The evening times., 1896-12-04
GAMBLING AM0NG SAILORS
How Jack Tars Win and Lose
Their Money.
LARGE SUMS ARE WAGERED
Tricks by Which Naval Regulations
Are Circumvented and Officers De.
ceived Right on Board the Ships.
Soldiers Take Chances In Crafty
ing Their Passion for Stud Poker.

The regulations as to gambling are prac
tically the same, both in the army and the
navy, says theme York Sun. In both serv-
ices, engaging in games OF chance for
money stakes is strictly forbidden. Punish
nents for violations OF this regulation are of
more frequent occurrence in the army how
ever, than in the navy Thereis little or no
gambling aftin the ward-rooms of American
warships now ada Us.
Cabin and ward-room gambling died out
with the passing of the old navy, and even
the tales of big games OIL the old frigates
during and Just after the war. in which the
commanding officer OF the flagship bluffed
the admiral for eighteen hours and to a
standstiii ON "A pair of skies, etc, are now
rarely heard. The opportunities for gamb-
ling are so much greater in an army post
than OH board warship that the more com
mon Indulgence of quiet little games OF draw
by officers OF the land forces than by gem
iemen OF the quartcrdecS Is not surprising.
II quite frequently happens that the fl
nancial embarraSsmeDts, with the attend
Ing official difficulties in which young
officers Of thearmy get theInselvesinvolved TIL
are directly traceabiet e to gambling TheWar
Department meteS out seyerer punishment
every year in eases OF this sort so that army
officers now are pretty thoroughly aware
that tits easier to wriggle out of almost any
kind OF trouble than gambling. ltis OF the
rarest occurrence that officers OF the navy
are hauled up for offenses of this character.
There have been no naval courts-martial on
gambling Officers for years.
CANNOT BE PREVENTED.
Among the enlisted tnen in both services
gambling is rife. 1t is practically i'm
Possible To prevent IL. The men exhibit ILL.,
y nj a hi tgst order n fi,.yiSiup schemes
whereby they may indulge their passion
for games OF chance with money stakes.
On shipboard, where II would naturally be
thought that violations of the stringent
gambling regulation would be easily de-
tccted, the tiuejackets and marines, often
10 the extent of uwU-uniris OF tine crew
cOntrive to gratify Y their nat ural or developed
iastefor gambiins for days, and occasionally y
for weeks, after The serving ouI Of monthly
money
Moreover, they frequently play their
poker seven-up and pinOcle lght under the
Roses of the officers, with scarcely any
danger Of detection and punishment This
is made possible by the high standard OF
honor which is characteristic OF man-0f-
warsmen in the matter Of paying gambling
debts. In order to have a case against a
sailor or marine for gambling the ma n must
be discovered red-handed in the act OF
either passing or receiving money from
one or the other of the men with whom
he is playing.
Thoroughly aware OF this. the men have
devised a simple plan 10 meet it. They
play on credit adjustments Of al outsta nd
ing obligations to be made at the winu-up
OF the game. tits done in this way:
PLAYING ON CREDIT.
Man-of-warsmen are permitted to play
cards at any time W hen the smoking lamp"
- Iat Is a n oil "a
open on one side, W nich is hung generally
at the break of the forecastIe for the use OF
the men in lighting their pipes. Its light
ed by the corporal Of the marine guard. at
the command Of the officer OF the deck, at
all meal hours, and when the boatswain's
mate pipes knock off work" at the close
OF the afternoon The lamp il for the use OF
all hands forward, for enlisted men are for
hidden 10 carry matchcsin their ditty boxes
At any time that this smoking lamp is
lit. then, the men may do as they please
i'll the way of recreation, including the
playing of cards, so long they keep
within the regulations. Flush after the
serving out OF monthly money, the gold
burning holes in the money bags suspended
by cords around their necks, they are
consumed by the desire TO get into a little
game OF some sort.
II they are new men, for whom the book
of regulations and the journey up ITO the
stick to be confronted by the commanding
officer. have not yet acquired any terrors,
they are likely to withdraw to one OF
the empty coal bunkers, to one of the fire
or engine rooms or to some obscure corner
of the berth deck, to hazard their earnings.
But If they are sensible and leyeI-headed
they Will do no such thing, for the chief
arms, whose business it is to
ferret out the gamblers and l. ale them to
mast, very often takes it into his head to
make a descent upon these secluded hooks,
where the players, overconfident of their
safety, become careless about the clink-
ing OF the coin on the board before them.
CARDS USED AS CHIPS.
The long-headcd ones, on the contrary,
squat themselves down on the main deck or
OH the topgallant forecastle and start the
game going under the glare of the sun and
of the officer of the deck. Ifthe are toplay
poker two decks of cards with the same
kinds of backs are produced. One OF these
decks is to cut i'll two, and the halves of the
cards thus made 70 serve as chips. The casual
looker-on would fail to distinguish these
chips from the discard and by this means
the most essential feature of the game the
clatter of the vari-colored ivories, is got
rid Of.
The banker dishes out the half-card chips
10 the pla yers, receiving no payment in re
turn. That is all attended to after the
finish of the game. The chips are generally
worth twenty-five cents. The accounts be-
tween the banker and the play are accu-
rately carried OH both sides by the mental
process. and there is never any brawling
over them at least, during the progress of
the game.
When a player runs out of chips he buys
either from the banker, or, if the bankers
chips are also at low ebb, from the more
plethoric pile of another of the players.
The individual accounts between the play
ers are, in turn, kept mentally with the
greatest eXactness. When the game is
over. which is generally at the last echo of
,he boatswain's "pipe-down" whistle,
when the lights, except the standing ones,
90 out, the players adjourn to the head"
,r to some other quiet part Of the fore
castle and settle their financial differences.
SETTLING UP.
This is often a very complicated affair,
owing to the curious method By which the
game has been carried on. But if any of the |
men thinks he has got the worst Of it in the |
accounting he does not express his dissat- |
sfaction until the next day. for the blue |
acket or marine who speaks in a loud tone |
lfter the "pipe-down' has gone is likely |
% find himself at the mast, before the Of |
icer of the deck, in a jiffy. He nurses his |
grievance until the next day. There are few |
IF these grievances, however.
Now the beauty of this plan OF playing |
,oker on shipboard consists in the fact |
hat it would be impossible for any of the
officials of the ships police department, |
or enlisted, to swear that |
men discovered so playing were gambling !
Eyed suspiciously and taken to task by |
he master-at-arms, the sergeant OF the I
marine guard, or even the officer of the /
leck, or the admiral of the fleet. for the
natter OF that, the men are playing for
un: the halves Of cards are merely coun-
ers.
Isn't the game of casino permitted n this
N cG.t fnay'd liEa IN tnotu1 How Lopcr