The record-union., 1898-07-22
ON A MAN OF WAR.
ROUTINE OF DUTY FOR THE
AMERICAN BLUE JACKET.
The Welcome Mess-Gear and the
UnweIcome Sounds Of the
Bug1e.

bugler gets in his work first. Ask any
OLD heavy-weather, deep-water blue
Jacket of the United States navy what
sound of all earthly sounds he hates
worst, and he will begin to say things
about the marine bugler-for this mu-
sician trumpets all hands forward
awake at o'clock in the morning. A
hammock is a comfortable, coSey af-
fair to sleep in when you get used to
it-especially cosey and comfortable at
D o'clock on a bleak chill morning.
But when the ''Windjammer's notes
die away. and the already up and spry
bo'sun's mate lets out couple of shrill
blasts on his pipe, followed by the
roar, "All hands on decki' a hammock
is no place for a blue Jacket who does
not pine for the trouble of facing the
skipper at the mast few hours later.
From the time '.all hands" is sounded
the men are allowed six minutes to
scramble out of their hammocks, dress
themselves, and lash their hammochs
and stow them away in the hammock
nettings. The man who lags and is
ten seconds behind schedule time for
this performance is spotted by the
chief master r-at-arms-and he does not
mates for awhile.
The hammocks slowed, the officer of
the deck Gn his bare feet, generally,
like the men forward, and therefore not
quite so gallant and dignified-looking
as he appears when you go aboard on
your visiD makes his nod to the watch
full bo'sun's mate, and the word Wash
down" is passed Then the pumps be-
low begin to thump, and for solid
hour green seas" pour over her decks
more than enough water to float her.
The scrubbing mauling of gear, rub
bing of anything and everything rub
able, are prodigious. Every man has a
cleaning station, whether he belongs to
the deck force or the "black gang Of
the engineers department below, and
it is his business to get that station
as clean as washed wool before three
fourths of the civilian world has
awakened If he does not get 1T. clean
he 'goes to the mast" when his slouch-
mess is discovered by the inspecting Of
ficer Every corner and Granny Of a
man-of-war is numbered for cleaning
purposes, from the to'gallant fo'c'sle
to the after engine-rOom, and every
man-o' wars man has a number to
correspond to his cleaning station.
They don't holystone man-o'-war decks
any more They use sand instead.
While the men on deck are whitening
the decks and securing the guns and
unraveling and restowing loose gear,
the black gang down below are polish
ing up their intricate machinery sta
tions cleaning fire and boiler-rooms,
washing out bilges and generally lay
ing up peace for themselves against
the after breakfast inspection of the
lynx-eyed chief engineer.
THE WELCOME "MESS-GEAR."
This early morning washing down
and polishing seance lasts for two
hours-for it is to be understood that
among the inconveniences the man
O. wars man must perforce get used
to is that of working like a mule on
an empty stomach. At o'clock the
bosuns mate gets another nod from
the officer of the deck; then he gives
his pipe a bit of a wind and growls
knock off," The men quit work where
they stand and wash themselves fol
breakfast. ''Mess- gear" which means
the whistled summons to the man-o'-
wars meal. goes for breakfast at T:3t
breakfast ready while the rest of the
crew forward are cleaning stations
When mess gear is shrilled the mess
cooks strikers generally apprentice
boys) put down the swinging tables
and the pannikin-served meals are OF
the tables in a jiffy. The blue Jacket:
are hungry, Of course-and the break
fasts are Of a good sort The foot
1 ,;c1f f,,p
atable-but the recruit has to become
accustomed to the way it is served
The chief petty officers mess must bt
excepted from this generalization, fol
| the chief petty officers mess on al
| American man-o'-war is always
daintily served affair, minus the swing
| ing tables. The petty officers who veal
/ the brass buttons eat at stationary ia
bles, usually on the berth deck.
/ The average man-o'-war's man re
CARDS his breakfast as only founda
| ton for a smoke-the best smoke o
/ the day. On American men-of-wa
there is an open lantern, called thu
smoking lamp" hanging, as rule, a
| the break of the fo'c'sle. The Corpora
| Of the marine guard lights and extin
| guishes this lamp, in accordance will
directions from the officers of the deck
When the smoking lamp is aglow tn
man-o'- wars man may smoke himsel
| black in the face-only on the mail
| deck, however, and never, at his peril
between decks; when the smokin:
lamp is not alight the man-o'-war'
man who Is caught smoking by tn
master alarms explains why he diC
then and there smoke later on to TIL
commanding officer. But the man-o'
wars man bolts his breakfast for tn
sake of his first morning smoke-fo
he has to crowd his breakfast, tn
smoke and his somewhat elaborat
| policing" of himself and dressing VI
for quarters within the space OF al
hour. Quarters" which is the frs
roll call of the day on war vessel, i
| sounded in the United States navy a
$50 O'Clock occasionally at 8 o'clock
N the morning The men forward, blu
| Jackets and marines, don't put on thei
| best uniforms for ordinary quarters
but they must look thoroughly neat an
clean to stand their division officers
inspe ection, or-once again-travel up t
"the stick" for slovenlness, whicl
means an involuntary sloughing off o
shore liberty and other privileges.
The chief petty officers attached t
divisions. above and below, call the rol
and report to the division officers, VIII
in turn report to the executive Officer
Finally, the executive officer report
to the commanding officer, who stand
at the cabin door. In port there ar
always men reported absent ashor
without leave'-'liberty breakers
these men (who suffer for it upon thei