New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-24
cgR1SrMAS ON THE WARSHIPS.
WHERE AND HOW AMERICAN JACK TAFs
WIFI, CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAY.

WILL CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAY.
washington. Dec q (speciaD.-Jack Tar likes to
hs snug in port such holidays as these wnether IL
h. under tho hot of the Equator or in a snip
FROZEN fast In the Arctic regions for there Is sA-
ira .1iberty" for every good man-o-wars-fna man o"
Christmas and along .hore there Is sros TOT ceio-
hratlne This season. for the first time IN many
wears naval officers, es well as JachieS' "ie
happy over the prospect OF a port TOT every 'hip
and every ship in port. There arc good ports ana
bad ports however, and. while some Oh thoso
wh.re the cruisers and gunboats now lie are ideal
places for the great festival others are unhVtins
and Altogether poor berths at best, though vastly
supertor TO the open, dreary sea ferhaps TWO
American warships may be out OF sish' OF iano
next Saturday cutting down the many thou-
sand knots that separate her from home ana the
other going out tc China TO relieve her. and now
about TO meet her tho opposite side OF the sooe
The commanders Of both these vessels have per-
mission to Ito over until next week. and II vote
Of the berth deck and wardroom Is poled those
two anchors will hold fast to the mud until eui-
day Monday next
ono Of these the sunboat MaohsA reached Co
lombo Ceylon. q day or two ago. bound hoihe u
Nev-York She is coang for the run across tho
Indian Ocean to Alden. and her coal-heavers are
in all probability. torn by conhlouns emouohs' io'
TO hurry the bunkere full means less time ios' III
getting homo At Alden the Mschias Is soheo
uled to meet tho Raleigh. ordered as her rehei'
Tho Raleigh 10 IN no particular uhA1o " iS~'S 49,
Mediterranean, where she has been Tor some tiihe'
She left Smyrna on the 10Th for Suez. ana no
doubt she will stay at Port Said for several oase
coaling II she reaches that point as efpecteo To-
morrow The Raleigh had been at Smyrna with
the San Francisco TO support the dignity OF 'ho
Starr and Stripes after the anront 10 tho Hlue
Bancroft on entering that harbor on the night OF
December 4 The Bancroft will stay there for an
other month II only to show she is not afraid ana
sailors say it is good a place Tor hoiiohy nv
any The flagship San Francisco having secured
the satisfaction the Admiarl sought left there 1ot
Italy on the 18th. and. after short stop Al M
pies started to-day for Genoa, where she Will HI
rive tomorrow In time for Christmas
In thu far East the Olympia will be at Nagasakl
Japan; the Monocacy housed over for the WIN
ter at Woosuns, China; tho Petrol arrived ve".oi-
day Hong Kong, where regular Ensh {. st
Chemulpo. Cores. which is one Of me rev out-oi
the-way places where turkeys Spo una ~ Ren
Honolulu. the Baltimore, the Adams ana inc beu
nngton sure OF bounteous feast aio pleHSahti'
weather while me Castne a. Mo eobTsts IN mid
fimon Costa Rica. after delivering the Nicaragua
Canal Commission at Greytown. where that party
dismal prospects for enJoymehI ner s4S re-
uth with apprentices aboard and is due at Bar
BADGES tomorrow The Essex arrived at 81 hItts'
West Indies to-day from Madeira The Helena,
having started on her long cruise to Japan from
Hampton Roads last Saturday, reached bermIaa
troit mas lust left Port au Prince, where she has
been guarding American interests
All the other National vessels are In nome
waters At the New-York Navy Yard the Massa-
chusetts the Brooklyn. the Iowa and the Iexas
are in commission the Maine and the Marbehesd
are at Key West; the Indiana, the New ork. me
Fern and the Terror are at Fort Monroe; the
Nashville and the Wilmington at Norfolk. the lat
ter starting week for the South Atlantic mo
Vicksburg is at Portsmouth. the Constellation at
Newport the MONTGOMERY al Pensacola. the Nesu-
vius with the Foote the Dupont, the trrlcsson,
the Porter and the Gushing OF the torpedo notil!a
at Jacksonville and the Amphtrite Will 20 DOVE
from Port Royal to Charleston tomorrow
Monadnock TO be sent south on January .; the
Alert TO start for Nicaragua early next month;
the Concord. to sail for China before January 10:
the Wheeling. only waiting TO complete rhe court
the Marietta just returned from Alaska. Tho
Monterey IS al San Diego. and tho Oregon IS Sc
lecting a comfortable Puget Sound port for the
holidays prior 10 going into the Beaverton dock
for her bigs keeis The schoolshp Saratoga II at
Philadelphia, the St Marys al New-York. and tho
old Alliance is due at TomPkinsvlle tonight. hay-
ing left Key West last Wednesday with New York
Harbor her destination The only remaining
commissioned ship ia the antquated Michigan.
which is enjoying her customary Information at
Erie, Penn.
While there I, some diversity in the observance Of
generally agree upon tho following essentials:
The night before Christmas the masthead, and on a
ship with square rig the yariarms are deckSd
with evergreens, holly always being used where IL
abounds. as In China. though Il is unobtainable IN
the tropics Frequently tho gangways are srched
times for week in advance Inducements
are held out 10 the bumboat proprietors FOR
able delicscies such turkeys and geese but most
Of the plum puddings are secured only in tins. Tho