Daily inter mountain., 1899-12-09
JACKS HOME ON SHORE.
WHEN

sailing crafts that have long been out of
commission. To see them as they lie
moored to the dock one would never i'm
agine that these harmless looking boats,
rooted over and stripped of masts and
guns. We're once grim and terrible vessels
of war. While such quarters may be pic
turesque and surrounded by all kinds OF
historic memories they are certainly not
comfortable.
If the shore barracks that are to be
erected are like those now in use in
Europe each building will be long
two-story structure in the shape of a
rectangle and enclosing large court.
These buildings will be located close TO
the water front and will not only be
comfortable in every particular but Will
be perfect in point of sanitation In or
der to economiZe space for space is al
ways at a premium in navy yards. the
men will sleep in berths that will be ar
ranged along the side of the walls. While
all the furniture will be of an extremely
simple character there will be enough or
it and each man will be supplied with q
wooden chest placed somewhere near his
berth The rooms will be lighted Dy elec-
tricity.
/ While on the receiving ships the men
are usually divided into messes of twelve
each and each mess has it's own caterer
and cook. This custom will be changed
if the shore barracks are erected Then
kitchen and will be served to the men by
walters who will be regularly assigned 10
these duties. There would also be great
stOrehouses where the flour, beans, corn
meal, hominy, potatoes, canned goous
and other provisions could be stored. IN
the barracks. however, many other GUS
toms would be retained. Mealtime orders,
for instance. are given in true nautlcai
fashion, as spread the mess gear, or
pipe to dinner" or breakfast as the case
may be.
The discipline and routine of one of the
stationary naval vessels is much the
same as on sea going man-of-War, eX-
cent that the watches consist of only two
or three men. giving the others more
time to drill and learn the manual OF
arms. Four hundred or five hundred APP
prentces and extra men may be quarter
ed at one time on a single receiving ship.
They sleep forward, of course, in ham,
| mocks. In fact, the only thing on the re-
ceiving ship that is at all comfortable is
the section that is devoted to the officers
quarters. They are certainly delightful;
are three or four times as large as those
on board one of the new tangled cruisers
or battleships. where everything is sacri-
feed to the urgent necessity of ecOno-
mizing space. The household arrange
ments OF the officers are in fact. all that
/ could be expected and the captain may
have with him his wife, as well as all his
! sisters, his cousins and his aunts
i, In the hore barracks similar con-
ditions would prevail. Excellent quarters
would be provided for the officers but IT
| is possible that they would not be more
\ desirable than those that are now devoted
/ to their use In fact it is the men them
sseves who will profit the most by such
an innovation and their present method
of life would be improved upon MANIFOLD
/ 1t is not surprising, under these circum-
| stances, that the enlisted men should be
/ very anxious for the adoption Of such g
| scheme and it will undoubtedly delight
them to know that there is at least 3
reasonable prospect that their wishes
will be carried out as several of the higf
naval officials have already declared
/ themselves as highly in favor of the
| scheme.