The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1898-07-14
LIFE IN A WARDR0OM
THE OFFICERS QUARTERS ON BOARD
A MAN-OF-WAR.

The wardroom on q man-of-war is the
living place of all the older officers of
the ship, with one exception, the COM
manding officer. He lives by himself,
has his own cabins, his own mess, his
own servants. Naval etiquette and Gus
tom have established this habit of isola-
tion for the man on the ship who has
command Of all the rest. The reason is
undoubtedly to be found in the very
fact that he represents extraordinary
power. Under these circumstances any
attempt to forget the superiority Of his
rank by means of q common cabin or
messroom for him and his subordinates
would only result in embar,, ssment ON
both sides.
This does not mean that he may not
be sociable, for much depends upon the
man. But it is safe to say that any show
Of effusivenoss among those who live
abaft the mast must come from his side,
if he wishes it to be general. The situa-
ton is delicate one.
In the freer air of the wardroom we
find from 10 to 20 officers living togeth-
err the number varying with the size of
the ship Their ages may range from %
to 80, and they are of all ranks above
| that of naval cadet, and Of all corps
| Engineer officers, line officers, medical
officers, marine officers, one pay officer
and one chaplain, may all be included
! in the wardroom of large ship. These
men live in staterooms arranged about
common space, which is known as the
"wardroom country" This assumption
of space of prairielike dimensions is
comparatively truthful in the cramped
quarters of ship. In this country"
exists the social life Of the wardroom.
Here these mon of varied callings, yet
all of The seas following, live, move
and have their social being.
A day spent in a wardroom by land
lubber would reveal many interesting
differences between naval officers and
their brethren on shore. To begin with,
they are more cosmopolitan in their
speech. The men in our wardrooms are
gathered together from all parts Of the
|, Union. Local discussions find but an
uninterested audience, or even derisive
one, so that a naval officer gets accus-
toned to speak end think of all the 45
states as belonging equally to him. Out.
side of his own country he is so great a
, traveller that very few civilians can keep
, up with the way he skips i'll converse.
, tion from China TO Peru or to Tasma.
} mia. Other characteristics that are
} quickly noticeable are his simplicity
] his cheerfulness and his heartiness. The
5 wardroom is constantly resounding with
D laughter. The men in it are healthier
than men who live in houses. They get
up earlier in the morning and 60 to bee
Q earlier at night. Most of our wardrooml
o are bustling with officers at z o'clock il
0 the morning.
= A glance at the breakfast table show
the senior line officer presiding and thu
t other officers placed near him according
= to rank. At the other end Of the tabl
t is the man who has been elected by hi
!. messmates to direct the catering of tn
It mess Between this early meal and tn
o breakfast proper, which comes at hal
n past II or 12 o'clock, there is not mucl
d life in the wardroom, for the daily mil
o itary routine is full of drills and exer
Q cises which keep most of the officers ol
o deck. There are drills with great gun
d and with small arms, drills in clearing
8 ship for action, drills in handling am
munition and many others-all Of ther
rooted in the one idea that you mus
preserve your own life by destroyin
that of your enemy.
y AS soon as an officer returns to tn
wardroom from one drill and begins
d conversation or perhaps huns a song b
= is interrupted by the bugles on deck an
|, must buckle on his sword and return {
d another drill.
At every call to quarters all officer
% must report themselves ready for duty
l. The chaplain and paymaster, havin
d much less to do with drills than tn
" other officers, are usually the first to /
n back i'll the wardroom, where there
1t other work for them. The medical off
it Ger has gone forward to the sick bay t
n look after his patients.
II When the midday breakfast comes
there is the first breathing space for
IS little leisure and relaxation. But th
t. drills for the day are not yet over, an
at l o'clock the hustle is resume
throughout the ship. A sudden call ma
come for collision drill, or fire drill, {
battalion drill. If at sea, floating tal
get may be dropped overheard, and fC
an hour the ship be shaken from stel
to stern by the discharge of guns. Frol
to B o'clock in the afternoon there
generally respite from work, and I'll
wardroom begins to show signs Of b.
ing home. Some in it are reading {
writing, others are smoking or playin
games or loafing. Still others are
their rooms taking the seaman's aftej
noon nap But at O'Clock the drill
and exercises come again.
By 6 80 o'clock there is feeling tn;
one can sit down and dine without fel
of interruption. The mess as a whole
now gathered together, and the meal
generally thoroughly enjoyable an
delightful affair. After it is over thel
are cigars, games, music, or the right I
withdraw within oneself without el
citing remark. By 20 o'clock most
these sailors are in he'd, but even no.
the drills may not be over. At midnigL
J, the bugles may sound, and in two mir
l utes all the ships company be rapid
. making ready for an enemy. -Ne'
d York Post.
}. 1t is strange to notice how many ol
J. classical expressions still survive i
g Tuscany. The people still swear "B
y Bacchusr" and "By Diana" just as W
do "By Jovep' but when they talk {