The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-11

ne needs Tor the mixing OF Shellac and
for other painting purposes. A ships
painter always needs whole lot of alco-
hol. He uses it sometimes for the pay
ment of trivial debts, as the other men
use their beer tickets, which are as good
as gold on shpboard. The bureau OF sup
plies of the navy department is always al
a loss TO know how such a tremendous lot
of alcohol is used on ships OF the navy.
snip painters alone could tell them,
which they are not likely TO do A gill
OF nrst-rate, chemically pure alcohol, mix
ed with cup of black coffee from the
galley stove, or even with a little con-
densed milk, is said not TO be not so bar
Darous to the taste as some of the viii
famous whisky and gin with which sail
ors are served in some ports A very lit
tie or such decoction tones up the sailor
VINO mas Just come aboard ship after a
wild night ashore. But, used immoder-
erately, as a good many blue-jackets have
discovered to their cost on waking up in
double irons, the effects of ship's alcohol
are wicked. It makes men banker to run
amuck, like Malays. 1t leaves a head of
colossal proportions. Three men recently
died on man-of-war OF the Pacific fleet
from drinking alcohol containing some
poisonous substance.
When some of the man-of-War's crew
gets drunk at sea the executive officer al
ways sends for the ships painter and de-
mands the key to the alcohol tank AL
though all executive officers being old
timers in the service, know the useless
ness of attempting to pump the enlisted
men with two brushes under the eagle of
his rating badge, they occasionally ask
the painter few questions on such occa-
sion. The ships painter never knows
anything about it, Alcohol? Oh, yes; al
cohoi! Well, he got about a third of
pint this morning to burn the black lead
on a ladder preliminary to chipping it,
and ne had used it all up That all? Ger
talnly. Give any of it to So-and-So, now
IN the brig" for drunkenness? Wronged,
aggrieved, oppression on ships painters
countenance. go forward, my man."
says the executive officer, land leave
your keys here for the present" Moth
ing can ever be proved on a man-of-war
When a ship is fitting out in port for a
cruise at sea sentries of the marine guard
are always placed over the barrels of al
cohol coming aboard. But even while
they are being watched by these sentries.
barrels of alcohol get broken, and conse-
quently tapped and practically emptied
with wonderful frequency. When a bar
rel of alcohol is broken, che bluejacket
who has developed a fondness for mixed
coffee and alcohol watches his chance pa
tiently, sometimes for half a day. When
the opportunity arrives 0he marine SEN
try being busily and ostentatiously en-
gagged in examining the cut of a catamaran
way off in the distance), the bluejacket
snatches off his cap, from which he has
removed the grommet, dips it in the aIco-
hol barrel, and is forward under the to-
gallant fo'c'sle like flash. Bluejackets
blue caps are of wool and make good
sponges.
Ingenious sailormen of the navy do not
have great difficulty in smuggling liquor
aboard ship when they come off liberty.
When they have been ashore for some
ord Fr,aT
shape, they like to crawl into their ham,
mocks at night with the knowledge that
life in the morning is not to be all dark,
dreary, and dun-colored. With a bottle
under his hammock pillow, the bluejacket
who has had fun ashore feels safe in
going to sleep, and able to meet the COM
ing day when "all hands, goes with
comparative equanimity. Enlisted men
are deliberately searched for liquor by the
corporal of the guard at the gangway as
they step over the side. Elaborate COM
putations are made by the men ashore
as to which corporal of the guard will
be on duty at the gangway when they go
off to their ships. If their particular cor
poral is on, they are all right, and do
not have to resort 10 schemes. They stick
the bottles under their mastering shirts,
keep themselves just sober enough to get
through with the operation of being
checked off by the officer of the deck,
ana, once safe ABOARD. transfer their bot
tied goods to their lockers
If, however, they know that a corporal
of the marine guard included in what is
known as the duty struck list is to be
at the gangway when they go off to the
ship, them make proper provision for run
ming the gauntlet according to their lights.
A favorite scheme is to tie bottle with
stout cord on the inside of the calf of each
leg under the trousers. The bluejackets
trousers are wide, and the bottles so plac-
ed are indistinguishable to the eye. The
corporal of the guard 5 manner of search
ing is to run his hands around the blue
Jackets shirt and down the outside legs of
his trousers. OF course, corporals of the
the guard know where the liquor is car
ried, but they do not look for 1t in these
places unless under examination. When a
large liberty party is to be searched on
coming off, the corporal has not much
time for elaborate investigation, and he
gets through with the searching pro-
gramme with as much sped as he can I'M
der the eye of the officer of the deck
When the corporal removes his belt and
goes off watch he always knows which
way to head for nip or two
The Chinese taught man-of-war's men
the ingenious trick of carrying liquor in
skins. 1t is a trick peculiar to the China
station, where all of the drinking men pos
sess themselves of the long ellskins that
hold a good quart each of liquid. The
bluejackets have the skins filed ashore.
and then wrap them around their necks
under the wide collar flaps of their shirts
1t took officers serving on ships on the
China station several years to learn of
this trick. Other ingenious bIuejackets
have used fiat rubber bags. tied next to
the skin above the waist, TO carry off
liquor to their ships
Shellac drinking, for the sake of the al
cohol in the shelac, is the last resort of
the guaranteed man when all of his
schemes for getting hold OF liquor fail
Shellac is a pretty thick mixture When
an old deep-water man Of the navy Is seen
combing out his moustache with a MARINE
spike IL is pretty safe to assume that he
has been at the shellac pot
The imperial German postofice depart
ment has decided TO use automatic stamp
selling machines, which were exhibited at
the Berlin Industrial oxnoeiffop 10 - t,oa,