Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-07-25
LIVING ON WARSHIPS
HOUSEKEEPING ARRANGEMENTS ON
rr, UNCLE SANS BOATS. A@t
omething About the Messes-Their Table
Expenses Arc Paid by the Oflcers-The
Enlisted Men Are Fed at the Expense
Of the Government.

room for all the various departments OF
your housekeeping affairs, 1t may be inter
esting to know how the several hundred
| people crowded beneath the decks OF big
man-o'-war manage to exist comfortably
| in the contracted space allowed. Generally
| well forward on the gun deck there Is the
galley ON which all the cooking for the
officers and men is done. This galley Is q
large range fastened down to the deck
with iron straps, and from early morning
till shutdown it is surrounded by the cooks,
preparing and cooking the food for the va
rious "messes" or different tables aboard
the ship. If it be fiagship-that Is, one
bearing an admiral in command OF fleet
or station, the first mess Of Importance Is
that of the admiral, who has all to himself
a steward cook and boy. He may eat
alone in his cabin or have the captain and
members of his staff with him. Then
comes the captains mess in his separate
cabin, with the same complement OF serv-
ants. Next we go down into the wardroom
where the Is or go watch officers, engineer
officers paymasters, doctors, chaplain and
marine officers are all together in q big
mess, with a steward, a cook and five or
six servants or wardroom boys as they are
called aboard ship.
In this mess one of tho officers Is elected
caterer and has general supervision Of ev-
erything pertaining to 1.-THE general d.
rection of the steward and boys and Of
the menu-and the grumblings of the dis
contented members are directed against
this official.
Contrary to the general idea Of the civil
ian who visits the ship, the officers are
not furnished everything by the govern
ment, but must pay for all their food from
their monthly pay, and the caterer becomes
the treasurer of these payments from all
the officers. OF course the stewards, cooks
and boys are regularly enlisted in the serv-
ice, and all hold minor fighting stations,
at which they regularly drill, but every
mouthful of food is bought by the officers
themselves.
Until quito recently the officers of tho
mosscs were required to buy their own
kitchen utensils and dishes, glassware and
tableware, but these are now furnished by
the government, leaving the officers only
the napory to buy.
The steward is intrusted with the duty
Of buying the daily provisions for the mess
and seeing that the cook prepares them
properly, and that the boys serve them
well.
His value depends upon his knowledge
of marketing, cooking and the discipline
he has among the boys, and last, but far
from least, upon his honesty, for in largo
moss he may handle hundreds of dollars
in % month.
The duties of the boys besides serving
the officers at meals, consist In keeping all
the statcrooms in order as we'll as the
mcSsrooms
The stewards are generally old and tried
men, who have served through the inter
mediate stages of boy and cook, while the
boys arc of every grade of efficiency and
every nationality.
Next in Importance after the wardroom
officers mess is the junior officers mess,
made up of the Junior line and staff com
missioned officers and the naval cadets,
and perhaps of all the officers aboard ship.
The members OF this mess enjoy life the
most, for though often crowded into mar
row quarters, whore they must eat, sleep
and live in one room, the buoyant spirit
OF youth asserts itself, and good humor
reigns.
In the old navy the junior officers quar-
tiers was called the "stecrage," and it was
little more than an inclosuro on the berth
deck, were the crowd of Junior officers
lounged by day, but In tho new ships of
the modern navy there are rooms with
double berths for tho Junior officers. and
their comfort is vastly increased thereby.
Let us turn to tho enlisted men, the !
blue jackets and marines, who live on a
ration issued by the government, each "a
ton being of the average value of 80 cents
per diem.
Among the enlisted men there are also
grades of rank, and the petty officers. who
arc given more or less authority in the va
rlous departments, generally have a mess
by themselves, where they live plainly, but
neatly and well.
Inc other enlisted men are divided I'm
INTO messes of 10 or 10 men each, and each
mess mas cook taken from their own
number, who prepares the food with the
ships cook and his assistant.
Ihis ships cook is an important person.
age among the enlisted men, and upon him
rests the responsibility of preparing the
pean soup and other dishes that are the
same Tor all, while the mess cooks prepare
one especial dishes for each mess. The
snip provisions of beans, -four, salt and
oorheu meat and canned goods Occunv
space IN large storerooms especially de-
signed for the purpose and the stock 10
quite extensive when laid in for n long
cruise. The days provisions ara served
out IN tho morning, and the contracted
space around the gallery is crowded until
alnner time, when signal is piped by the
Doatswain, the tables come down from the
ueck beams above, where they arc storod
when not in USE the knives, forks and
spoons and agate ware dishes are set ont
rom the chest in which each mess keeps
lts belongings, and in ten minutes the
meal call sounds and the 800 or 400 sea.
men ana marines and engineer force ara
eating their dinner, which, If in port. NAV
consist OF fresh meat, roasted or stewed.
oo,ied potatoes, canned corn, fresh bread
'oiee' with perhaps dessert of dur
IS Dread pudding is called, or even "nlum
iuH' the same pudding with raisins I'm
U. III at sea for "a long time, salt meat or
'orned meat is used, and perbaps hard
'acK instead OF bread, and baked beans md
,ean soup often appear in the menu In
me oidcn time grog was served ont MT tho
:, ,fa, .o. each Gay at noon, but the influence
y temperance societies stopped this and
t1nsI ,,pf