Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-26

IL takes a pretty strong young man to
stand the pace required OF coal passer-
four hours on watch, shoveling coal in The
bunkers. twice day, when the ship is
SteamlnS, and in port pretty incessant
duty as member of the black gang be-
lcw-climbir & through boilers and scrapine
grease therefrom, cleaning stations, "strik-
ers IN general fer the members OF the en-
slneers Department. who hold rates. The
coal passer gets SD a month. If he Is an
Industrious, quiet man. it is not long be-
lore the chief engineer gets his eye on
hlm ana when a vacancy occurs-and va
c2ncfcs are always occurring on men-o-
war. owing to eXrira tons of enlistments
transfers, &c.-jumps him to the rate of a
second-ciass fireman. A second-ciass fire.
man Is furnace feeder-hot work that
too, down in the low latitudes-and he gels
$50 month TIE next step for the MEM
Der OF the black gang is the rate of first
Grass fireman. which calls for $50 a month.
Only during his second cruise does a men,
Der of the engineers depar: ment usually get
rating badge as petty officer-oler, water
tender or machinist second class. These
hiiiets pay from 81 to $40 month-the
latter being the amount of monthly money
drawn 10y chief machinists, who are skill
ed mechanics.
Pay of Enlisted Men,
The landsman is paid SIG month from
the go-on- He must stand hard word or
SO now and then from grufr old bo'sun's
mate be mighty spry on his feet and quick
to pick up ship information, if he looks
to rate during his first cruise. When he
gets into the line of promotion his ad-
Vancement il usl ally rapid. He has first
t" become ordinary seaman and then sea-
man before he secures 'crow"-saiors'
rame for the eagle rating badge-and then
he is rated in accordance with his espe-
cial fitness. He can become a cox'un, a
third-class gum er'S mate, a third-class
quartermacter or third-class bo'sun's
mate III he is made a third-class mas
tcr-at-arms he is right in line of promo
ton TO the billet of chief master-a t-arms
the highest enlisted mans rate on a man.
o'-war. The pay of first-class petty OIL
cers-they all wear the bluejacket uniform
travels as high as $40 a month. The
next step is to the rate of chief petty oIli-
Ger. and when naval sailor gets this rat
ing he sheds his bluejacket uniform and
wears the natty brass-buttoned uniform
of an officer for'ard." Chief petty Off
GERS are paid from $50 to $40 a month, and
enlisted men. Men who are clever clerks
often ship in the navy as writers" Writ
ers are petty officers, and the writer is
in line for promotion to the rate of yeo-
man. There are three yeomen aboard each
ship-ensineers yeoman, equipment yeo-
man and paymasters yeoman-and they
are paid $50 a month, besides holding con-
siderable dignity Of chief petty officers.
The young man who ships in the United
States navy must stand by TO endure
plenty of harLeEing hardship aboard q
cruising man-o-war. 1t does not take the
right sort of man very long to get used
to the life. True, there is no lolling lux
ury for the man o'-wars man-even for
the commissioned man-o'-war's man who
lives aft in ward room or cabin-but life
on a man-o'-war even for three short years
and time passes very rapidly in the navy
puts strength and squareness in a mans
shoulders, determination in the set of his
jaws. activity in his movements, fellow
feeling in his heart, and character all over
him-if he is composed of the right stuff
and malleable, when he goes in.