The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-03
and form what has long been known

\ and form what has long been known
as a ..Foo-foo' band.
To those who have had experience
/ the sole mission OF these "Foo-foo'
| bands seems to be the murder of all
! peace ard quiet. The band, consisting
generally of a couple Of guitars. a
| banjo, tamborine. snare drum, several
| brass horns and triangle or two as
sembles on the forecaStle after supper
| and plays weird collection of airs. 10
the satisfaction of the members and
the great amusement OF neighboring
ships. It is really harmless diversion,
| and the sounding of taps at $3.50 keeps
[ from becoming a burden.
The music of the '.Foo-foo" band is
! charming compared to that rendered by
! the accordion players found on every
/ ship. AccordiOnS are known as in
and out jiggers" in the service, and
! they are generally played by Scandina-
Wan members OF the crew. II there is
anything more dole1ul or annoying
than a Danish air played on a German
! accordion, it is yet to be found. There
! is a tradition in the service that many
| years ago a marine attached to one OF
our warships was foolhardy enough to
practice on a flute one evening. He
never got beyond the second note
Allied to music as a means OF amuse-
ment is dancing. Sailors are naturally
nimble-fcoted, and it does not take long
for them to acquire the art. After the
smoking lamp is lighted in the evening
on board the flagship, the band, using
stringed Instruments, plays popular airs
and the port gangway is given over 10
the members of the crew who wish 10
dance. Stag parties only are allowed
except when the officers give a dance
and reception to their fair friends
ashore In quadrilles and all square
dances the lady" is designated by
piece of spun yarn fastened about the
left arm.
DINNER INSPECTION.
1t is a far cry from music and dane
ing to the inspection of bean soup and
salt horse, but in treating of the oddi-
ties of naval life a certain ceremony
daily enacted on board Uncle Sans
warships must not be passed over. In
these latter days the United States gov
eminent looks we'll after the commits
sary department of the navy.
Contractors are required to furnish
good food and the naval cooks are COM
PEELED to cook it in a palatable man
ner. In the Old regime mouldy biscuit,
rancid soup and salt-hoTse with an
odor like a Chinese war missile were
supposed to be good enough for the
man forward. He got what the author
tiles wished to give him, and If he
grumbled, an extra dose of the cat
was added to his portion.
In these times the naval menu is good
and to see that it is perfect it is re-
quired of the officer of the watch that
sample of the crews dinner be officially
tasted by him exactly at seven bells,
80. This duty must not be per-
functorily performed, but the spoon
must be dipped in to the pot of soup
and the contents carried thence to the
open mouth of the officer.
He must eat a generous portion of
the beef and then announce to the
ships cook, who is the bearer of the
sample, that the dinner is all right or
otherwise. This duty is not a hardship
when the previous hours of the watch
have been spent by the officer in an ap-
petite-producing walk along a breezy
deck. but it is seldom the kid contain
ing the sample is materially lightened
of its load.
If the ceremony answers no other
purpose it certainly forms picturesque
scene to see a nattily- uniformed officer
eating bean soup out of a tin pan in
full view of chance visitors, who are
generally of the fair sex. 1t is spec
tacles and incidents of this kind that
serve to lend an air of originality to life
in the United States naval service, and
to make the officers and sailors a class
apart.