New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-03
THE WARDROOM CATERER
HOW LIEUTENANT BLUE GOT RID OF A
THANKLESS JOB.

From The Washington Star.
II there is any one feature OF life aboard
ship that wardrOOm officer Of the Navy par
ticularly dslikes, it is his election caterer
Of the Wardroom mess. All Of the wardroOm
officers have To take their turns at this job.
When the catering Of officer proves espe-
cially satisfactory to his messmates. he is Of
ten elected and again. to his deep
disgust. His frequent reelection. however. does
not serve to make him remiss in his duty to the
mess in order that he may be displaced
caterer. This would be too obvious, and would
cause criticism The wardroom caterer does all
Of the buying for the mess through the ward
room steward, who is an enlisted man. Some
wardroOm officers are eminenty successful
caterers and others make a very bad fist of It
1t is principle among wardroom officers to
rdcule the mess caterer and pour cOntumely
upon his efforts, no matter how successful he
may be. and the caterer is always the butt OF
all hands aft at meal times. Everything that
he sets before his messmates is pronounced viii
famous. and he is made unhappy possible,
even though he knows the officers of the mess
are only guying him. AT the end Of the month
the EXPENSES of the mess are divided up among
all Of the officers Of the mess. each paying his
portion.
Lieutenant Victor Blue. the nervy young Of
fcer who recently performed the feat Of getting
a good view Of he Spanish fleet in Santiago
Harbor 10y making daring detour of seventy
five miles or on Cuban soil. was attached to
the Bennington, which was lying in Honolulu
iarb0r. about three years ago. He was then
an ensign. and h. had not up to that time been
wardroom caterer SO he was unanimously
elected almost as soon as he was attached to
the Bennington. Lieutenant Blue is a giant OF
a young man. and exceedingly gOOd-natured.
But he made sad hash of the caterers job. He
got his accounts all mixed up before he had
served as caterer for week. and he had To pay
a lot OF seigniOrage out Of his own pocket. The
meals ne placed before his messmates were
satisfactory enough. but the caterers job wore
on Lieutenant Blue a great deal. He figured on
how to get his congo
When 4 new caterer is elected il is the Gus
tom Of the wardrOOm officers TO weigh them
Selves every dag. in spirit Of fun. in order Il
worry the caterer. and to make ii appear by
their soemnly aycrred loss Of weight. that they
are being half starved. Lieutenant Blue went
down tn tn" engine-roOm one day, after he had
been worried over the caterers job for week
or SO. and dug up a big drop-scale. He tinkered
with it for while Then he rugged bo'sun's
chair to il. carried ii aft. and suggested u the
officers that when they wanted to weigh them
selves thereafter they use those scales Of his.
The officers didn't suspect anything. and after
dinner the sam" day several Of them Weighed
Themselves They had all lost 4 pound since the
day before They said the scales were wrong.
and Lieutenant Blue admitted that perhaps
they
They all weighed again the next day. Each
Of them had lost another pound. and they began
10 feel " their Wristbands wonderlngly All OF
the officers Of the Bcnnngtons wardroom mess
went on losing flesh. according 10 lieutenant
Blues scales. for ten days or so. Then a meet
ing ~ the wardroom officers was called and
Lieutenant Blue was dropped as caterer. as be-
ing incompetent and no account anyhow"
Lieutenant Blue didn't have t. serve as caterer
for the rest II that cruise. and he wore smile
Of deep content every time he booked at a weigh
ing apparatus