Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-08-12
NAVAL HOUSEKEEPING.
BLESSINGS OF THE OFFICERS, NESS
ON BOARD A MAN-oF-WAR.

An Arrangement That IL In Reality Al
most a State OF ideal Communism.
How Corporation On mig Ships Enables
Well Paid Men to Live cheapIy.
Naval officers below the rank OF COM
nandcr, with salaries varying from n .OOo
u y, 800 year, manage TO maintain A de-
gree OF style that TO the ordinary civilian
Do better of seems absolutely mysterious.
Not only must naval officer keep himself
supplied with the half dozen styles Of uni
form enJoined 10y the government, but he
| must be able when ashore To present n de-
cent appearance in civilians attire; he
must stop at good hotels; he must asso-
ciate with civilians of social position cor
responding to his own, aud IL he has a
wife aud 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 cooperative
housekeeping. The officers mess aboard
ship Is nothing more or less than such .
species of communism.
hen a 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 he may draw two months pay in
advance. The common fund is placed in
the hands Of n caterer chosen from the
mess, and the supplies are purchased In
bulk and at the lowest possible cost. Thus
the mess Is started. The caterer makes
careful calculations, allowing for breakage
aud other losses, adds a small percentage
Of profit and then retails his supplies at
prices considerably below current rates
ashore
Creme de menthe, popularity known as
green mint, is highly popular cordial
among naval officers, and, in fact, is said
to have been first called to the attention of
the discriminating American public by the
mess Of United States man OF war
Green mint retails In saloons aud 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 g. per quart The price
ashore is from $3.50 TO s. as The best inn
ported cigars nre retailcd TO the mess at
from ~ TO 20 per cent. below shore prices.
CHEAP LIVING.
There are ordinarily two officers messes
below decks aboard "a United States ship,
the wariroom mess and the steerage ness
The latter is for midshipmen aud other
juniors The captain messes alone In sol
emn state, and II the vessel he flagship
the admiral may have his own separate
table. The cost OF living in the wardroom
mess Is ordinarily from thirty-lve TO forty
dollars a month, exclusive OF wines and
| cigars. All transactions are ON the credit
| system Whenever bottle of wine or a
cigar il ordered the purchaser writes a
chit" Of the amount
These chits are summed up ut the end of
the month and payment is made either
directly 10y the debtor or through the pay
master. No chit Is gwen for meals, aud
each officer y entitled To take guests on
board 10 breakfast or dinner as often as he
will. Al the end uf the cruise the profits
OF the mess are divided pro rata among the
members, aud IL the ship goes out OF com
mission whatever stock of stores is on
hand is either auctioned OIL to the officers
or sold 10 the mess Of soms other ship.
Whenever an officer il detached from a
ship before the end of the cruise or before
the mess breaks up. be settles accounts
with the mess caterer. II he has been mod
crate in the use Of wines and cigars he may
carry oil handsome share of profits.
The beauty and economy OF the mess sys-
/ TEN Is best shown on long cruises At Ger.
tain intervals United States ships make
the cruise through the Mediterranean and
Red scas, down the east coast OF Africa,
around the Cape Of Good Hope westward
to Montevideo or Rio and possibly thence
homeward. The voyage to Rio may occupy
nine months or a year, and II 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 the total cost OF living may
be under fifty dollars per month for each
officer. As pay ranges from 500 to 800 per
month II is easy to estimate the possible
saving
Az oFFIcER's SAVINGS
The wise officer who has started such a
cruise with nothing against him on the
governments books reaches honteyideo or
Rio with from 500 TO E., 600 to his credit in
the pasmasteris hands. To be sure, there
are entertainments To be returned at ports
where foreign ships or foreign army hosts
are encountered, but mems hospitality
aboard ship Is n vastly cheaper thing thaa
hospitality ashore
It's the savings OF long cruise that en-
able naval officers to live well ashore, TO
maintain their families In moderate com
fort aud 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
ory that the officer II he has family,
must maintain them in a separate estab-
lishment ashore. whereas 1t is taken for
granted that with shore duty he shall
manage 10 have his family AT the same sta
tion with himself. All this sometimes
works All apparent hardship, for shore
duty does not always include quarters suf.
ncient 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, aud hear with
what patience he may the grievances Of a
dozen or perhaps "A score of men, II the
beer gives out between Alden aud the next
port, he must endure the curses OF the
thirsty. II the wine turns sour in the
tropics. he Is criticised MS an injudicious
buyer. IL frequently happens in Haytian
waters that no fresh meat Is obtainable for
weeks together. Baked beans were sub
stituted for meat by one ship cruising In
these waters, aud all on board returned
with horror OF the fayorite New England
dish. New York Sun.
Fiah Wheel