The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-10-01
FIGHTS AMONG TARS.
SAILORS OF THE NAVY EVER READY
WITH THEIR FISTS.

batants .Fell Down Ladder"
Tho regulation against fighting is per-
haps tho deadest of all naval regula-
tions. It is impossible of enforcement.
If it were enforced to the letter, pretty
nearly all hands among the men for
ward would be in the brig from one
years end to the other. Fighting is
practically necessary evil among men
who wear their country's uniform for
livelihood Officers of experience
blink at it. They know the bad con-
Eliminating results of bitterness between
pair of blucjackcts under the forecas-
tie They have learned that it is better
tho thing should be fought out and done
with than that dozens of men should be
drawn into q quarrel that testers and
grows unless the head of it is broken
by n decisive battle between the two men
who have been snarling ut each other
People who have lnado ocean voyages
often dwell upon the WEAKNESS which
has overcome them at the sight of their
fellow voyagers' countenances toward
the end of passage. This is feeling
which is aggravated q thousandfold
amid tho uncomfortable surroundings of
war vessels forecastlc, the hundreds
Of occupants of which are Obliged to be
constantly together for from one to
three years. Each man becomes thor
oughly aware of all his mates little
characteristics, and after awhile, wheth-
er these characteristics are good or bad,
they jar upon him, if only on account
of their monotony. Thus friction is gen
Grated, and it is for this reason that tho
crew of Il man-of-war just returned to
the United States after IL three years
cruise III foreign waters is generally
such sour looking lot, even as concerns
tho officers aft, who become quito as
sick OF each other as do the men for
ward
Hardly n day passes that there is not
at least one scrap on board most mon
of-war. with tho promise of heavier
battle to follow. A bluejacket seats
himself on anothcrs ditty box, and, on
being roughly ordered by tho box's
owner to vacato, he refuses and con-
signs tho owner to much less moist
place than Davy Jones locker The
are exchanged, and then, as by common
consent, each man draws away, both
feeling that the Jimmy legs" ii. G.,
tho master ut arms is not far distant
and neither caring for trick in tho
brig. Having thus become involved
III tho minor istic argument of the
deck, the two blucjacllets arc looked to
by the entire ships company to bring
their affair to satisfactory conclusion.
The mere exchange of growls between
the two men doesn't go. "Pipe down
there. yo men-of-war chaws, and settle
the thing right, is the general remark
hurled Mt them by all hands when they
meet in mere contests of cuss words,
and tho sailor who is considered to be
tho aggrieved man is watched carefully
to see if he makes any preliminary
moves toward arranging regular fight.
Ho almost always does
Nearly all tho regular fights between
bluejackets aboard ship are pulled off
down below in one of the firerooms or
III an empty bunker. Tho empty bunker
is preferred Oh account of it's greater
isolation When fight is to come off
between two blucjacl1ets below, all
hands know all about it, often includ-
ing tho master at arms himself, but
very few of the men, unless they arc
lntimates of the combatants, expect in
vitations to the fray. There is not room
III bunker for moro than half n dozen
friends OF each man, and even with this
number the space is rather contracted
With a second each and IL referee
agreed upon by both, tho men, stripped
naked to the waist. go at it. The fights
are not OF the rough and tumble order
The men fight according to regular
prize ring rules, and their shipmates
are present to SEQ that the rules arc
complied with. AS many as 90 rounds
are sometimes fought Ordinarily one
OF tho men goes under by the time the
tenth round is called If the men are
uneQually matched and one of them is
getting palpably the worst of it, all
hands i'll the bunker agree that tie
thing should stop, and it does stop If
the contestants are about of Il sort, the
fight is carried on to tho end, until
knockout blow is planted by one of
them or both arc too weak to go Oh.
AT tho conclusion of the fight the on
lockers quietly depart from the bunker
and ascend to the deck by different en-
glno room ladders, so as not to attract
the attention of the officer of the deck
Both men generally get pretty thor
oughly mauled and bruised up i'll these
bunker fights, and when the battle is
over they jump into their uniforms and
repair to the sick bay to get themselves
patched up with arnica, court plaster,
etc The surgeon knows at glance
what ails them, but for the sake of
form he asks them what the trouble is
They have both fallen down ladder.
Both at the same time? No, sir; they