The sun., 1897-07-04
UNCLE SANS BEER LINE.
NATAL INsTITUTIoN THAT WoR-
RIES TEETOTALER6.
That Account-Tricks for Getting EneuGh
Liquor to Stake the Blueincket Thirst
-Rnintern, Airnhnl - nnNinnn nmnnnllnE.


WASHINGTON. July 3-Probably very few per-
sons who read Of the atrocious murder on We'd
nesday last Of Masterat-Arms Kenney Of the
battleship Indiana by ono of his shipmates who.
already drunk. fell into further frenzy because
the master -atarms cut of his bcer ration, knew
previously OF tho serving Of beer on American
men-ofwar. A great many temperance REFORM
ers throughout the country learned, apparently
all a. once, q few years ago. of the existence OF
the beer-lino institution Of tho United states
navy, and they attacked 1t In body by means
of urgent petitions to the President and repro
sentations by committees to the Secretary OF the
Navy, asking for the entire cessation OF beer
serving on American warships. Tho request
was not granted for tho reason that when the
Secretary Of the Navy referred the matter by
circular to large number OF experienced naval
officers for their opinion, they were practically
unit In declaring that, when properly con-
Quoted there is nothing essentially bad about
the beer-line system Naval officers horo, since
tho crime Of Wednesday, have been looking for
a renewal of tho agitation by the temperance
people for tho wiping out Of the becr line.
Tho boer line is 80 called because the men who
want beer have to fall into line to get 1t. 1t is
served out only In bottles. No social cognizanco
Is taken OF tho beer line except that the chief
master. at arms serves the beer out The beer
is supplied to tho ships by bumboat mon, who OBJ
tain from commanders tho privilege of purvcy-
Ing 1t to crews. They have got to serve good
article Of beer or suffer displacement by bum
boat men who will. Although commanding Of
flccrs are not supposed to know the details OF
tho beer business on their ships In official
way, they arc pretty certain to hear of 1t II tho
men are getting poor quality Of beer for their
money, and they usually rectify such imposi-
tions by seeing that another bumboat man gets
f,ry linz tlaa tod 1tpa xIt
malt liquor.
1t Is discretionary with the commanding Of
ficers OF American warships whether there shall
be beer lines on the vessels under their com
mand or not There are quito few American
naval commanders OF a strong religious turn OF
mind, and these will not permit the serving out
of beer on their ships. Such ships'are carefully
avoided by old-timers in the service who ship
over at the end Of each cruise. Whether he
drinks or not, the old man-of-wars man does not
like to catch a ship on which there is no beer
line. Damn these hero missionary frigatosi"
he says. for he has reason to fear that the beer
less ship has other rigidities.
Ths beer is served out twice day, when the
bo'sun's mate at the gangway pipes mess gear
for dinner and supper. 1t is not served out on
Sundays. Tho bumboat man with his assist
ants brings the beer Off to the ship in cases in
his boat when the vessel is lying In the stream.
When the manGfwSr ar Is tie TED ~ up at the dock he
e ppe il ,p the pa 40
the bo'suns mates whistle goes. KNOCK Off
work." is. shrillcd by the gangway whistler
men q chance to wash up before eating. The
beer line begins to form generally about ten
Eeneray sps EaD muts
When the bumboat man with the beer comes
ssongSide the shiP the men who want to DO
have come Off shore liberty In the morning with
heads and thirsts which they are anxious to re-
ment-scrambio Tor the head Of the lie and sky
lark and cuff one another about for proce-
The beer drinkers, who are usually about three.
fourths of the ships company. are never far
bumboaL men, when mess gear Is imminent.
Ine bumb9at man stands by with his book
and pencil. keeping account, while the chief
master at arms sitting on a camp stool, serves
out the bottles TO the men in line. The rule is
that no man shan.havs more than two bottles,
but it is easy enough for the bluejackets whose
or even more bottles Il they So elect. The chief
Ing out the beer that he has no time TO look up
at the faces OF tho men In the line. He sees
has ali he can tend to- In syne out bottles ann IN
exchange for them. Thus tho man who wants
to aecumulate sufficient supply of beer for a
gets them into the juniper Of hs dunsarees el oP
who makes his way TO the lockers with them.
In order to do this, however. he has got to
It would not do for him to offer money each
| time he wanted additional bottles of beer. for
Credit ns The cRSs sre
the ports, of the United States tho price OF a
notably on the South American stations and
the China station the beer costs good deal
more money. quarter bottle for watery
beer Is paid commonly by American naval sail
ormen In tho hot Central and South American
S5' 1d other s@ar sse sa
they are are glad to get & hold Of & liquid at any
cs orsf s prce Ies
drnkabes ink In any part Of the world.
The beer bee s3t from s the % bum6Sat man Is all
ly money is served out TO the crew. Now, tho
men men are not compelled to pay for the beer they
at the mast for payment from men who decline
beer entirely, on his own responsibility, and II
he went TO the mast to complain of delinqucnts
standy tell him that he had no h right '4 to trust Ia
man whom he did not think would pay him.
%ay %hs dcS s
o%hy is P'k Els SeeP sGn b IT, ses%s somemas nas
whose monthly wages arc only $l6 can hardly
afford t to give siS Of it for beer at the end Of
officers. who, by the way, do not havo to fall into
line TO get their beer, but served In advance
Of 9 the bMIuejSekets, M often have very heavy beer
ranges from $50 to S75 each a month. the
holes eaten into their wages are not proportions
atey SO large as in the case Of .the lowerpaid
buejackets.
quite aside from tho beer line, the men for
ward In the United States Navy have devised
innumorablc schemes for providing themselves
with comfortable loads OF more or less abomi.
nable liquor on shipboard.
A.man:of.w vars alcohol Is always stowed aft in
tank on the poop Tho ships painter is privi-
legged to go aft at any time and draw or as
much m Of the alcohol as ho needs for the mixing
Of shellac and for other painting purposes. K
ships painter always needs whole lot OF alco-
hol. He uses 1t sometimes for the payment OF
| trivial debts, US the other men use their beer
tickets, which arc as good as gold on shipboard.
The Bureau OF Supplies OF The Navy Depart
ment is always at q loss to know how such a
tremendous lot OF alcohol is used on ships of the
navy. Ships painters alone could tell Them
| which they are not likely to do. A gill of first
| rate, chemically pure alcohol mixed with a cup
Of black coffee from the galley stove, or even
with a little condensed milk IL said TO be not 30
barbarous TO thetaste as some Of the villainous
whiskey and gin with which sailors arc served
tion tones up tho sailor who has just como
| F1 uftn "a nj oh nut