The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-27
JACK TAR's cUnIO TRADE.
Consistent Smuggling on Board Ma
val Vessels.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
Washington, April lO.-Sailors in the
United States navy are interchangeable curio
collectors. They take more interest and
probably spend more money in the bust
ness than the officers of cruising ships. As
rule, they make their collections to give
to their mothers, sisters or sweethearts
but there is a considerable and growing
class of bluejackets who engage in the
collecting business purely for profit and
these men do not have to make many for
eign cruises tefore they are in shape to
quit the naval service for good
Every American man-of-war that re-
turns to the United States upon the con-
clusion of cruise of several years in for
eign waters has all It's out-of-t he-way
hooks ana crannies stuffed with the col
lections of officers and men when the
homeward-bound pennant is broke from
the mizzen. The bilges are often so jamm-
ed with the curio chests of the men that
the blueiackets have to put in hours in
breaking them out and restowing them
every time bilge-inspection day comes
around. The men belonging to the engine
room gang of a ship make use at times of
one or two of the unused boilers In which
to stow their boxes and packages Of Gu
rios. and when. often happens, the chief
engineer orders these boilers to he fired,
the disgust of the 'black gang Is too
deep for utterance. The deck men run the
risk of couPt-martial by stuffing the ships
launches and cutters full of their pur-
chased gear, and in doing this they en-
ploy an amazing degree OF cunning, and
their quiet, rapid way of shaking the
stuff out of the boats into other hiding
places as soon as the ship gets into Amer
lean waters and prepares to drop its mud
hook is hardly less distinguished for in
genuity.
Although naval sailormen are not sup
posed to have anything whatever in their
lockers besides their clothes and small
stores, and the blue-jacket is not permit
ted to bring curios over his chips side,
officers do not enforce the rule with strin-
gency, perhaps because the regulation
applies to the officers as well as to the
men. An officer who himself has slowed
away in one of the ships spare store
rooms a quarter-ton box of curios designed
for the ornamentation of his shore home
is pretty apt to look In another direction
when he sees blue-jackets coming over
the gangway with bulging packages Of
curios under their arms. All that the Of
hcer asks inferentially of the sailor is that
the latter shall so conceal his collection
that the officer shall not stumble upon Il
In making inspections.
In secreting their curios the sailors
have another purpose to serve besides
getting them out of sight Of their officers.
This Is the evasion of the customs IN
spectors. The extent of the examination
made by the customs officers of men-of-
war arriving from foreign ports varies
with the port. In very few ports the
customs officers go over the warships with
as much thoroughness as they do mer-
chant vessels. In a majority OF the ports
notably in the largest, their search of
men-of-war Is perfunctory. As a rule
the officers are obliged to pay duty on oil
49, N,ft4 ~, IA
rect question, Anything dutiable aboard?'
none of those who have collection Of
curos slowed away I'm a store room will
make reply, No" on such occasions they
invariably point out their goods for ap-
praisal. Often enough, however, GUS
toms officers boarding warships will fan
to put this question to all the officers
slngly. and as no man, officer or civilian,
is In duty bound to endanger his blood
vessels i'm frantic efforts to help out Gus
toms inspectors In their work, some OF
the officers get their stuff In free OF
duty These fortunate ones are envied
by their messmates.
The sailors do not have 10 pay duty on
their curio collections once In a dozen re-
turn cruises. The customs inspectors rare
~ go forward TO examine the living quar-
ters Of the men, and even II they should
make a practice Of doing so they would
have 10 do some pretty careful delving In
order TO make their visits pan out on
boarding a warship, the customs officers,
after cursorily examining and apprislng
whatever may be pointed out by the Of
icers generally put TO the commanding
officer the question;
"Men forward got anything dutiable
aboard2"
mot that ] know Of" replies the cap
tain. quite truthfully, and the customs men
are, as a rule satisfied with the asBur-
ance.
Thus the sallormen are able 10 watch the
customs officers boats sheer or from the
ship with their cOuntcnanocs wrcathed In
broad Rrins. and in ten minutes they are
all below, breaking out their boxes. and
packages preparatory 20 sending them
ashore by the bumboatmen az the first op-
portunity The mDJgti1eu are Of ines-
timublc service 20 The sailors in getting
their curio collections ashore without az
tracing attention. and when a biz ship
arrives in o home port they make cOnaid-