Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-12

between officer and
man is erased and forgotten in the mutual
enjoyment Of a service chat over old hap
penings. when officer and man were ship
mates or companion campaigners. There
was an interesting meeting Of this sort on
f street a few days ago. A machinist Of
the old navy, still in the service and on
leave from the "guardo" Vermont the re-
ceiving ship at the Brooklyn navy yard.
was just turning into F street from 14th
when he heard a voice behind him calling
out his name. Turning about, he beheld q
porty. elderly. fine-looking man, accom-
panied by handsome middle-aged lady,
putting up to him.
Casey" said the painting man to the ma
chinist, what are you running for? I'd
give a years pay if could get over ground
like that. Where've you been for the past
twenty years or so. anyhow
The speaker was a well-known chief en-
gineer OF the navy, now on duty in Wash
ington. Casey, the machinist, had in the
engine room phrase, learned this chief en-
g1neer the difference between a circulat-
Ing pump and a crosshead guide when the
latter was MILDLY at Annapolis, over
three decades ago. and after the officer and
man had made two cruises together, go
Ing practically around the world both
times. they had been separated and had
not been shipmates nor seen each other
for more than twenty years. They had not
stood on platform together since the old
compound engines were used, and both
had got to be vigorous elderly men. Yet
they remembered each other perfectly.
When the old-time machinist made his
ragged salute. "Oh, bother all that" said
the chief engineer. Let me present you
to my wife. Casey
Casey executed q scrape
"Oi reminder tn lady at Annapolis" said
he. "whin We used t be takin' her t. TIL
hops. before ye were married. Sure, she
hasn't changed at ALL"
Casey, stop it,! said the chief engineer
with sly look at his silver-haired wife,
WHO was blushing with pleasure at the old
| chief petty officers blarney. Then the
chief engineer dragged his old-time ship
mate into one Of the parlors of the Ebbitt
House, and for half an hour the two men
sat on q sofa, talking over their early DAYS
IN the service, before Quadruple expansion
engines and triple screws were dreamed Of
The enlisted men Of the navy are COM
planning good deal Of the tobacco that
has been served out to them by the pay
years. They claim that it Is far below the
standard Of other days for navy plug. The
bureau of supplies investigates this COM
plant Of the quality Of the navy tobacco
every once in a while. and usually ascer-
tains that the complaints originate among
the still large body of fiat feet forward
IN the United States navy, who mourn the
passing Of the old wooden ships and de-
clare that the navy is nothing like what It
USED to be In the days Of the old Ticoon'
The navy tobacco is served out to the
men In pound plugs each month. They
may draw as much of 1t as they choose
They inform the officer Of their divisions
each month how many plugs they figure
on consuming during the coming month
Sometimes these individual acquisitions call
1or SO many plugs as to excite suspicion,
for the bluejacket is not alone in his fond
ness for the navy tobacco when 1t is at its
best, and when paymasters are complais-
ant the sailors often make a good thing
OF 1t by selling the extra tobacco they
m AXE requisition for to men ashore who
are fond Of strong smoke or chew, at
about twice the government rate for 1t.
There are numerous representatives and
several senators who use nothing but navy
plug. which they get through the good Of
fees of their paymaster friends.
Sliced up with jackknife and rubbed
fine between the palms for the pipe, q
smoke of navy plug is a somewhat difi-
cult experience for the man who is not
used to 1t. The tobacco il about as black
as stove pipe and intensely strong. and
few bluejackets can become thoroughly &C
customed to its use within the space Of one
cruise. Even tobacco chewers of long prac-
tice make slow progress in the use Of navy
plug. Once the navy plug habit has been
thoroughly acquired, however, it Is rarely
left of. Old-timers in the navy have q
supreme contempt for all other kinds Of
tobacco except that served out by the pay
masters, but their plants are loud and pro-
the tobacco is deteriorating. Hay is the
term they apply to the granulated and
long-cut tobacco used by shore folks, and
they call the plug tobacco Of the civilian
chewer "icorfce."
The younger class Of bluejackets In the
new navy are, about eight out Of ten Of
them. addicted to the cigarette habit. Navy
surgeons of large experience declare that
the cigarette smoking bluejackets are only
able to endure about half the amount Of
hardship that pipe-smoking man-o' wars
men undergo without any signs of fatigue
or breakdown.
The apothecaries of the United States ara
earnestly hoping for early and favorable
the navy, for the bill provides for the ele-
vatinn Of many of tia apothecaries from
the rank of chief petty officers to that Of
warrant officers. As the enlisted force Of
the navy Is constituted at present. an
apothecary in the navy is ranked by all
the chief petty offlcsrs of the line and by
most of the chief petty officers of the staff.
His pay, $50 month, is the same as that
CT a yeoman. and but little more than that
Of a chief bosun's mate or chief gum
ner's mate. and. at best, chief petty off,
Ger Is but one degree ahead of a bluejacker
Yet, In order to pass the exceedingly dill
Eavy, the candidate must not only be a
first-rate pharmacist, but he Is required to
be good deal OF medical man Eesides.
He mEst be man Of excellent general ed
ucation. cool. clear-hsa ded. temperate and
thoroughly reliable. The value OF the
apothecary's assistance to the ships sur
geon 10 simply inestimable.
On modern man-of-war practically the
only duty Of the ships surgeon Is the ex-
animation Of such men as present Them
selves for diagnosis Of real. fancied or as
sumed ailments In the "sick bay at sick
call, which on most ships Ii sounded at
o'clock In the morning. After these exami-
nations, except In serious cases, the pa
tisnts are practically turned over to the
apothecary for treatment. He not only com.
pounds the prescriptions. but he acts a. q
trained nurse. and attends to the smallest
needs Of the men who are Ill; for the sick
bay nurse, who h generally iandsman,
In picked fndiscrimfnately from among the
crew. and Is generally OF little service TO
sick men.
In latitudes where fevers prevail the
apothecary's duties are often onerous, en-
h&usting and dangerous. When, Is has
often happened In the history Of the United
States navy. epideuics. such e yellow
fever. cholera, smallpox. etc, have broken
out among the ships companies, the con-
duct Of the apotheoaries has been unsslf-
ishly heroic. It 10 for these reasons that q
majority OF the older surgeons Of the navy
have expressed themselves a. emphaticaiiy
In favor OF the elevation Of the apo&hscary
to the rank Of q warTent o0cer, which