St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-17
ON A RUSSIAN WAR SHIP.
Religious Services Morning an

Religious Services Morning and
Night and Grog Twice a Day.
London Times.
Life on board ships Of the Russian
navy differs in many respects from life
on board British men-ofwar. but in
each case it begins at an early hour
every morning. The men are given no
beer, wine or coffee, but are allowed tea
in the morning. At dinner, and again
at supper, before sitting down to table.
they pass in front of an officer, VINO
calls each by name and gives him a
little glass of vodka.
Each seaman takes off his cap as he
swallows his allowance! The men, who
show no signs of insufficient feeding, get
on alternate days meat and vegetable
soup. in when large quantities of
broken biscuits are stepped. From noon
to O'Clock business Is suspended, eX-
cept for the watch, and at 7:30 p. m.
''out lights" is sounded. The first thing
in the morning aud the last thing at
night there is rather long service,
consisting of prayers, psalms and the
national hymn. led by the pope, if there
be one on board.
At the conclusion of each service the
pope sOlemnly bIesses the ships com
pany as the men PROSTATE themselves
before him. AT these times the scene is
very impressive, the religious feelings
of all concerned being evidently most
profound. All ships have on board fine
portraits of the car and cZarina and
numerous icons.
The ward rooms of Russian ships are
generally large, as, indeed, the numbers
messing in them require them to be.
The captain lives apart, but the second
in command, whether he be COM
mander or lieutenant, meSSeS in the
ward room, as with US. So, also, do the
sublieutenants. The fist lieutenant
and the lieutenant who has charge of
the principal battery never keep watch.
so that medium-siZed Russian ship
has proportionately more lieutenants
than an English one.
The lmperator Nicolai has seven. not
counting the two aids, or flag lieuten-
ants, who are attached to Admiral Avel-
Ian. There are no paymasters, the work
done by our accountant officers being
done in the Russian navy by executive
ones; but there are numerous engineer
officers. ana there are, moreover, officers
of the corps OF marine artillery and of
the corps of navigation. These two
special branches are to be allowed to die
out, but the representatives of them are
still borne in seagoing ships.
The artillery officers look after the
guns and instruct the gunners, but do
not command any battery at quarters or
in action. Their uniform is mainly
distinguishable from that of an execu-
tive officer by the fact that a red edging
appears upon their shoulder-straps and
epaulets and that their caps have
| black velvet bands. The ranks in this
corps are the same as those in the army.
The navigation officers, whose APP
preaching extinction is regarded with
much misgiving by the service, do
almost exactly the work of our staff
| commanders and navigating lieuten-
ants.
They are distinguished by silver
| braid upon their uniforms; but, though
they receive certain advantages in the
way of pay, they canuot rise to a rank
superior to that of colonel. Their duties,
and those of the artillery officers, will
| in the future be carried out by eXecu-
| tive officers, who, in virtue of their spe-
cial qualifications. wear appropriate
| badges. There is also a special qualiti-
I cation for torpedo officers, VINO wear as
! badge on the breast two little meta
torpedoes IN satire.