Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-28


/ ~ w ed on board n d
" this might be called
an excise law.
These opposing regulations are carried
out, as all regulations are, on board United
States ships, with a patriotic endeavor to
follow the intention of the department
regulations, both in letter and spirit. The
prohibitory regulation is applied most Wig
orously to the forward part of the ship,
and it becomes a matter of utter condem-
nation for an enlisted man to have liquor
of any kind, or even to be suspected of
having had drink.
The regulation relative to "beer and light
wines is applied to the after part of the
ship, and, no license being required, and
there being no police, the officers messes
interpret it rather literally. Thus every
body is happy. Each end of the ship has
its own law, and all requirements are sat
isfed.
This state of affairs would seem to
lardsman to be ridiculous but there is a
cause for it.
existed before and during the civil war, the
officers, a class, were "old timers"
Among them could be found plenty of
three. four and fve-bottle men. 1t was
then the custom to drink often and drink
deep, and a little drunkenness was not
thought to be more than a gentlemanly
weakness. The men forward were not al
lowed to have liquor on board ship for
their own Use, as the officers were, but the
difference was made up by issuing grog
twice a day, morning and evening, when
each man got a drink, called tot" of a
half gill of the best whisky or rum.
The civil war changed all this. During
its continuance the use of liquor, both fore
ard aft, was found to be nuisance and
was condemned by the department. Since
then there has been a wonderful change.
The "old timers the three, four and five
bottle men among the officers and the old
"shelbacks." "barna cles' and "grog drink
either dead or pensioned off for age or dis
ability. In the old days a man who had
been on liberty" coming on board drunk
was rot punished, but was taken care of
like child and regarded a hero, but the
poor devil who had some sense of personal
dignity and came on board sober was jeered
at, fouted and called molly cod by his
shipmates.
Coffee In Place of Grog.
After the war the Navy Department took
up the drinking business. The views of the
commanding officers of all squadrons and
of individual ships were asked for, and they
were also directed to submit the question
to the crews. the department at the same
time offering to pay each individual two
and a half cents for each drink he did not
get, which. making five cents a day, would
increase his pay $3.50 per month. In addi
ton to this, as the grog had been given
out in the early morning, before breakfast,
stmulant, the men were offered an
extra ration of coffee to take its place.
Singular as it may seem, tie officers and
men were unanimous to abolish the "grog'
and take the extra money and coffee. This
continues until the present day. though for
some years the pay list has shown an ex-
ira of fifty cents a month only for each
man, most of the extra pay having been
lost in a general increase. The men ac-
cepted prohibition with the compensating
Ii thAx-
gained by it, they getting something for
nothing. And. besides, pr ohibition did not
prohibit" From that day to this no liquor
of any kind has been supposedly allowed on
the forward part of United States ship,
and those who come from liberty" drunk
or showing signs of liquor are severely
punished. The sober man Is no longer
laughed at, not called molly cod:' but
he is paid by the crew to keep sober and
pass inspection and bring liquor to those
who want a drink.
Now the prohibition that does not prohibit
Is the life-curse of the officer of the deck,
It is his business to see that no liquor
comes on board ship, and yet 1t does come
on board in spite CT him. the master of arms
and all the marine guard.
Liquor in LOaves of Bread.
There was a United States ship once at
anchor in the Bay of Algeciras when there
were ten thousand Indian troops on the rock
of Gibraltar, brought there for a purpose
which does not concern this article. The
pre- =ence of thee troops, how ever, prevented
our men having any liberty. We lay there
a week, and not man had been ashore eX
cept the commanding officer, and certainly
he would not bring liquor to the crew. But
there were a number of drunken men on
board every day, all the same, and no one
could tell where the rum came from. A
bumboat came alongside every morning and
sold fresh bread principally. Our first lieu
tenant, who usually took the morning
watch, was man of close observation. He
noticed that the sailors went down to the
beat to buy bread and were SO anxious to
get 1t that they almost fought to see who
should have 1t. This led the lieutenant to
make personal investigation.
Early one morning he came on deck
dressed as sailor man and went down to
the bumboat with the others to buy fresh
bread He bought three loaves, and paid a
shilling each for them, but he did not OBJ
ject to the price, and got back to his own
quarters without being discovered. An ex-
animation showed that each loaf Of bread
contained half pint of cognac, and then he
knew how the men got their liquor. That
particular boat was not allowed to come
alongside any more, but no man would ever
confess having ever bought bread out of it.
Same as always, every sailor, when asked
Where did you get your rum?" replied
why, / tapped the foremast!
Out on the great South Sea, once, the COM
handing officer was one whose equal in his
rank does not exist in the service. He was
a teetotaler, and, of course, opposed to any
thlnS like llquor on board. The men got it,
however. During the early morning hours
the regular gang of side cleaners were sent
over the side, to clean the copper. They
used the catamaran, and had on this craft
a big fivegallon mess can full of oil and a
bucket of sand. This all took place at Apia,
Samoa.
Whisky or rum looks very much like OIL
particularly when, incased in tin, it can be
seen only from the top So it was that
boat came from the shore and approached
that of the sde-cleaners, and an exchange
took place then and there, though so rapid
that no one saw it. When the side cleaners
had finished their work, and all the copper
was properly polished, the catamaran was
hoisted to the cathead and the men came
aboard OF course, they brought their m
used oil, which amounted to some gallons,
with them but it was not oil, 1t was whis-
ky. However, no questions were asked, but
that evening some Of the men were drunk
and the usual question was asked: Where
in Sam Hill did they get it?"
On the End of n Brcakvvater.