The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-12-18
HEWANTED The SHIP
THOUGHT he WAS ELIGIBLE TO CON.
MAND A cRUIsER.

winch WAS etINiuk snlppeI b0ileF
maker while we were on the Meditsr.
ranean station said a washiupton
chief petty officer of the navy, now m,
leave Of absence. "Our former boils-
makers time expired while we were Ar
Gibraltar, and as he was not in poos
physical shape he wasn't re-enlisted
but took his discharge and returned 10
the United States by mail steamer. So
the ship was shy boiler maker, a ye-v
important and necessary petty officer
down below in the engineers depart.
ment, aud when the ship pulled into
Naples harbor the chief engineer wen,
ashore to SEQ if he couldn't dig IN a
boiler maker.
There's a clause in the enlistmep,
regulations permitting commanding
officers to ship necessary men on foreien
stations in short handed emergencies
The chief engineer brought back to tbs
ship a Greek named Charlie Marc. Ths
man couldn't speak any English-to
speak of-but he was a good man az
the boiler making business, and be was
duly shipped aboard of rs for three
years. He was a wild, hairy looking
lot, Marc was. and he got a good deal
of laugh at the hands of the crew. es-
pecially the younger fellows, from the
time be first came over the side.
"Maro thought that there wasn't
any other country on the map excer,
Greece. He thought that the 'GreeEa
man was the hottest kind of tamals
when it came TO scrapping by land or
sea, and after he got hold Of enough
English to make himself understood bs
used to take some Of the young apprsn.
tice boys up into the eyes Of the shin
and tell them with many Resticulations
and furious words Of the different kinds
of tar Greece would knock out of Turkey
if the two countries ever came to an
open rupture.
1.-The ship was around on the Paciac
station when the war broke out between
Greece and Turkey. When the news d
the outbreak Of the war got TO Marc, our
boiler maker, he nearly had heart dis
ease and a whole lot of other sudden
things from pure excitement. He Jus,
couldn't hold himself in, he looked %
tickled.
biml da Turka man. was Charlis
Maro's way Of putting it. and be didn't
see that the Turk had ghost of show
All hands forward encouraged him in
the belief. They all acquiesced in e1.
pressing the belief to Marc that Grsscs
would simply eat Turkey up. The1a
bo'sun's mate who knew how to crack
the most impossible kind of steers with
face as solemn and wooden as an In
! dian's took Charlie in hand and tod
him some things. He told Marc that tha
United States was so much in sympathy
with Greece in the struggle with Turkey
that the navy department had decided
to turn over al of the ships Of he
American navy to Greek commanders
:" Here's q big chance for yoa
Marc, the bo'sun's mate told Marc
'You just want to work your edge
Here you ere already shipped on this
cruiser, and it's dollars to dougbDuis
that if you ask for the command Of this
ship in order tn take her over TO Grseos
to mix it up with the Turks you'll gsi
it hands down. Better try it on.
'.That idea impressed Marc heap
He asked the to'sun's mate whom bed
have to apply TO to get command Of The
cruiser.
Why, to the commanding oficz'
of course. was the reply.
marc was tremendously importAh
for day or SO while he let this huss
idea grow within him. and be bulbea
the men detailed to work with hl1
down below in the boiler room goa
deal. The bos'n's mate kept wukng
him up to it. and finally Marc appsara
on deck one morning logged out II hh
very best mastering suit Of blueIacka
clothes and went up to the officer Of ta'
deck. and asked permission to see ~
commanding officer at the mast lHs
officer of the deck was rather surprsa
to see the man all done up in bis nSr
tering togs when all hands were
work, but, as be is obliged to do vD1
an enlisted man requests permisslcn
see the commanding officer, be =
word to the skipper. who soon emes-
from his cabin and appeared al W
stick
Well, my many said the SKIP
TO Marc, who stood bolt upright -
saluted with a flourish.
" 'Sare, said Marc to the skipp9'
have-a da honor to her-a-by taxa "a o~
mand of da ship.
'HeyT said the commanding
Ger, putting his hand to his sI
looking as il he hadn'r heard arigD-
'Da ship. repeated Marc
da navee of-a Hellas-da Creek -.
Il hava da honor to TAXA da comnA--
"All hands among the enllslea
were up ON the to'gallant fo'cHss
ing the thing in, and they bToke
roar that you could have hearo
cable lengths distance. Marc ben,
and, suspecting that his conhdenes
been abused, got red and haooei.~
He suddenly bolted for the engins
hatch and made his way below. ~ a