The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-09-13
MAN-OF-W MEN.
.e,o ouesg CALCULATION AND NO
1loNs ABOUT THE SERVICE.

Jacket Has About Work ana f'ay Aooaru
ship and on Land.
o. ,he dav after his enlistment for |
"a Of three years the American man |
r. ,,,or,s man begins TO figure on the |
,ount of time that is to intervene De-
sore his discharge He has two years
"a a butt'' to do. the butt being |
.ao ,omaining II months and 20 days OF
~ eret year. On the day following his
VIZ of the first year of his enlist
ment he has only year and butt TO
cot through. No matter II the butt Is
ell a single day under year in length,
.to blueiacket contemplates the term
Ell the blandest complaisance. 1t Is,
V. opv rate. not whole year, even
though il be 364 days, and this fashion
% tbrottling each year OF his service
makes him happy; it seems to bring
h;s discharge and the more or less tenn
nastuous Joys he carefully maps out long
pofore his discharge within closer
range. When he has put III IL months
~ an enlistment, he breaks out the
bomeward bound pennant; he Is going
down the hill, and when he has finally
achieved two years and has only the
butt to accomplish joy fills his cup.
"Opce a sailor always sailor" Is
not strictly true of man-of-war's men OF
the American navy Only about one
half of the men who complete one en-
istment ship for another three year
cruise. but about nine tenths Of the
men who put in two cruises settle down
TO a lifelong continuance in the service.
Six wears of navy life seem thoroughly
IN inoculate them with what the Ger
mans call wanderlust When blue
Jacket passes few of his summers in
the latitude of the North cape and
couple of winters down among the Ber-
mudas or in the salubrious south Pa
ciac. he is likely to acquire a dislike
for the climate of the United States,
and this dislike has more weight than
ANYTHING else in forming his decision to
remain in the navy. Moreover, after
few years in the navy the blueJacket
seems to become possessed of the odd
idea that he is really doing nothing
aboard ship to earn his pay, that the
perpetual scurry in which he Is kept
from all hands in the morning until
pipe down at night is really not work,
and with this quaint notion he also ac-
quires an exceedingly exaggerated idea
of the terrific amount of grinding labor
man has to perform in order to gain
a livelihood ashore. Put to bluejacket
who has put in couple Of naval cruises
the direct question. Are you going to
take on again when your time is out?'
In nine cases out of ten he will look
you in the eye with an expression OF
stupefaction and inquire, What the
devil do you think I'm going to do
work?'
But for all Of the resignation with
which he in time comes TO regard a
lifelong career in the navy the blue
jacket gazes forward at first with a
wistful eye to the arrival of the day OF
his discharge, and when that day finally
approaches within clear VIEWS only
about month in the perspective, for
instance-he presents singular picture
of nervous anticipation and Is not
worth a water rotted rope yarn for
work. He moons about his ship like a
man in a dream, consuming great guam
and during this period he is pretty like
ly to miss a few ships calls in his alb
straction and get himself jumped upon
at the mast for the delinquencies. His
shipmates with comparatively long
periods still to serve on their enlist
ments regard him with the jaundiced
eye of envy, which they show by pictur
ing to the short time man the most
gloomy things that await him as soon
as he steps over the gangway. beach
bound, with his bag and hammock.
Overtime men being shipped back to
this country on man-of-war are not
compelled to do any of the ships work.
They simply stand the military calls,
eat their meals and smoke their pipes,
watching the while with lazy happiness
the daily round of labor of the less for.
tunate bluejackets attached as mem
bers of the crew of the ship OH which
they themselves are practically passen
gers. The overtime men occasionally
emit arrogantly humorous directions tC
these temporary shipmates. the ship:
company Of the boat that is hauling
them home. "Gwan, now, and shine NJ
mat bright work, you long time dubF
they will shout to deckhand when the
officer of the deck is aft and out of hear
ing, and Get down to your bunker, you
grimy fiatfoot and rake out your coal
Is the kind of thing the man of the
black gang below hears from the pas
sengers whenever he tries to smoke {
peaceful pipe on the topgallant forecas'
tie
One of the immemorial customs of tht
navy jacks is to secrete i'm the dirty bal
OF the discharged shipmate who is about
TO go ashore Il can CT corned beef, few
potatoes aud perhaps one or two othel
articles OF sea food This is done in or
der to remind the discharged man wher
ne opens his bag ashore that in thu
opinion OF his shipmates he will be un
able to earn enough To eat on land If hi
taxes 1t into his head not to ship over
ana that they have, therefore, taken I
small measure to shield him from star