The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-22

pride, but of common sense, for the only
certainty or having tolerable mess lies
that way. when the legal turn and turn
about Will put each member lin office.
The officers messes have separate store
rooms for their supplies. They are Of
course, entitled to a share of the ship S
stores, but the regulations say only when
there are rations enough to last. In general
an officers mess is dependent on the stock
Whlch the caterer lays IN The wine messes
are separate from the regular mess and
have a separate caterer. No distilled Ii
quors are allowed in these wine messes, nor
anywhere aboard, for that matter, except in
the medical stores. In connection with this
mention might be made of the fact that
under the new consolidated mess system a
canteen for the sale of beer to the enlisted
men was started in some of the ships and
proved profitable. But the canteen has
been opposed on the same grounds that
caused the government to stop issuing grog
to the sailors, and is likely to be done away
with
The war has affected naval subsistence in
only one way. In order that the men-of-
war might not have TO go to home ports
for fresh stores, or any kind of stores, the
supply ship was evolved.
THE SUPPLY BOAT
The supply boat, or beef boat" as it is
commonly called, is one of Uncle Sans
beneficent devices for the comfort of his
sailors. The hospital, ship is another, and
floating naval bases are established by the
addition of the n achine ship, the collier and
has been used for the first time in this
war, perhaps, but it is the first war in
which they have been used on such a whole
sale scale.
They have proved their value They have
MADE the American navy much more eff
IectlVe, but the beef boat is the most inter-
estlng to Jackie of all these non-combatant
attendants on the ships of the line Word
OF It's ARRIVAL IS received with gruntS of ap-
proVal IN the for'c's'le and even aft in the
steerage and wardroom country, and the
pulling boats are never SO cheerfully
manned as when they are called to go for
the supply of fresh meat instead OF salt
morse, and the kind that comes timed
fresh vegetables instead of canned, green
stores instead of sea stores and ice to make
the water cool.
The last is not the least consideration.
Water aboard the wooden ship is good and
safe to drink; it is distilled in the evapora-
tors which feed the boilers. but it is warm
sun, Jackie has an advantage at that over
the soldier on shore in Cuba who has to boil
his water before it is fit to drink, and
drinking tells the next man that he finds it
half an hour
At the earliest hour possible all the YES
sells in the fleet have sent their boats with
the mess cooks and stewards and the ca
terers OF the officers messes, and there is
great maneuvering for position at the foot
OF the supply's ladder. Then you climb up
and fight your way through the crowd to
get near the head of the line in front of the
paymasterS office. IT you are an officer you
displace the enlisted men nearest the win
dow with shout of "Gangway!" and pres
emily your turn comes to have your requsi-
ton or order checked and recorded. After
that you get you supplies when God
pleases, as Mulvaney says, for while the
supplies come up from the hold on the help
yourself plan, the second checking with the
list already recorded is a matter of taking
your turn. You call up all the yeomen and
landsmen you have brought over and set
them to work at the harvest but 1t is an
even chance that half your pile will be TAX
en- away by some other ship that got in
nf won md fc T10nn 1nV1 on on
chance that you will have TO go away emp
ty-handcd, to be met with the suspicion and
dislike of your mess, and come back the
next day to find the cream of things
skinned off. But the second day has no
such fight as characterized the day before
pulling and hauling and hustling and waste
of language as could be seen elsewhere only
on an elevated railway platform at 5 o'clock
in the afternoon, when all Harlem is trying
To get into one exnreSs train