Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-10-07
NAVAL HOUSEKEEPING.
BLESSINGS OF THE OFFICERS, Mess
ON BOARD A MAN-oF-WAR.

III.
How Cooperation On Big Ships Enables
Well Paid Men to Live CheapIy.
Naval officers below the rank of COM
mander, with salaries varying from 81 600
to $500 year, manage to maintain a de-
gree OF style that to the ordinary civilian
no better Oh seems absolutely mysterious.
Not only must naval officer keep himself
| supplied with the half dozen STYLES of mi
form enjoined by the government. but he
must be able when ashore to present a de-
cent appearance in civilians attire: he
must stop ut good hotels; he must asso-
ciate with civilians of social position cor
responding to his own, and if he has a
wile ana children he must maintain them
In good style. All this is made possible
largely by means OF that species of domes-
tic communism known as co-operative
housekeeping The officers mess aboard
ship is nothing more or less than such a
species of communism.
When mess is made up aboard shin
each man in the combination contributes a
certain sum for the purchase of supplies
Ii he happens at the moment to be short of
FUNDS ne may draw two months nav in
advance. The common fund is placed in
The hands OF caterer chosen from the
mess, and tie supplies are purchased in
bulk and at the lowest possible cost. Thus
The mess is started. The caterer makes
careful calcu ations, allowing for breakage
and other losses, adds a small percentage
OF profit ano then retails his supplies at
prices considerably below current rates
ashore.
Creme de menthe. popularity known as
green mint, is highly popular cordial
among nava officers, and, in fact, is said
n have baan grSt IaJ 10 r
the discriminating American public bv the
mess of a United States man-of-war.
Green mint retails in saloons and even in
clubs at fifteen cents per glass, but the
mess rate aboard ship is ordinarily Just
one-half that price. The price of the best
champagne in well managed mess is
usually under 81 per quart. The price
ashore is from $3.50 to 1915 The best i'm
ported cigar are retailed to the mess at
from &c to 60 per cent. below shore prices.
CHEAP LIVING.
There are ordinarily two officers messes
below decks aboard a United States ship
the wardrooia mess and the steerage mess
The latter l. for midshipmen and other
Juniors. The captain messes alone in sol
enn state, AMI if the vessel be flagship
the admiral nay have his own separate
liable. The c. st of living in the wardroom
mess is ordin rily from thirty-fiye to forty
dollars month, exclusive of wines and
cigars. All transactions are on the credit
system. Whe never bottle of wine or a
cigar is ordered the purchaser writes a
chit" of the amount.
These chits are summed up at the end of
the month and payment is made either
directly by the debtor or through the pay
master. No chit is given for meals, and
each officer is entitled to take guests on
board to breakfast or dinner as often as he
will. At the end of the cruise the profits
of the mess are divided pro rata among the
members, and if the ship goes out of com
mission whatever stock of stores is on
hand is either auctioned off to the officers
or sold to the mess OF some other ship
Whenever IN officer is detached from a
ship before the end of the cruise or before
the mess breaks up, he settles accounts
with the mess caterer. If he has been mod
crate in the use of wines and cigars he may
carry off har dsome share of profits.
The beauty and economy of the mess sys-
tenn is best shown on long cruises At GER
tain intervals United States ships make
the cruise through the Mediterranean and
Red seas, down the east coast of Africa,
around the Cape of Good Hope, westward
to Montevideo or Rio, and possibly thence
homeward. Tie voyage to Rio may occupy
nine months OF year, and If there has
been no lettering in luxurious Mediterra-
mean ports the trip will have been highly
economical for all on board. For seven or
eight months he total cost of living may
be under fifty dollars per month for each
officer. As pay ranges from 500 to 300 per
| month it is easy to estimate the possible
saving.
AN OFFICERS SAVINGS.
| cruise with nothing against him on the
governments books reaches Montevideo or
Rio with from $500 to g 600 to his credit in
| the paymaster's hands. To he sure, there
are entertainments to be returned at ports
where foreign ships or foreign army hosts
are encountered; but mems hospitality
aboard ship is vastly cheaper thing than
hospitality ashore.
It's the savin IS of a long cruise that en-
| able naval officer to live well ashore, to
| maintain their families in moderate COM
| fort and to indulge in the luxury of leave
or shore duty, with the accompanying de-
crease in pay. In fact sea pay is purposely
made higher than any other upon the the
DRY that the officer, if he has a family,
| must maintain them in separate estab-
lishment ashore, whereas it is taken for
granted that with shore duty be shall
manage to have his family at the same sta
ton with him self All this sometimes
works an apparent hardship, for shore
| duty does not always include quarters suf-
ficient for family, and the officer finds
himself with decreased pay and increased
expenses.
The mess caterer is a person not to be
envied. He must engage servants, see to
the purchase OF stores, consult individual
tastes as far as possible, and hear with
what patience ne may the grievances of a
dozen or perha ps score of men. If the
beer gives out between Alden and the next
port, he must endure the curses of the
thirsty. If the wine turns sour In the
tropics, he is criticised AS an injudicious
buyer. 1t frequently happens in Haytian
| waters that no fresh meat is obtainable for
weeks together Baked beans were sub