Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-09-08
THE NAVAL WOMAN.
HE is THE SAILORS MENTOR ON
BOARD A MAN-OF-WAR.

When Jack Tar comes back to his ship
after a cruise ashore and finds on the next
morning that he has lost his capor so torn
his trousers or any of his other garments
that in order to pass the next inspection
he must have now ones, he goes below to
q little Office way down in the hold of tho
ship and through u grated window tells
the nature of his troubles to tho yconlan,
who sits at tho desk inside busy with his
account books. If it is suit or a cap or
shoes that no wants, Jack first deposits his
money, and when his measure for what
ever article he wants Is found in the roc
ord book of the crew it is turned over to
him then and there.
With all of fis virtues, Jack Is on i'm
provident fellow, and the government,
which pays and feeds him, knows his
weaknesses and essays to take care of him.
| First, it has him keep himself neat at all
| times or else gives him chance to sample
! the ships bread and water in little cub
| by hole called q coll, and this being an
established regulation tho government
! furnishes to him tho means Of keeping
himself neat.
Jack must sew and wash and darn his
clothes when they need it, besides apply
| ing soap to himself as often as he can and
keeping his shoes always clean and shiny.
| That tho means might always be at the
sailors COMMAND years ago necessity
created naval storekeeper on board ov-
cry ship, and tradition gave him the name
OF ycoman.
1t Is TO the pay yeoman, who gets his
| title merely because his desk is beside
| that of the paymaster's clerk, that Jack
! goes for clothes, needles, thread, soap and
other small articles. When his needs arc
of nature not so purely personal-if, for
instance, he is to paint the ship, mend q
piece of rigging or perform any one of the
hundred or more odd jobs necessary to
keep the ship in trim-he goes to the equip
mcnt ycoman, the keeper of the stores
needed for the ship only, and gets what
he wants. But first he must have an order
for the articles and then must sign re-
ccipt for thcm, for the government, though
not stingy, wants to know where every
penny goes and for what it is spent.
The engineers department has "a ycoman
also, and to him the engineers, though
they orc commissioned officers, have to 90
for every article necessary for running the
engines, even TO the oil used on bearings
and cranks. This yeoman has his Office
next to the engine rooms, and there the
same form has to hc gone through with,
no matter what is wanted. Oils, metal
for repairs, tools and parts Of lnachincry
ore kept in these storerooms, and the en-
ginccrs' yooman is keeper Of them all.
The pay ycoman has the duty also Of
dispensing the daily rations to tho crew,
in order that the sailors may get neither
too much lI1r too little. The sailor docs
not have to give receipt for his food, but
all that Jack cats is charged against him,
not to be paid for by him, but as u part
Of his earnings.
In, addition to the duty of dispensing
the many articles used on shipboard the
ycoran has to mako out all acquisitions
for them when needed, ana woe be unto
him if he makes mistake and the ship
/ leaves port short of supply in any par
ticulur. He stands as n sort of mentor
over the sailor and while there is no rule
giving him authority over the sailors
morals yet Jack stands in awe of him.
Many o time he rcfrains from some prank
n or other that would end in his having to
4 go to tho ycoman and explain why ccr' in
o things had happened to him or to his
. clothes or to n part Of the ships outfit.
. lie would have to tell the truth, and no
4 knows that he would he soundly and
roundly lccturcd If the matter was any
thing serous thc ycoman would have to
. report him to the captain, and then the
T. sailor would be in trouble. This moral
: right of tho ycoman comes with the fact
that he is IA petty officer, and one Of Jack 3
. first lessons, and it is often Il hard one,
t but always well learned, Is 10 use respect
!. in his actions toward Il man with rank.
Il While supplying the sailorman with tho
ncccssarics of life Uncle sam does not
e forget the luxurics and, though Jack
+ afloat nowadays does not get his grog, no
h has his tobacco if he is of the mind 10 buy
n it and gets il from the window where he
obtains his clothes. lie pays few cents
n II pound for it-just enough to pay tho
II cost of manufacture. From the same man
the sailor buys his pipes, too, ana all the
:, odds and ends that he may need.
, Each ycoman has "a number of assistants
~ to do the manual part of the work. These
. are ycomcn, too, with one exception, but
6 are ycomcn Of the second class. and the
v head of each department ranks as chief
d yooman. The one exception among tho
assistants is the lowest assistant TO the
pay ycoman.
He is q bluejackct from the deck and is
called by the man % wars men Jack o the
Dust, because he handles the stores in
bulk lie is in reality the storehouse por'
ter, and for his unsailorlikc duties gets
extra rations or the equivalent in pay al
the end of each month
Tho chief yeoman has the rank and pay
of petty officer and mcsscs with them.
He is usually appointed from among the
landsmcn because of some knowledge
which he may possess fitting him for his
place He Is first made "A second class yeo
man and attainS his rank as chief of his
department by hard work and fitness. HI
is not supposed to know any of the dutic:
of the seaman or To perform Them but
he knows as does every other naval man
that when II snip goes into battle every
man must go TO work, so after LITTLE
while aboard ship, long before he has be
come chief ycoman, he knows his shiI
N from stem to stern and can turn his hanC
TO almost anything.
Only one of the yeomen has definite
and fixed duty for war times, the yeomal
of tho engineers, His place is il. the mag
nzinc, and his duty is to unpaCk powdo
and help the marines and sailors send /
al up into the turrcts. lie is assigned TO thi
work because he is better acquainted witt
mechanics than any of the others
Once chief yeoman, the aspirant for
petty officers stripes is as high ms he cal
A. CO. He is above the sailors, but below tin
y. warrant officers, and is, as he puts it him
10 self, the middlcman. His pay is nearl,
NJ twice that OF the seaman, and his dutie
vc are several times moro arduous and re
Iv sponsibo New York sun.
H. No Chance.
TO- "You called on Miss Spritely the othe
n l.. ..~...