Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-08-08
" JACKIES I'm DEMAND,
LARGE INCREASE IN THE NUM-
BER or SAILORS.
New WavshIps TO be Manned-- Life
Of . Sailor on m American Man :
oS-War and His Pay.

49,
American men-of- wars men have
no distinctive title. They are vari-
ously termed "blue Jackets" Jack
tars" and tackles" The last is by
far the most common name given the
men who plough the raging main"
on ships Of war. 1T Is contraction
Of the other two, and it applies alike
to the sailors Of all navies.
Special attention Is directed to the
American naval sailor just at this
time. because OF the preparations Of
the Navy Department to enlist ZOO
men for that branch Of the service.
The recent rapid increase in the
number Of vessels of the navy, as q
Washington Star reporter was in
formed. has naturally necessitated
an addition to the force of men to
operate them. Secretary Herbert
represented to the last Congress that
1000 additional men were needed to
meet the requirements OF the service
during the coming fiscal year. be-
ginning on the 1st proximo. Con-
gress found it expedient. however,
to provide only for an increase of
half that number The total en-
listed strength of the navy at present
is 5000 men. The authorized en-
listments will swell this total to TO-
600 during the coming year.
Six hundred new men will be
needed within the next few weeks
for the manning of the second class
battle ships Texas and Maine and
the gunnery practice ship Lancaster.
The three vessels will be put into
commission about the 1st of August,
the Texas at Norfolk and the Maine
and Lancaster at New York. The
complement of these vessels will be
about 125 in excess OF the additional
force Of 600 men. but for that mat
ter nearly all of our warships are
short of their complement.
There are other vessels that will
soon be ready for active sea service,
including the ram Katahdin and the
torpedo boat Ericsson.
The cruisers Boston and Marion,
which have undergone extensive re-
pairs at San Francisco, could be put
in commission today il crews were
available. Men for one or the other
of these vessels may be obtained by
putting the coast-defense vessel
Monterey, or some other ship on that
station, out of commission, but not
otherwise.
The first-class battle ships Indiana
and Massachusetts,, the finest ships
in the navy, will probably be COM
pleted this winter.
Officials of the Navy Department
say there will be no difficulty in get
ting the additional men, and that it
will not even be necessary to adver-
tise for them. The classes of men
wanted are seamen, landsmen, fire.
men and coal passers, and it is ex-
pected that most OF these will be re-
cruited at New York. Enlistments
will also be made at Philadelphia and
Boston, il necessary. The men are
needed mostly for manning the bat
teries and for looking after the fires
and machinery. New York city is
the only place where recruiting goes
on in all ratings.
Men, physically and otherwise
qualified, who have served in the
navy, are enlisted in the following
ratings at the monthly pay desig-
mated: Seamen, 1924; ordinary sea-
men $l9; machinists, $40; first class
firemen, $35; second-class firemen.
$50. When qualified and advanced
to the ratings Of petty officers, as
vacancies occur, they receive from
$25 to S65 per month. Men twenty
one years OF age or upward, physi-
cally qualified, who have not served
at sea. are enlisted in limited num-
bers as landsmen or coal beavers,
and are paid SIG and $22 per month
respectively, All enlistments are
for term of three years.
Every enlisted man is allowed q
Communication of rations at the rate
of thirty cents day. It's a matter
of pride in the navy that there is no
ration given by any foreign nation
that is equal to the ration Of the
United States navy, either in weight
or nutritive qualities. Although the
American sailor may be cramped in
his sleeping quarters, he has no cause,
it is asserted to complain of his food,
as it is the best possible under the
circumstances, and vastly superior
to that of his brethren in other
navies, excepting none.
Living room is very limited on
board modern warships. Everything
below decks is sacrificed to engines,
hoilara and coal hupkara Consa-
quently tackles are huddled to-
gether like sheep in a storm. Each
man is allowed but fourteen inches
room for his hammock, and the ham,
mocks are dovetailed together from
beam to beam, so that the sleeping
tars form solid, compact mass.
with hardly room to swing even ina
rolling sea. This is the greatest
drawback to service on a modern
man of war. and is source of general
complaint from the veteran who has
experienced greater breathing space
in the more spacious wooden frigates
Of bygone days.
With this exception, the lot Of the
modern tar Is much easier in every
respect than in the olden days Of
sailing ships. He is now better fed
and better cared for, The discipline
is not so severe and exacting, and
he is afforded better protection
against tyranny and oppression on
the part OF the officers. Their gen.
eral nature. however. has not under
gone any material change since the
L.. II IL