The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-27
UNCLE SANS SEA SOLDIERS
NOW THEY JUSTIFY THEIR MOTTO
"SEMPER FIDELIs."

"SEMPER FIDELIs."
Never RndinE Round or Their puties. Anoat
or h~shsre-Littie Monastery In Their Life
what They no ana How They no IT
"A1nrines" en- ship and In barracks.
"a soldier aboard shipi"
The young lady turned inquiringly to tho Off
Ger seeking explanation Of whas was perhaps
more surprising to her than the guns and tor
pedocs she had just been inspecting. These
things she had expected to see, but not n soldier.
The officer replied that the soldier was q ma
rinc," and then his troubles commenced, for
no had to explain what a marine was.
Uncle Sam has two kinds Of seq warriors. the
web.footed ones, who, wearing q blue shirt
with.broad, rolling collar, arc called bluejackets,
and the amphibious, who, dressed In soldier
clothes, with stripes on their trousers and chew
rons on their sleeves, are called marines. Ashore
the habitat of the marine is in barrs cks at every
navy yard, and you1l find n sentry at the gate
and one at every turn in the yard. Afioat you'll
find ~sentries at-but come along with the cor
poral Of the guard as he makes his rounds Of
the ship. At the door Of the Captains cabin
stands the orderly, q natty, intelligent looking
soldier. He must needs be intelligent, for he
has to carry many important verbal messages
In spite Of yourself he makes you q little nor
vous sometimes when ho salutes and says, THE
Captain wishes to SEQ Mr.. Smith" No one enters
tho Captains presence until the orderly has
first taken in the name. Click come the heels to-
gether. and the hand rises in salute to you as
you enter the cabin door. no matter IL you are
going in to get a commentator or tho toughest
old reprimand there is, with q few days sus
pension from duty attached.
Down below there is a little narrow space be-
tween two bulkheads, where it's dark and hot
and stuffy. There is a sentry down there, and
his duty is to guard the storerooms. From tho
nature of his surroundings he can't walk, he
can't whistle, he can't sing. and IL he goes to
sleep on post he has a court-martial before him.
Along tho berth deck one comes across some
long bright objects. looking much like por-
poises, and evidently intended for swimming
under water. Going closer to investigate, you
are tapped on the shoulder and the sentry over
tho torpedoes' courteously informs you that
unauthorized persons are not allowed to han
die those delicately adjusted but deadly instru-
A little further along on this deck is the
"sentry oyer tho brig" for the brig is the ships
BBrisSsp' o wdhe wsta in s siSmpi sa o ffHilsHde' cam AND n oa Z
tate and sec the error Of his ways.
In the forecastle the sentry keeps order
among the crew, and an occasional eye on that
fishing boat drifting down with the tide. Jack
sometimes goes fishing and makes queer hauls.
gets a nibbie. hauls in a little brown bottle
and doesn't show his catch to the sentry.
ship"and this EXPLAINS the iii feeling that has
existed from time immemoriai between blue
jacket and marine.
However, there are other things to be done
besides the sentry-go. The marines are a com.
pany Of infantry and form the advanced guard
guns as artilleriets aboard ship, they clean
ship, they coal ship, they paint ship and their
work Is never through. aboard ship there are
Hotchkiss to the siN-pounder Driggs.Schroeder.
They are all classed under one head, 'the sec-
-.-- . - nod fhAtr ,pnnn ! g NN N
the decks of the enemy. but mainly to defend
the ship against the attack of torpedo boats.
Tho guns fire rapidly and their manipulation Is
something like that OF a big swivel ducking
gun. There is a shoulder piece against which
the gun captain keeps firmly pressed, and with
his eye constantly ranging over the sights he
pulls the trigger. while the gun crew does the rest.
THESE guns require auckland good m~arksman-
ship. and for this reason the marine in barracks
spends day after day popping away in the tar
Then there are troublous times in one of our
u state of revolution; in the cities law and order
are suspended, save the law of the machetc.
heavily armed and with a guard: The Ameri-
can women and children arc, gathered together
Spq legation s t n"'f fh Sa us Is a ah soidie S'i IN a i 6las uni,
form on guard at tho entrance; there are many
p pat iae shaded from a:6roiiing sun, at other I'll times
shivering beside n fire in the compound. These
soldiers are the same marines and their ship Is
in tho harbor not far away.
Preventing looting, suppressing fires, burying
the dead, such was their duty after the bonn
which they did their duty look for the letter of
Lord Charles Beresford In the files of the Brit
"Private Dougherty of tho Bcnicia, for geek
ing out and killing tho commanding officer of
the Corean forces'-this in itself tells a little
story of the attack on the Corean forts in 1871.
1t is quite an interesting and pretty sight to
watch the ceremonies which take place OH board
an Ambassador. an Admiral, n General, or a
Consul. AS the cutter dashes up to the side,
sonhd spF.r Nytt tiyiniS from The the 9 siGe t bsy shi pie eu ,bs
man ropes as the official steps on the gangwav.
and the Captain receives him as he steps on the
quarter deck. AS the two walk aft the ma
rine officer, in quick, sharp tones, commands,
Present arms and the whole marine guard.
ter deck, bring their rifles up in salute. while
tho bugle sounds "A flourish and the drum n roll,
one for a Commodore, two for an Admiral,
President, The marines on a ship are. collec-
lively, called the guard, and the ceremony is
the arrival and departure of any official of rank.
If the official docs not visit the ship, 1t takes
PnS It T aiso t tax so plae 1ay When hi two t,g shl RaSs of T by;
pass each other. II is all laid down in the navy
regulations under the head of "iIonors and Dis
Ashore the marine is an infantryman pure and
simple. He does most Of his sentry duty in the
drilled out on tho parade ground Of tho bar.
racks or in the target gallery: There is no regi-
m mental mt tho or company ~ orE 6at,a',n0 as such Ghra ss there Pr;,
vate Smith OF the New York barracks will DO
touching elbows with Private Slater, just
around from the Pacific. while the swaggor of
the right guide is the result of his recent cruise
on the European station.
There Is tut little monotony in the life of this
sol licr, and 1t is III continual change, this varie.
ty' which ATTRACTS and holds the men-guarding
the exhibit, of the United States at the Paris EN-
position, in the labor riots in Pennsylvania, the
Worlds Fair at Chicago. the expedition to tho
Isthmus OF Panama, at naval stations from Sitka
to Pensacola. aboard ship in every part of the
world, with Decatur ut Tripoli, with Scott in
Mexico, with Barney at Bladensburg, with Far
and afoat, this ca soldier of Uncle Sam has
made his record. 1t is u proud one. and In keeping
with the motto OF the corps, "Scnper Fidelis."