The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-06-14
EGGS ON OUR SHIPS OF WAR.
They May Be Boiled at First, but Late
They Are Better Scrambled.


Those delicate commercial distinc-
tions of eggs, fresh eggs. and strictly
fresh eggs are unknown in the United
States navy, says the N. Y. San. 1t
is true that many an officer in the
ward room eats two eggs day the
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 week, and that eggs
are eaten by the hundred dozen in the
forecastle, but nobody pretends that
any eggs served aboard a ship at sea
deserves to rank as strictly fresh or
even as fresh.
The paymaster and the mess caterer
lay in on the eve of a cruise as many
hundred dozen plain simple eggs as
will keep the ward-room mess and the
forecastle going until fresh supply,
or more accurately new supply. can
be obtained. These eggs are packed
in salt, placed where they will suffer
least harm, and served out as long as
their society can be endured at close
quarters.
When boiled eggs are no longer
practicable the question arises whether
such eggs as still remain in the ship
look better in dry omelette or scram-
bled. There are earnest advocates of
each style. A dry omelette is hand
some-looking Wand when carefully
prepared, but it is damaged for the
palate by the presence of even single
egg too long dissociated from the par
ent hen. Many believe that the scram-
bling process may be made to cover a
multitude of sins, and there are skilled
persons in the cooks galley who can
deftly mingle salt bacon with scram-
bled eggs in manner warranted to
allay the unjust suspicious of over
squeamlsh stomachs.
1t happens, luckily, that eggs are
obtainable in most lands visited by the
ships of the United States. The effete
monarchies of Europe, the semi-ciyil-
lied people of Asia, the barbarians of
the South sea, and the savages of At
rica, all keep fowls, and, although
they do not intelligently distinguish
between eggs--fresh eggs and strictly
fresh eggs-they do sell plain and SIM
pie eggs to the mariners OF the United
States navy. This fact enables most
ships of the navy to renew their supply
of eggs at least once in six months,
and, as rule, oftener.
Nobody ever sees a poached egg
aboard ship save when the vessel is in
port. because the sea-faring egg does
not take kindly to the poaching pro-
cess. Boiled eggs are obtainable on
short cruises, but when a ship has
been three or four months at sea the
boiled egg is esteemed questionable
luxury. 1t frequently happens that
the breakfast of boiled eggs and coffee
is served up with the delicate an
nouncement that eight eggs were dis
carded 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 extended considerably further
with advantage
Eggs of various shapes, sizes and
qualities are obtained almost from one
arctic circle to the other, 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, however,
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 d
handsome fortune. A confident in
ventur could well afford to supply the
navy with eggs free of charge for 8
sufficient length of time to prove the
efficacy of any method designed to
keep eggs for six months at the boiling
point, so to speak.