The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-02

oHcef mattress and pillow are allowed,
and to each sailor hammock Until re
Gently the government has furnished
nothing in the way OF table ware,
except for the captain. who is pro-
vided with enough things of the kind
TO set up good sized household, including
a dozen of everything Within the last
two months, however. all silver plated
ware required for the wardrOom has been
allowed by the bureau of equipment. To
start a wardroom mess requires an invest
ment of $50 to So for each officer. At the
end of a cruise all of the china, linen,
etc, is sold for what it will bring usually
about 10 per cent of the original cost.
The proceeds are divided among the
officers who owned the property.
II is usual in an officers mess to estab-
lish what is termed Il wine mess. For
this 1T Is necessary to obtain the captains
permission 1t is a joint stock company,
the purpose of which is to furnish drink
ables. For example, there are twenty
gentlemen in the wardroOm mess of the
New York. Fifteen of them Join in
wine mess, each paying $50 for
share. From their number they
elect a wine caterer. who buys the
bottled goods and sells them to the Off
GERS at cost, with small percentage
added to cover breakage and loss A gale
of wind on more than one occasion has
been known to wipe out a wine mess.
Those who do not belong to the wine mess
are permitted ordinarily to purchase
wine from the wine caterer at prices 10
per cent above the regular rate Only
wines and malt liquors are allowed to be
served. No spirits are permitted on
board except in the medicine chest. Of
fcers, however. do commonly have a
small private stock of whisky or brandy,
and the infringement of the regulations
in this regard is winked at. But a sailor
who smugeles intoxicants into the ship is
liable to thirty days in durance vile on
bread and water
THE CULINARY DEPARTMENT.
The kitchen of a ship of war is under
the direction of the ships cook, whose
functions are like those of a chef in a
great hotel. He is an important man in
his way. and his responsibilities are
great. The culinary department is on a
considerable scale. In addition to the or
binary ships kitchen or galley, the New
York has three ranges-one for the ad-
miral, another for the captain, and a
third for the wardroOm mess. In the
galley all the cooking is done for the other
officers and for the men. The various
mess cooks serve merely as assistants.
They prepare the meats, soups, breads,
etc, for the fire, and the ships cook does
the rest.
AL waste grease. empty DdEItlS anu
boxes from the paymaster's stOreroOm,
and such refuse, are sold by the executive
officer, the proceeds going to make up
what is called the "slush fund This
money provides reading matter for the
crew, extra music for the band, etc The
slush or grease used formerly to be a per-
quisite of the ships cook, and the sale of
it added largely to his pay; but improved
methods of cookery allow comparatively
little wa ste in this shane Inst a < Sr11Olyp
is said to be a symptom of imperfect com
bustiOn, so slush is a symptom of imper
feet cooking.
The reader may have been struck by
the great number of servants required on
a ship of war. 1t should be explained
that their mental functions are only a
minor part of their business. They all
have military duty to perform, forming a
portion Of the fighting force of the float
ing fortress. They take part in drills
and bear arms in the infantry battalion
Every man on board of such a vessel is a
fighter and has his station for that pur-
pose. The cooks and even the paymas-
ter's clerk are fighting men. In drills,
which initiate martial actions. the ser
wants mostly perform such work as the
handling of powder and tOrpedOes How
ever, they are not obliged to go afioat, to
keep watch or to row boats.
The powder is stored below in a room
called the magazine. For the great guns
it is in bags, each of which is a single
charge and is packed in a water tight
copper cylinder. The cylinders are
placed on racks. The cartridges for
rapid-fire guns and small arms are slowed
in wooden boxes in the shell room. In
this room the empty steel shells are kept
already for loading. The loads for them
with fuses attached, are in the magazine
each one in a copper cylinder. If the ship
takes fire, the magazine can be flooded
with water at moments notice. The
cylinders being water tight, the powder
will not suffer any injury. Salutes are
fired with a siX-pounder rapid-tire gun
usually. Blank charges. ready prepared
for the purpose in metal cases and with
out projectiles, are employed. The only
man entitled to a salute of twenty-one
guns, which is the maximum, is Presi-
dent Cleveland. The next honor in that
way is seventeen guns, according to an
admiral. Twenty-one rounds is the
national salute, fired to celebrate Independ-
ence day or other such occasions. Statutes
cost about IS cents shot.
BOOKS AS WELL AS MAGAZINES.
A ship-of-war always has a library of
300 or 500 volume S, comprising histories,
travels, narratives of adventures by sea,
biographies of naval heroes and naval
ICAJ UOOhSs IL CONTAINS no uONGlS. WASH
ing for the officers is done ashore when
practicable; otherwise by the boys, who
are glad to make little extra money in
this way. In every respect the house
keeping on board Of such vessel is per-
lection. Absolute cleanliness and neat
ness are insisted on. All the
water used on board is distilled
from sea water by special APP
paratus provided for the purpose. Such
apparatus is furnished even on sailing
vessels in the navy so that supplies Of
water from the shore or from rain are no
longer depended on. Among the hospital
stores of the ship, for the use of the sick,
such luXuries are kept in stock as cocoa,
extract of beef, extract of clans, chicken
soup. mutton broth, brandy, whisky,
wine. port and sherry.
When a new ship is about to go into
commission book is made up at the Navy
department in Washington, containing
lists of all the articles of every kind with
which she is to be furnished, even to the
food. Such of things as have to be man
ufactured are ordered from the navy
yards where they can be made cOnven-
Iently and are forwarded to the yard
where the vessel lies. Finally, the book
is sent to the Commandant of that yard,
with orders to have ready everything
specified in il. 1t is handed over to the
general storekeeper of the ward, who has
oh roe of all stores of every deScriDtiOn