The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-14
LIFE IN THE MARINE CORPS.
Uncle sam Takes Good Care of the
Men on shore and on Ship.

Men ON shore and on ship.
Corpi. Almon Bogardus, of the United
States Marine Cora, is at the Palmetto
House, on his way home with his dis
charge papers in his pocket after a five
years service
lie was given the precious document
last Saturday and with it something over
$3.50 in money. OF this $65 was money al
lowed him for travelling expenses TO Anna
polls, where he enlisted. Some so was
money coming to him out of the clothing
fund, he not having drawn out his full
allotment of clothing during the years he
has been in the service. Forty-eight dol
lars represented the amount kept back
from his pay the first year he was in the
corps, practice which was then abol-
lshed
Other items, such as interest and ac-
counts allowed him by the department,
footed up the total mentioned. AS the
corporal remarked Uncle Sam gives the
marine chance to come ashore after his
term expires with enough in his pocket TO
keep him several months, provided he has
shown any inclination to take advantage
Of the opportunities afforded him. Not a
cent had been held back from his pay
for four years.
From what the corporal says, the ma
rine is pretty well cared for man when
he is serving this country. He is paid SIS
month for the first three years, as a
private, his wages then being increased a
dollar month each year, giving him $18
month In the fifth year. When his term
of enlistment expires he is entitled to
three months furlough. That is, he gets
his discharge papers, and if before three
months have expired he re-enlists he
starts off ar the same rate of pay he was
getting when discharged and is given
three months pay and the regular allow
ances for that time. The three months
furlough is practically a vacation on full
pay in recognition of his past services.
Many of the men, as a result of this and
the good treatment they receive, re-en-
list.
IT think I will be back in the service
when my time is up said the corporal. 'I
was anxious for my discharge to some,
but 1 am beginning to feel lonely already.
Five years associations with large body
of men and life on ship and in barracks
gives a man liking for the corps that
he is not really aware of until he tries to
break away from it. There is dots of hard
work in the duties of a marine, but take
it all the way through it is not such
tough job Some people seem to think that
a marine only does a sort of police duty
on a ship, that ne handles a rifle and
nothing else. But that is a mistake. The
marine must be up in the use of the Cat
ling and other rapid-fire guns and is
trained in the handling of the main bat
terry OF the ship, in addition to being
thoroughly drilled in the use of the small
arm. He is much more valuable man
on board ship than TO merely act as a po-
liceman over the sailors, as so many people
regard him.
In time of war the marine has doubly
dangerous life. In addition to his WORK
on ship, he makes up the landing parties,
and has been shown in Cuba, he is gen
orally a pretty good fighter on land as
well as at sea. A man who does his duty
and tries TO give satisfaction is encourag-
ed and has a fair sort of life. The grub
at sea al times is not any too good, but
when on land he gets pretty good fare.
Each marine is allowed 50 a month for
rations and as the mess is generally made
up of eighteen or twenty, it is possible,
with care, to give a reasonably good fare.
or course, since the war broke out, 1t has
not been as good as in time of peace, but
that was to be expected"
CorpI Bogardus served some time on the
Maine His last vessel was the Lancaster.
On the way North with him are two fire.
men from the Newport, which has been
doing blockade duty off Havana. They
had but one complaint to make and that
was that the grub was poor and not
enough"
was the heat very great?" was asked
of one of them.
"Was ft?' said he, well, let me tell you
fireman on a warship off Havana for the
past two months"
Firemen, they stated, receive $S5 a
month, for the first class. From what
could be judged, there is not the same
eagerness to re-enlist for such duty as
the marine indicated was the case in the
corps of which he had been a corporal.