Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1893-02-15
XRGUS
MISCELLANEOUS.
EXAMPLE.
JACKS JOLLlTY.

AIMING UilC h"hJ
legal holidays aboard ship these,
according to George w. Crusselle,
in the Atlanta Constitution, are the
mostprominent. Walking a greasy
boom rugged out from the ships
side and the prize at the out board
end. The first to venture know
that they are sure to go overheard,
still they go. They brace up. like a
man trying to convince his wife he
can walk a seam, make brave
start and in twinkling are hounc-
ing in the water, to the great de-
light of the spectators. The Sec
ond and third suffer alike and
sometimes as many as twenty will
take swim before the grease is
worn off two-thirds of the way to
the prize. The winer gets the
greatest applause and he is lucky If
he misses riding spar (rail).
The greasy pole to climb is an
other sport, but repetition of the
same thing with no ducking in it.
But catching the greasy pig takes
the cake.
The little fellow is shaved per-
fectly smooth and CREASED so thor
oughly that a fly would slip and
break his neck if he lighted on him.
A competitor is chosen from each
"mess" to join in the chase. Each
competitor puts on his Oldest clothes,
fills his pockets with sand, to en-
able him to grapple with the vic
tim, and takes his stand in the row.
At a signal the pig is turned out,
FRIGHTENED until he runs like the
wind, and the chase commences.
Round they go, over and under OBJ
stacle, clawing and scratching with
sandy hands at the little rascal as
he lodges under this and behind
that. The scramble is worse than
game of football, and between
the shrieks of laughter, cheers of
encouragement and the melodious
notes of the swinette there is a
noise sufficient to wake the dead.
The race continues until pursuer
and pursued are exhausted, and the
pig is given to the one who is man
enough to take it from the others.
The mess gets the benefit.
The most exciting games are the
boat races. One "mess" will race
with another for a sack of -four or
potatoes, or anything else edible, as
a stake. The race is concluded
with as much pomp as though the
championship of the world depend
ed upon it, and the iookers-on are
cheering and urging them on like
there were thousands Of dollars on
the race. The men in the boats
work with a vengeance, too, for not
only to the victor belongs the spoils,
but to the conquered belongs the
hootings. The race is more to
compare muscle than to win the
"spuds." One race is sure to bring
on an argument that ends in an
other, and so on until every mess
has had a round, and the champion
ship Of the crew is settled on some
one boats crew, which champion
ship is held until the next holiday,
when they will have to work man.
fully to retain it.
The evenings are closed by all
hands assembling fo'd under the
fo'c's'l and singing the songs so
pleasing to a sailors ears. But for
a song to be properly appreciated
it must have a long, soul-stirring
chorus, in which all hands can join
one that has harmonious blend
ing of all parts, and then it is en-
tered into with vim that makes
the welkin ring. AS the songs
grow tiresome the yarns spring up
yarns that to lubber would
seem ridiculous, but to sailor
sacredly true. Such as the forsak-
ing of a ship by rats, the needless
ness of the crew that stay by her,
regardless of the forewarning by
the rats; the ship sails and is never
heard of again. Try to talk them
out of it, that the rats, leaving had
nothing to do with the loss OF the
vessel and you would be laughed at.
When vessel is southbound to
cross the equator those abroad who
have never crossed the line, see and
go through nautical festivity of
the oldest standing. The custom
is carried out to the fullest extreme
aboard man-of-war. II is about
as follows:
One of the oldest salts aboard is
secretly chosen as Neptune, and on
the evening before the line is to be
crossed, he conceals himself away
for'rd under the bowsprit and halls
the vessel as though from the deep: