Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-14

simple as anything in life to detect viola
tions Of the stringent gambling Regulation:
nevertheless, the marines and blse Jackets.
often to the extent Of two-thirds of the
crew, contrive to crafty their natural or
acquired taste for gambling for days. and
occasionally for weeks.-after the serving
out Of monthly money. Moreover. thew
frequently play their poker, pinochle or
seven-up right under the noses of the Of
n 1, with scarcely any danger of detec-
oy the high standard iof honor which is
Characteristic of man-of7wars men in the
matter of paying gambling debts In order
70 nave case against a sailor or marine
Tor gambling, the man must be idiscoyarad
fed-handed in the act of either passing or
receiving money from one or the other of
the meme men with whom he is playing. Thor
otenly aware of this, the men have devised
simple plan to meet It.. They play an
credit, adjustments of all Outstanding oh
lgatlons to be made at the wind-up of the
game. 1t Is done in this way:
Poker on the Quiet.
Mah-o1-Wars men are permitted to NAV
cards openly. for amusement whenever tho
smoking lamp is lit, which Is during meal
hours and after the bo'sun's mate has
plped knock off work. II the blue Jackets
VINO want to play poker after monthly
money has been served out are neu, man
Tor WHOM, the compilation of rceuJations e.
ooomsday book, they are likely to with
uraw 10 one of the empty coal bunkers- to
ole OF the hre or engine rooms. or to some
OBSCURE corner of the berth deck to hazard
tnelr earnings. But If they are old-timers
sensible and level-headed, they will do
no such thing, for the master-at-arms
whose whose business 1t is to ferret out the gam.
biers and hale them ITO the mast" very
OFTEN takes it into his head to make
descent upon these secluded hooks. where
.ne Layers, over-ccnf1dent of their safety.
oecolie careless of the cltnking of the coin
on the board before them.
Ihe lOng-headed ones on the con+ror,,
squat themselves down on the main deck
or on the topgallant forecastle, and start
INC game gong under the glare of the sun
ana OF the officer of the deck If they are
TO play poker. two decks of cards with the
same Kinds of backs are produced. One of
these decks is cut in two, and the halves
VI cards thus made serve rs chips
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 worries
Il, IS, sotten RID OF. The banker dishes out the
halt-card chips to the players, receiving
no payment in return That is all attended
TO after the finish Of the game The chips
are generally worth % cents. The ac-
counts between the banker and the players
are accurately carried both sides by
the mental process. and there is never any
Drawing over them-at least during the
progress of the game. When player runs
OUT OF chips he buys either from the bank
er, Or If the bankers chips are also at a
low ebb, from the more plethoric pile of an
other of the players. The individual ac-
counts between the players are in turn
Kept mentally with the greatest exactness.
When the game is over, which is generally
at the last echo of the pipe down. whistle
when the lights, except the standing ones.
go out, the players adjourn to some quiet
part OF the forecastle to settle their finan-
cial differences. But if any Of the men
thinks he has got the worst of 1t in the
accounting he does not express his dissatis-
faction until the next day. for the blue
nv riy,1
tone after pipe down. has gone is likely
to find himself ''at the mast" before the
offcer OF the deck, in jiffy. He, there
FORE, nurses his grievance until the next
day. There are very few of these griev-
ances, however.
Beautiful Innocence.
Now, the beauty Of this plan OF PLAYING
poker on a man-of-war consists In the fact
that it would be impossible for any of the
officials Of the ships police department.
commissioned or enlisted, to swear that
men discovered SO playing were gambling
Eyed suspicfously and taken to task by the
master-at-arms, the sergeant Of the marine
guard, or even the officer of the deck. or
the admiral Of the fleet, for the matter of
tnat, inc men are playing for; fun; the
halves of cards are merely counters Isn't
the game OF casino permitted on this
packet, they'd like to known How long has
there been any regulation prohibiting the
hke to inquire? Wronged, aggrieved, in
Quilted, martyrs to a martinez, the players
bear the marks Of the injury to their feel
ings on their faces as the accusing officer
retires In confusion. And then they go
right on playing.
There Is very rarely any limit in these
poker games between the enlisted men, and
large sums Of money often change hands In
the accountings. There is no WEIGHING. A
welcher's life would be made SO miserable
for him by all hands forward that he would
find 1t expedient to desert at the first op-
portunlty. The game is usually in the
hands or dozen or so strong players not
long after monthly money has been served
out, and the tussle between these giants
for the final possession of the bulk of the
crews money is often a prolonged affair,
absorbingly interesting to the entire ships
company forward. The men who have
dropped out, broke, do not stand around
and watch this contest, however, for If
they did they would draw attention to the
game. something they are exceedingly
careful not to do. But all hands know
what is being done in the battle right along
by means of little signals only understood
among men-of-War's men, and this infor-
nation is quickly disseminated throughout
the entire ship. Not infreduently the
money which has been earned and hazard
ed by great majority of the crew finds
Its way into the pocket of a single man.
This happened on board one of the vessels
Of the South American station a few years
squareness, gathered together nearly $4,000
of the crews wages-the ship had been for
some time In quarantine, and money was
plentiful up forward-and promptly desert
ed at Pernambuco. He has not yet justified
the prediction of the officers that he would
eventually turn up again on board one Of
the ships, broke and under another name.
Blue Jackets who have just been paid off
and received sums varying from $500 to
$4,000, after a three years cruise, often
hazard the entire amount In these games,
and, if they get cleaned out, Immediately
ship over and begin the accumulation of
another hoard. They make no whimper
over their enforced foregoing of rides on
palace cars and other delights of life
ashore, which they had pictured for them
selves at the close of their cruise, but go
on shining their bright work without
murmur.
The Wonderfully Named.
From the Atlanta Constitution.
"Gudg" has gone to Pan-a-ma,
Hodge to Homework
BaddSS gDOd ct addleS: