Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-11-20
NAVAL HOUSEKE EPING.
THE OFFICERS MESS ON UNITED
STATES MEN-OF-WAR.
blessings which u Civilian Can Not Enjoy
The Benefit of Long Cruises
The Life of the Caterer
Not u Happy One.

NOT HAPPY one.
Naval officers below the rank of com
mander, with salaries varying from
81, 900 to So. 500 a year, manage to
maintain degree OF style that to the
ordinary civilian no better of seems
absolutely mysterious. Not only must
n naval officer keep himself supplied
with the half dozen styles of uniform
enjoined by the government but he
must be able, when ashore. TO present
a decent appearance In civilians at
tire; he must stop at good hotels; he
must associate with civilians of social
position corresponding to his own, and
if he has his wife and children he must
maintain them in good style. All this
is made possible largely by means of
that species of domestic communism
known as cooperative housekeeping.
The officers mess aboard ship is moth
ing less than such species of COM
munism.
When mess is made up aboard ship
each man in the combination con-
tributes q certain sum for the purchase
of supplies IL he happens at the mo-
ment TO be short of funds he may draw
two months pay in advance, says the
n. Y. Sun. The common fund is
placed in the hands OF "a caterer chosen
from the mess and the supplies
are purchased in bulk and at the low
est possible cost. Thus the mess is
started. The caterer makes careful
calculations, allowing for breakage
and other losses, adds a small percen-
tage of profit and then retails his sup
plies at prices considerably below
current rates ashore.
The mess caterer buys his wineI
and cigars abroad whenever it Is pos
sible to do So The price of tho best
champagnos in well managed mess
is usually under 81 per quart The
price ashore is from So. 30 to s.. rs,
The best imported cigars are retailed
to the mess at from forty to sixty per
cent below shore prices.
There are ordinarily two Off Gers
messes below decks aboard a United
! States ship, the ward room mess and
the storage mess. The latter Is for
midshipmen and other juniors. The
captain messes alone in solemn state.
and if the vessel be a flagship. the
admiral may have his own separate
table. The cost OF living in the ward
room mess is ordinarily from $50 to
$40 a month exclusive of wines and
! cigars.
The beauty and economy of the
mess system is best shown on long
cruises. At certain 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 10
Montevideo or Rio. and possibly thence
homeward. The voyage to Rio may
occupy nine months or year, and il
there has boon no lettering in luxuri-
Gus Mediterranean ports the trip will
have been highly economical for all
on board For seven or eight months
the total cost Of living may be under
$50 per mouth for each officer AS
pay ranges from 800 to $500 per
month it is easy to estimate the posi-
BILE saving. The wise officer who has
started such a cruise with nothing
against him on the governments
books. reaches Montevideo or Rio
with from $500 to 81, 900 to his credit
in the paymaster's hands. To be sure.
there are entertainments to be return
ed at ports where foreign ships or
foreign army hosts are encountered;
but mems hospitality aboard ship is a
vastly cheaper thing than hospitality
ashore.
It's the savings of long cruise that
enabled naval officers TO live well
ashore, TO maintain their families in
moderate comfort and to indulge in
the luxury of leave or shore duty, with
the accompanying decrease in pay. In
fact sea pay is purposely made higher
than any other, upon the theory that
the officer If he has family, must
maintain them In a separate establish
ment ashore whereas it is taken for
granted that with shore duty he shall
manage to have his family at the Same
station with himself All this some
times works an apparent hardship; for
shore duty does not always include
quarters sufficient for a family and
the officer finds himself with decreased
pay and increased expenses
The mess caterer is 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 he may the
grievances of a dozen or perhaps
score of men. II the beer gives out
between Alden and the next port he
must endure the curses of the thirsty.
| II tine wine turns sour in the tronics
he is criticised as an injudicious buyer.
1t frequently happens in Haytian wa
ters that no fresh meat is obtainable
for weeks together. Baked beans
were substituted for meat by one ship
cruising in the waters and all on board
returned with a horror OF the favorite
New England dish.
Peculisritles of French Bread.
In Paris bread is indeed the staff