The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-31
NAVY Or WOOD
Life on the Early Warships Of the
United States.
An Admiral Who Looked More Like .
Farmer Than Commander OF q
GunbOat-A Crew That OBJ
jeeted to Shaving.

jeeted to Shaving.
Early in August. 1881. the United
/ States 4i-gun frigate Potomac. Capt.
John Downes. lay in New York har-
Dor Juggling away at her anchor in a
| half-restless, half-iudolent mood. as if
anxious TO get TO sea, but was deferred
! from making the necessary exertion
/ by the enervating heat OF the sun
( President Jackson, writes Edgar Stan
sOn Maelay in Harper'S Magazine. had
recently appointed Martin Van Buren,
/ minister to England, and the frigate
was waiting to convey the future pres
tdent OF the United States to the
Tight Little Island" Conscious OF
I the honor of having a distinguished
/ passenger with political influencel,
the younger officers of the ship spent
more time than usual before the mir
ror, endeavOring to give a martial
part to their hair. They even got out
( their uniforms, as if they expected 10
wear them every day in the week,
instead OF only once or twice in the
cruise, when some special ceremonyre-
CURED it.
The scale of pay established at the
time Of the war of 1912 allowed our
captains only one hundred dollars a
month, with which to maintain the
honor of the flag abroad. and incident
ally support a family. The lieutenants
got fifty dollars month, and the mid
shipmen struggled along on consider
ably less, so that il was not to be ex-
pected that they could afford the lux
ury of q uniform every day in the week.
In the cruise in which he captured the
Macedonian, Capt. Stephen Decatur is
described as wearing an old straw hat
and plain suit of clothes. which made
him look more like q farmer than a
naval hero"
II the handsome young officers of the
Potomac could not make as noble dis
play as they might have desired in the
matter of padding, epaulets and gold
lace, they at all events could devote
more than usual attention 10 their en-
bryO boards. The regulations in force
compelled them 10 shave their faces
smooth at least once in so many days,
some OF them might have been toward
whiskers. The officers who were espe-
cially prone to run to hair found the
regulation a stumbling block to their
pride. and no small amount of temper
was expended in consequence. But in
view of the fact that their distinguished
passenger had a pull" which might
land them in choice position some
day, the officers lathered and scrap ped
away at their chins with more good
grace than could have been expected
Moreover, the hearts of these officers
warmed toward Martin because in
the war over Peggy O'Neal, the pref
", witty. saucv, active tavern keepers
daughter" which nearly wrecked
President Jacl1son's cabinet he sided
with Peggy-and Peggy was the widow
Of a naval officer.
The same hustle and air of expect
Rncy was noticeable among the sailors
Of the Potomac They were busily en-
gagged in logging themselves out in
their best rig, polishing their neat
morocco pumps, and going through the
most approved and latest style of nau-
teal prinlling. Some of the real old
salts in the frigate, however, who af-
fected to despise the innovation of
and whose sigh for the
good old days when men-o'-wars-men
had their inalienable rights to dress
their own exclusive persons in their
own exclusive tastes" were not so par
ticular in washing and pressing out
their neat nanl1een uniforms. They /
were satisfied with Creasing their long
hair, and then braiding il down their I
backs, with just enough wax in the end !.
to make IL curl up like q fish hook.
These were the men who had mad g 4
the American navy famous They had |
taken a hand in logging the Farley I
VOWS in 179s-1sO1, and had downed the |
vataghan-armed Turks in the fierce
hand 10 hand encounters off Tripoli, /
and had exterminatcd hordes of pi-
ra ties along the Spanish main. But
their greatest glory was in having
been through the late war" in which
the pride Of the mistress OF the ocean
was taken down peg or two.
That the distresses of an Atlantic
voyage might be made as endurable as
possible for their passenger with
pull" and his "land-lubberly" retinue.
4 supply OF demonstrating easy
,hairs, such as never before had desc
rated the decks Of the frigate,
lnd Observation-Disclosures franks. pre-
1osterous bundles, and outlandish
oackag es, were piled around in just
he places where an out-and-out good
seaman would be most likely to crack
lis shins against them The stewards,
.lso. began 10 assume pOmpous ana
air that was entirely
Beyond their station, while the master
.t-arus and quarter-nasters were busy
hosting sIuea.inC pigs tiled IN d
punches by their feet, coops filed
with cackliBC hens. and many other
ielicacies that might tempt tie weak
,tomachs Of the guests.