine of a Man-of-War "A Christ
mas Dinner Amusements on the
Gun-Deck-e storm -Aloft in a
Gale-A Wild Night Jack in His
Hammock Again.
tCopvriqht1
NEW YoRE, D C. 20. ID 'ng-d cng! Dong
5,ngI f ur bel.sl six O'Clock on win
ter's IN orning. AM Christmas day has fairly
bsgua for JACK, far on; at ga.
On the bridge the quartermaster at the
wh 81 has no thought apparently beyond
che co npass in the iigh,ei binracle before
him: the Off .er Of the eek. in ruth = cat
and bo rs, stands beside hlm on the bridge,
lo,ki, " off through tbs gloom sc,oss the
waste OF heaving water. or giving gliuce
aloft now and then at the belly
ing sails, and az in ahead az the
to1kouss by the boHsprit The
Green aad rcd lights i'll tbs ssarbolrd ard
r,rt rigging shile bravely, and the mast
herd Il, h' Sc Ills glim Inner down to the
deck, whers the msn on watch liz about il
shel cred nooks d the sergeant of the
guard walk to and fro wi b semi-military
swlng that accommodate itself wonderfully
vel co the motion of the ship.
LISA yold gray morning. q sky dark
with hurrying clio IDS. AMI the wind bow
ing III sharp gus tr m the northeast, With
a wicked promise OF more bef re- iong,
diving Sleet and froz n spray full IN YOU.
face aud coating tie stauncn cruis r with
ice from ste D t. stern.
Tne so nd OF tire bell has scarcely died
away WIN the clear no5es OF the bnge
come saeiiAg after. souidinK the Ieveiile.
Then the gruf voices OF the boatswail'S
mates all: "A-all ha.a-ndsl Uo all ham
mocEsp Everybody turns out-marines
aDoreutice Toys, ii ernen, cooks, sailors
each man jumps into his tr users and
shoes, then TO DIS his hammock and carries
it up through tns natcneS u the MEETINGS IN
the bulwarks.
FIT esn minutes are allowed for this duty
and fifteen more FIR cyffee aud a smoke
Then all ha Us turn to and work until
br, akfast time: for ships routine never
varies for q hold y. ! here are decks to
sc ub, as 1sual; anu before 1t is light enough
even to turn of he electric Giro lit on the
spar deck he pu nps are working and Jack
with bucket anu OrooHs Is making MS snip
tidy for the day.
But it's a healthful exercise after all, ami
when the BOSS pipe whistles mess gear"
at 7:5J a. m., the sailor man has an appetite
for his breakfast. This meal. which j,
eaten at O'clock, consists ordinarily of
bacon, bea or mush. har0 tack and black
coffee. FIR Christmas fare the men have
PROBABLY set apart some of their wages be-
fore leaving the last port, and II they have
not teen long out the mess may provide
bacon aud eggs this mCrning, condensed
milk for the coffee and canned fruit OF some
kind
Al S.45 'S,ck call" Men who are under
the surgeons care report at the dispenSary,
and any case Of sickness that has developed
within the pa It twenty-four hours Is accom-
modated in the sick-bay. All ha de turn
10 now and work dur. ng the morning watch
Tue shining If guns. the hand rails aud
brass iitrlngs at over the SD p must be
polished, and there is ma ~ a joh Des des for
a seaman's hands before the drum beats
"Qlarlers," a. $3.50. Ii the call were "gsn-
era quarters" tie ship would be put into
fighting trim. The marines fully armed
and ealiDpel would fall in; tao xle would
be rigg9l over the am NUM-, on hatcAes for
passing cartr.d yes d shell up TO tn, gun
decS; each gun crew would cast loose It's
pieces, open the pore and prepare the gun
for acEion. Mean while rifles. revolvers ald
cutlasses would he seized from the RACES and
squalls OF men would be drilling il different
81 parts OF the deck.
4 a The modern navy. Nth it's scientific cleo
trical and steam appliances, the brooch
loaiing rifsd cannon aid revolving ma
chine guns, requires much more intelligence
In It's personneI tn n did the wooden frigaies
and hne-of-batt e-ships thirty years ago
Them OF our ''whi.e SQUADRON" are young
iu years, but they are va fly superior in
Knowledge to the ''griiH sea dogs" who
pulled rope or sCopp Il ball i'll the days
when sbips fought yard arm TO yard arm.
Ja;k TO day bias learnet that the steel pro-
jec lie is superior to the boarding pike. He
has been taught 10 use his heal
as well as his hands. and he
understands that in war efficiency in
handling II tchkiss gun would be more
valuable than skill with the cuCass. APP
prentice boys Oh any of our cruis rs can
give surprisingly accu ate description OF
the arm ment. In the e CINE and furhacs
rooms there IS tie same Familiarity vita the
dynamI, disabling apparatus, forced
oiaug and other improvements In steam
navigation that The sailor on the gun deck
shows III explaining the hydi auhc rSc0n
buffer of the gravity gun carriage.
But this Is Christmas morning, and at
Quarters" the officers may substitute { +
The arm or fire drills the simple service Of
The eau ch. The msa are IN tered aft on
TIE gun deck, and the chaplain, standing
little apar. from the officers, at 10 OF
TIE comp MO hatch, rea Is the impressive
ritual. Then he prays for the safety of the
good ship aud her Gre" and for the dear
ones ashore. The sermon is a 'Ort one,
but 1t goes home to every man before him;
r he tells the simple story of the cross, OF
the ris;-child. borne earth ward on that
wondrous CnrlstnaS-tid- =, bat has eooed a d
flowed thro gh 1000 years. The church
service never seems mere s'lemn than at
sea- Jack may be rough aud ready, aye,
and reckless. too; he deliberately breaks a
rule of tie shin aud is punished by week
in ir rs in the brig" but his heart is sim
pie as a child'S,s Il he chaplain's voice is to
him only an echo of the message he nsars in
every Wind that bow. the love q I'd power
OF the G ID at sun and st run. There are
traces of tears on malye brolzel cheek
when the claplain saws "amsn
mess" on shipbosrd consists Of
eightee Or twenty mel WIN, for coIven-
fence, dine toget Ter. They have a cook
and MS assistant, or striker" The gear"
con- istin2 of plates. knives. forks, spoons,
eic., are kept il wire-facsi lockers on the
lower deck; and at the order,
"mess gearl" the cooks and
- strikers swing up the tables,
which consist of a sin2le board, to hooks
over cad. spread oil cloths owe them and
br ng on the food. The men Of eacl mess
SIC on benches ia lged on either side of the
table. The dinner on Christmas, llke the
breakfast, vi depend entirely upon the
70 ethought Of the men and the time that
has Il ,psed since the ship left p ri. There
may be fresh meat aud vegetables, but the
c1ances ara al fr fa vnr of cannaH yA0iS