Evening star., 1898-12-10

considerable and growing class of naval
sailors who engage in the collecting busi-
ness purely for profit, and these men do
not have to make many cruises before they
are in shape 20 quit the naval service for
good.
Every American man-of-war that re-
turns to the United States upon the
conclusion of a cruise of several years
in foreign waters has all of its out
of-the-way hooks and crannies stuffed
with the collections of officers and
men when the homeward- bound pennant
is broke from the mizzen. The bilges are
often so jammed with the curio chests of
the men that the bIuejackets have 10 put in
hours in breaking them out and restowing
them every time the bilge inspection day
comes around The men belonging to the
engine room gang of a ship make use at
times of one or two of the unused boilers
in which to stow their boxes and packages
of curios, and when, often happens, the
chief engineer orders those boilers to be
fired, the disgust of the black gang is
too deep for utterance. The deck men run
the risk of court-martfal by stuffing the
ships launches and cutters fun of their
purchased gear and in dong this they en-
ploy an amazing degree o. cunning. and
their quiet, rapid way of sneakinG the stuff
out Of the boats into other hiding places
"
ters and prepares to drop its mudhook is
hardly less distinguished for ingenuity.
RuIe Works Roth Ways
Although naval saiiormen are not sup
posed to have anything whatever in their
lockers besides their C lothcs and small
stores, and the bueiacket is not permitted
to bring curios over his ships side, officers
do not enforce the rule with stringency,
perhaps because the regulation applies to
the officers as well as the men. An officer
who himself has slowed away in one of his
ships spare store rooms quarter-ton box
of curios designed for the ornamentation
of his shore home is pretty apt to look in
another direction when he sees bluejackets
coming over the gangway with bugmg
packages Of curiOS under their arms. All
that the officers ask inferentially of the
sailor is that the latter shall so conceal his
collection that the inspecting officer shall
not stumble upon 1t on inspection days.
In secreting their curiOs the sailors have
another purpose to serve besides getting
them out of the sight of their officers.
This is the evasion of the customs inspect
ors. The extent of the examination made
by the customs officers of men-of-war ar
riVing from foreign ports varies with the
port. In a very few ports the customs Off
GERS go over Il warship with as much
thoroUghncSS as they do merchant vessels.
In majority Of the ports. notably in the
largest. their search of men-of-war is per
functory. As a rule. the oIIcers are obliged
to pay Guty on all the stun they bring
home. for, to the direct question. "Anything
dutabie aboard?" none Of those who has a
collection of curios slowed away in u
store room will make reply. No" On such
occasions they invariably point out their
goods for appraisal. Often enough how
ever. customs officers boarding warshipS
will fail TO put this question to all the Off
GERS singly, and as no man. officer or
civilian is in duty bound to cndanger his
blood vessels in frantic efforts to help out
customs inspectors in their work some of
the officers get their stuff in free of duty.
These fortunate ones are envied by their
messmateS
Seldom Pay Duty.
The sailors do not have to pay duty on
their curio collections once in dozen
cruises The customs inspectors rarely go
forward to examine the living quarters of
the men, and even if they should make a
practice of doing so, they would have to do
some pretty careful deIvng, in order to
make their visits pan out. On boarding a
warship, the customs officers, after curso-
rily examining and appraising whatever be
pointed out by the officers, generally put
to the commanding officer the question:
Men forward got anything dutiabIe
aboard"
Not that l know Of" replies the captain,
quite truthfuly. and the customs men are