Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-02-18

About four years ago the cruiser on
which 1 was serving shipped boiler
maker while we were on the Mediter-
ranean station" said a Washington
:hief 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 he wasn't re-enlisted,
but took his discharge and returned to
the United States by mail steamer. So
the ship was shy boiler maker, 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
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 Greek named Charlie Marc. The
man couldn't speak any EuglIsh-tO
speak Cf-but he was good man at
the boiler making business. and he was
duly shipped aboard of US for three
years He was a wild, hairy looking
lot, Marc was, and he got 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.
marc thought that there wasn't
any other country on the map except
Greece. He thought that the 'Greeka
man was the hottest kind of 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.
1.-The ship was around ON the Pacific
station when the war broke out between
Greece and Turkey. When the news of
the outbreak of the war got to Marc, 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, he looked SO
tickled.
IDA Greeka man villa biml BIN
bimi da Turka man. was Charlie
Maro's way of putting ii, and he didn't
see that the Turk had 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
dams took Charlie in hand and told
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
navy to Greek commanders.
Here's 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 dOugbnuts
that if you ask for the command of this
ship i'll order to take her over to Greece
to mix il up with the Turks you'll get
it hands down. Better try it on.
THAT idea impressed Marc heap.
He asked the DO sun mate whom he'd
have to apply to to get command of the
cruiser
Why, to the commanding officer.
of course. was the reply.
MARC was tremendously important
for "A day or so while he let this huge
idea grow within him. and he bullied
the men detailed to work with him
down below in the boiler room a good
deal The bOs'n's mate kept working
him up to 1t. and finally Marc appeared
ON deck one morning logged out in his
very best mastering suit of blue Jacket
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 |
to see the man all done up in his mus
tering togs when all hands were at
work. but. as ne L. obliged To do when |
an enlisted mon requests permission to |
see the commanding officer, he sent |
word TO the skipper. who soon emerged |
from his cabin and appeared at the |
stick
Well. my MANI said the skipper |
to Marc. who stood bolt upright and |
saIuted with a flourish.
- Sare, said Marc TO the skipper, L |
have-a da honor to her ably taxa da COM
maud of n da ship.
4" Hey said the commanding off
Ger, putting his hand TO his ear and
looking as if he hadn't heard Alright
'Da ship, repeated Marc Fora
da navee OLA Hellas-da Greeka navee
/ hava da honor TO TAXA da command.
'All hands among the enlisted men
were up on the to'gallant fo'c'sle tax
ing the thing in. and they broke into a
roar that you could have heard five
cable lengths distance. Marc heard it,
and, suspecting that his confidence had
been abused, got red and fiabbergasted
He suddenly bolted for the engine room
hatch and made his way below. and il
took three marines to drag him aft to
the sick bay, where the surgeon, at the
skipper's command. gave Marc a half
hours examination as to his sanity
Marc was game enough to decline to
give the name of the enlisted man who
had told him he was eligible for the