The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-01-06
HE WANTED THE SHIP
THOUGHT He WAS ELIGIBLE TO COM
MAND A CRUISER.

The Shabby Trick Played Upon q
Patriotic Greek Boiler Maker by
Some of Uncle SANS Sailors with
Whom He Had Shipped.
"About four years ago the cruiser on
which / was serving shipped a boiler
maker while we were on the Mediter-
ranean station" said a Washington
chief petty officer Of the navy, now on
leave of absence. "Our former boiler
makers time expired while we were at
Gibraltar, and as he was not in good
physical shape be wasn't re-enlisted,
but took his discharge and returned to
the United States by mail steamer. So
the ship vas shy a boiler maker. a very
important and necessary petty officer
down below in the engineers depart
ment, and when the ship pulled into
Naples harbor the chief engineer went
ashore to see if he couldn't dig up a
boiler maker.
There's a clause in the enlistment
regulations permitting commanding
officers to ship necessary men on foreign
stations in short handed emergencies.
The chief engineer brought back to the
ship q Greek named Charlie Marc. The
man couldn't speak any English-to
speak of-but he was a good nan at
the boiler making business, and he was
duly shipped aboard Of Ut for three
years. He was a wild, hairy looking
lot, Marc was, and he got a good deal
Of a laugh at the hands of the crew, es-
pecially the younger fellows, from the
time he first came over the side.
"Maro thought that there wasn't
any other country on the map except
Greece. He thought that the 'Greeka
man was the hottest kind of a tamale
when it came to scrapping by land or
sea, and after he got hold of enough
English to make himself understood he
used to take some of the young appren-
tice boys up into the eyes of the ship
and tell them with many gesticulations
and furious words of the different kinds
of tar Greece would knock out of Turkey
if the two countries ever came to an
open rupture.
"The ship was around on the Pacific
station when the war broke out between
Greece and Turkey. When the news Of
IL Va AK wal SUU " JAdIUs OUr
boiler maker, he nearly had heart dis
ease and a whole lot Of other sudden
things from pure excitement. He just
couldn't hold himself in, be looked so
tickled.
"'Da Greeka man villa bin BIN
BIN da Turka man., was Charlie
Maro's way Of putting it, and he didn't
see that the Turk had a ghost of a show.
All hands forward encouraged him in
the belief. They all acquiesced in ex.
pressing the belief to Marc that Greece
would simply eat Turkey up. Then a
bo'sun's mate who knew how to crack
the most impossible kind of steers with
a face as solemn and wooden as an In
dian's took Charlie III hand and tuid
him some things. He told Marc that the
United States was so much in sympathy
with Greece in the struggle with Turkey
that the navy department. had decided
to turn over all of the ships of the
American navy to Greek commanders.
Here's a big chance for you,
Marc the bo'sun's mate told Marc.
you just want to work your edge.
Here you are already shipped on this
cruiser, and it's dollars to d%oughnuts
il you ask for the command Of this
in order to take her over to Greece
to mix it up with the Turks you'll get
it hands down. Better try it on.
"That- idea impressed Marc a heap.
He asked the bo'sun's mate whom he'd
nave to apply to to get command of the
cruiser.
why, to the commanding officer,
Of course, was rhe reply.
"Maro was tremendously important
for a day or so while he let this huge
idea grow within him, and he bulljed
the men detailed to work with him
down below in the boiler room a good
deal. The bos'n's mate kept working
up to it, and finally Marc appeared
On deck n morning logged out in his
very best mastering suit Of bluejacket
clothes and went up to the officer of the
deck and asked permission to see the
officer at the mast. The
officer Of the deck was rather surprised
70 see the man all done up in his mus
tering togs when all hands were at
work, but, as be is obliged to do when
enlisted man requests permission to
zee the commanding officer. he sent
word to the skipper, who soon emerged
his cabin and appeared at 'the
tick
well. my man?' said the skipper
% Marc, who stood bolt upright and
with a flourish.
"'sare, said Marc to the skipper. i
da honor to her-a-by TAXA da com.
nand of a da ship
Hey? said the commanding Off
Ter, putting his hand to his ear and
ooking as il he hadn't heard Alright.
'Da ship repeated Marc. Fora
Ia navee OLA Hellas-aa Greeka navee
hava da honort to TAXA da command.
"All hands among the enlisted men
up on the ~to'gallant fo'c'sle TAX
ng the thing in, and they broke into