The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-04-09
EGGS ON SHIPS OF WAR.
They May Be Boiled at First, but Late
They Are Better Scrambled.


New lork sun.
Those delicate commercial distinctions of
eggs, fresh eggs and strictly fresh eggs, are
unknown in the United States navy. 1t is
true that many an officer in tie wardroom
eats two eggs a Gay tha year round for the
term OF his natural life, and that eggs in
some form make part of the early morning
breakfast of almost every man in the ward
room at least three times a week, and that
eggs are eaten by the hundred dozen in the
fOrecast,e but nobody pretends that any
eggs served aboard q ship at sea deserve TO
rank as strictly fresh, Or even as fresh.
The paymaster and the mess-caterer lay
In on the eve of cruise as many hundred
dozen plain simple eggs as will keep the
wardroom mess and the fOrecastle going
until fresh supply. or more accurately a
new supply, can be obtained. These eggs
are packed in salt, placed where they Will
suffer least harm, and served up As long
as their society can be endured a close
quarters.
When boiled eggs are no longer practica-
bic the question arises whether such eggs
as still remain in the ship look better IN a
dry omelette or scrambled. There are ear
nest advocates OF each style. 4 dry ONE
lette Is handsome-lOOkingv Wand when care
fully prepared, but il is damaged for the
palate by the presence of even a single egg
too long ASSOCIATED from the parent hen
Many believe that tie scrambling process
may be made to cover a multitude Of sins,
and there are skilled persons in the cooks
galley who can deity mingle salt bacon
with scrambled eggs in manner warranted
to allay the unjust suspicion of over
sQueamsh stCmachs.
1t happens, luckily, that eggs are obtain
able in most lands visited by the ships Of
the United states. The eff-te monarchies
Of Europe. the semi-cvilZed people of
Asia. the barbarans of the snuth sea and
the savages of Africa all keep fowls, and,
although they do not intelligentIy dis
lIngnlsh between eggs-fresh eggs and
strictly fresh eggs-they do sell plain an q
simple eggs TO the mariners Of the United
States navy. This fact enables most ships
OF the navy 10 renew ther supply of eggs at
least once in six months. and, as a rule.
Oftener.
Nobody ever sees a poached egg aboard
ship save when the vessel is in port he
cause the Seafarlng egg does not take kindly
20 the poaching process. Boiled eggs are
obtalnable on short cruises, but when a ship
has been three or four months at sea the
boiled egg is esteemed a questionable lux
ury. 1t frequently happens that the break
last OF boiled eggs and coffee is served up
with the delicate announcement that eight
eggs were discarded before one was found
worthy TO be set before the officer destined
to eat that particular breakfast, and the
recipient of the feast often feels that the
process OF selection might have been eX-
tended considerably further with advantage
Eggs ofyarlous shapes. sizes. and qualities
are obtained almost from one arctic circle
TO another, and if the ships of the navy
could ascend the Congo they could obtain
eggs even from the man-eating tribes of
Central Africa. In spite OF all this, how
ever, the man who shall invent an egg that
Will boil with credit after a sea voyage Of six
months will not only earn The gratitude of
all sailors, but make handsome fortune
A confident inventor could well afford to
supply the navy with eggs free of charge
for sufficient length of time TO prove the
efficacy Of any method designed 10 keep
eggs for six months at the boiling point so TO
sDaak.