The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-14
THE TANNED CARTRIDGE.
once Commodore watson Felt the
Disadvantage of Not Swearing.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
Washington, July 9.-Commodore Wat
son. who is billed to do Some lively work
on the coast Of Spain with his squadron.
does not belong to the list Of "cussing
officers" yet as a man-o-war skipper. he
never had a man of his ships company aft
for swearing. He was slngularly indul-
gent of the hard swearers forward.
Hard language helps a man along oc-
casionally," he has been known to say to
one of his deck officers upon overhear-
ing a stream of maledictiOns from the dips
of some old hat-foot working ct a stub
born job forward and it is better for
the men to work off their wrath over foul
ed anchor chains in cuss words than TO
take it out of each others hides"
Aboard one of the ships under Watson's
command there was an old bo'sun s mate
named Fuller, who had the ca4l through
out the whole navy as the champion
profane man of the governments line of
packets. Fuller never raised his voice
when he swore. He would simply stand
back and quietly regard the inanlmate
object Of his wrath-a pent Delaying pin,
perhaps, or a slack ridge rope-and then
he would open up in an ordinary conversa-
tional tone. But the utterances he gave
vent to were sulphurous. 1t always took
Fuller a good five minutes to work eff
what he considered the necessary number
Of remarks on such occasions, and 1t al
ways seemed, when he was through, that
he had quite exhausted the whole Vocabu-
larry of profanity. But this was q mis-
take. The very next time anything went
wrong WittFa bit of Fuller's gear he would
start in on a new line that would contain
absolutely not a single repetition OF any OF
the previous performances. 1t was always
a source of wonder TO Fnller's shipmates,
he al \ her .
the new ones, all of which were of start
ling originality and force These ship
mates related only one instance in Whlcn
he found himself at loss for words. he
was with a landing parry from ms SNIP
marching on the outskirts OF Chemulpo
Korea. He stubbed his toe on loose
boulder in the road, and fell ON his face in
the dust He picked himself up and looked
at the road He opened his mouth to say
something, but he had no words. lie was
dumb with wrath. Two or three times ne
attempted to begin, but 1t was no go lie
was stuck for once. So he pulled out
pistol and deliberately fired it into the air
five times He had to express his feelings
in some way. The old man was brigged
when he returned to his ship for firing
the weapon without orders, especially IN
foreign territory, but his skipper knew the
old-time DO suns mates ways, and turn
ed aim loose after a day or So
sons ship he was in good shape, and his
frequent quiet outbursts kept the Ior-
ward part of the ship keyed up with Won
Ger as to what was coming next. one
morning, at the big gun drill, Capt. Wat
son himself was experimenting the eX-
ercise. One of the Wooden cartridges be-
came jammed in the breech of the 6-nch
rife TO which he was devoung most of his
attention. He wouldn't permit any of the
gunner's mates around him to attempt
70 loosen the cartridge, but essayed The JOB
himself. He rugged at the damned cart
ridge, and broke his finger nails over 1t,
and still 1t wouldn't come out. 1t was a
pretty hot morning on deck, and the
perspration began TO roll off his face in
strea ms. But he persisted in trying 10
loosen the stuck cartridge. He looked as
if he would like to say heap, were he
a swearing man. But he wasn't a swear
ing man. When he had been working
for five minutes over the damned cart
ridge, with no success, he hooked pretty
helpless and miserable. He gave one
final tug but the stuck cartridge remain
ed in the guns breech. The skipper gath
cred himself together mopped his fore
head and looked at the gun.
"Confound it allr he broke out, where's
Fuller? Send me Fuller somebody"
Fuller was on hand directly. He wasn't
gunner's mate and he had nothing to
do with the guns. But Watson wanted
Fuller to tackle the damned cartridge all
the same.
Fuller" said Watson, try and get that
dummy out of that gun
Fuller looked at the stuck cartridge, and
Watson retreated to the starboard side
of the quarter deck. Fuller made two or
three claws at the wooden cartridge, but
il wouldn't come out. gunner's mate
could have got II out in a jiffy, but Fuller
wasn't in that line of the service. He tug
- NTzW -
regarding The horizon on the starboard
side of the quarter deck. Fuller spat on
his hands, and made one more try. The
dummy didn't move a tenth of an inch.
Then Fuller mopped his forehead with his
heckerchief, clapped his cap on the back
sof his head, and opened up. 1t was great
work, this performance of Fuler's, and
no mistake. He eclipsed all of his former
efforts He stood with his hands on his
Sides looking at the gun breech, and say
ing things at it that no Morgan or Kidd,
or Teach or other acknowledging pirate
could ever have equaied. The men stood
around just looking at Fuller in open
mouthed amazement. They couldn't make
out where he got them all. They were all
in English but the combinations were
weird. The peroration was frightful, al
though delivered in the mildest tone inn
aginable.
When Fuller finished he mopped his fore
nedu with ms HeCheIcIllSl dSdAni anu walk
ed over to his commanding officer, who
was looking over the starboard rail, appa-
rently thinking deeply. Fuller saluted
IT'S stuck proper, sir said Fuller. 81
can't get it adrlft "
"Wen' said Watson, IT didn't think
you could. Fuller; but I needed you.
Thanks. You did very wen. Go forward"
--She-When you married me you said
you were well off.
Hell was, but / didn't know tilt
Bits.