The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-08-29

gras ever served in the whole Of Paris,
and the Guilty pipe with its load Of navy
plug was sweeter than the best per-
fecto ever turned out of a Havana fac
tory.
To these men came in the fullneSs Of
time word from the department that
''as reward for a distinguished act Of
bravery or lin pursuance of your ap-
plication and in consideration of long
and faithful service they had been
made boatswains or acting carpente-s
or acting thing else, as the case
may be, and that they would serve as
such until experience had proved their
capabilities. With the acting rank
came the privilege of wearing a uni
form differing from that of the COM
missioned officer only by the insignia
worn on coat lapel and cap 'front.'.
The commission also brought new
quarters, new field and new dignity.
The quarters and the field of action did
not weigh heavily, but the uniform and
the dignity were like the golden SAN
dals to the child of the desert. These
men who werei accustomed to the
freedom of the forward deck and the
reckless devil-may-care charms OF
upon an eminence where resting was
hard and moving awkwardness itself.
From their place amidships they look
ed aft with a sense of awe they could
not overcome, and forward with a
yearning hard to stifie.
If they made bold to assume a famil-
lar air with a commissioned officer
even one as low as an Ensign - they
were given what is known in the par
lance of the confidence man as the
frozen face" If they turned back to
an old shipmate who was still wearing
the blue jacket, they We're reminded
brusquely by the executive officer that
discipline in the service would not per-
NIT of association between the enlisted
man and the officer. They were then
driven, perforce, to seek confidence ana
the pleasure of gossip among their own
set-the solitary quartet of the snip.
An exact simile can be found in the
case of the poor miner who finds
wealth in sudden turn of the shovel,
and who is compelled to forsake the
accustomed joys of the mining camp
for the painful atmosphere of Easter n
civilization.
These men, these carpenters and sail
makers and boatsWairls, remain in the
service because they have spent their
best years of life in it. They do not
care to relinquish the increased pay
nor incur the Il told you sos Oh
their former mates by resigning their
warrants, but they would be much hap
pier swinging in the old 14-inch space
on the berth deck and messing with
Jack and Bill and the rest of the tel
lows.
The same can hardly be said of the
majority of gunners in service. This
class of warrant officers is composed
mainly of young men who are gradu-
atess of the Gunnery School at WASH
ington. and who are fitted by educa-
ton and taste for the position. The
curriculum of the school and the sci
entific nature of the studies tend to-
ward refinement, and as rule there
is less hesitancy about fraternlZlnS
with them by the higher officers than
with the older sailmakers and carpen-
ters.
The grade of gunner is eagerly sought
after by the ambitious apprentices or
the service The attention paid TO the
apprentice system of recent years has
resulted in the infusion of new and
Youthful American blood into the navy.
Warrant rank being the only one open
to the enlisted man, there is therefore a
vast number of applications on file IN
the Navy Department for promotion.
The great majority of these are for the
rank of gunner, as that billet is consid-