The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1894-09-27
ARTISTS IN THE NAVY.
How Jolly Jack Loves to Decorate
His Body.
Tattooing SIN FIourishes as n Profession,
Especially Among the Man-o'-wars
Men-It Il Not Painful. Nor f.
~ Very Beautiful

OF their bodies. Among the uncivilized
of almost every cline this custom oi
marking and defacing the body has
been quite common, and IL is very
probable that the sailors in thcI
cruises TO foreign lands uniraveled by
civilized people. picked up the custom.
In my experience among sailors, writes
Dion Williams in the Washington
Star, have often noticed the many
queer devices tattooed all over the
bodies, or on some part Of these hardy.
good-natured fellows that love IA life
on the ocean wave" better than the
dry land.
1t is probably among men-o'-war's
men that the custom Is most near.
~ universal. and there is scarcely
ship in the navy but has some blue
Jacket aboard who is an artist with
the tattooing needle. II T. said that
the Chinese arc the most expert at this
queer trade. and their designs are
often artistic-tbat Is. artistic in the
sense of the dragon and snake style Of
art peculiar 20 Japan AMI China.
The outfit Of tattooing artist con-
sists' of few needle points stuck in
the end of fine stick, forming sort
OF steel comb. few sticks OF India
ink, generally black, blue and red. and
few mixing cups. and always book
OF samples in which are crudely drawn
In chalk the flashing designs that the
artist is able to make. Seated on a
ditty box or the deck, the artist first
takes the arm or the place to be
tattooed and draws in ink the design
To be made. He then draws che skin
tightly and with the steel needle points
punctures the skin along the design.
first dipping the needle points into the
color To be used. The operation is not
particularly painful, no more so than
sticking sharp needle through the
SKIN. which, II anyone tries TO do with
deliberation, he will find not particu.
larly painful. The place tattoocd then
becomes sore 70 an extent depending
upon the size of the design and the
place tattooed. but IL generally com.
pletely heals within ten DAYS. and the
design in eolors Is indelibly iucorpo.
rated into the skin. There IS no known
means Of removing it after IL i, once
on except 70 remove hcb..in tattoocd. .
which would, OF course, leave severe
scar.
On board man-of-war in the early !
morning after rcvelle the men All .
over the decks take of their clothing .
and wash themselves, aud It is then 4
that have found the best opportunity
10 notice thequccr designs IN tattooinp
ON back. breast, legs and arms. The
designs are rich in variety as well as
execution. Here. for instance, is
grlzzled old tar with messy breast.
whose back is covered with Il ship an.
der full sail, with the men on her decks
ten times too big for proper proper
tions. Another has on his breast
picture which his fond imagination
paints into the glorious fight In Mobile
bay, with Farragut and the Hartford
in the foreground and cannon below.
ing red clouds of fire all around. The
old jacSey points with pride TO IL and
tells an ndmiring crowd of young APP
prentice boys, who stand around. OF
that glorious summer day when Farra-
gut, ever dear 90 the navy as their (
Grand Old Admiral" said; "D--n the
and led the squadron TO
victory in the old Hartford. She was
then the pride of the navy, and now is |
being rebuilt To be put i'm active serv. c
ce, according To an act OF congress, {
which provides for keeping the Hart. \
ord and Kearsarge in the service in I
'ommemoration OF their gallant record c
n the civil wav. ?
Many blucjackets have a picture of
he cruciilxion tnttooed upon them, C
hough one whom | saw with IL cover O
ng the whole of his back seemed little n
tied 10 bear SO devout an ornament, p
Or when another sailor stepped on his o
are foot such torrents OF real sailor r.
came from his mouth that "
lere could be little doubt that he had bl
,rgotten the day of repentance when &C
. had the cross tattooed on his back. W
hese large designs cause such great bl
Spanse OF skin TO become irritated nj
mt they become quite painful il done IN
| at once, so they are generally done IN
sections. sometimes SO nskillfully nj
at the marks show, making n sort of
picture. Some OF the de- n
rms are very grotesque. remember ~
e very well done, one OF q monkey on -.
mans leg, that always caused n smile n,
,onq those who saw IL. The blue d,
,lsets often have pictures of their II
tattoocd on their arms or 90
east, and IL makes little difference
he sweetheart herself changes from