The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-29

tain, who, in spite of he dignity and gran
deur of his position, must at times feel
very lonely. He lives in awful ate, a sem
Try (of mariues) continually guarding his
door, and although he doys unbeud at $ at
ed times as far as inviting a few officers
10 dine with him, or accepting he officers
invitation TO dine in the wardroom. this
re aNatioa must not come too often. The
.cmmanGer, who is the chief executive Of
iccr is in a far better position as regards
.omfort. He comes between The captain
ana the actual direction OF AFFAIRS he has
a spacious cabin to h.msel but he takes
his meals at the wardrcom table among
all the officers above the rank of sublieu-
tenant and shares their merrimont; the
only subtle distinction made between him
and everybody else at such times being
in the llltlo word Sir" which is dropped
aaro.t.y in when he is being address d. For
the rest, naval nous IS so k, en- that amidst
the widest fun when off duty no officer
can feel that his dignity is tampaIed with,
and they pass from sociability to cast
lion discipline and back again with an
ease amaz ng to landsman.
The wardroom of a Battle ship is a pleas
+ 4 ia
Ing in the whole width of the ship, hand
somely decorated and lit by eectricity.
There is usually a piano. good library,
and some handsome plate for the table.
1t is available not only for meas but as
drawing room, % umon meeting e. o nd
( for heutenants, marine officers. surgeons,
chaplain and senior engineers, where they
may unbend and exchange views as we'll
as enjoy one anothers soc ely free from
the grip of the collar A little lower down
| in the scale of authority, as well as act
ually in the huh of the ship, comes the
sun-room, The atiix being a survival and
having no actual significance now. In this
respect both Wardroom and gum Dom have
the advantage over the captains cabin,
in which there are a couple Of quick-fring
guns, causing those sacred precincts 10 be
invaded by a smal host of men at gen
eral quarters" who manipulate those guns
as if they were on deck.
The gunroOm is the ward room over
again, only more so-that is more wildly
hilarious more given TO outbursts Of melo-
dy and rough play. Here meet the sub
lieutenants, the assistant engineers and
other junior officers. and the mid
shipmen. With these latter admirals in
embryo we find a state of things existing
that is of the highest service 20 them in
after life. Taking their meals as gentle
men, with a senior at the head of the
other times for social enjoyment, once they
are outside of the gunroom door they
| have no more privacy than the humblest
blue jOcket. They sleep and dress aud
bathe-NVc. in fact-cOram pubico which
is one of the healthiest things when you
come to think of il, for a youngster of
any class. Although they are now Off
GERS in II. NJ. navy, they are still school
| boys, and their education goes steadily on
at stated hours in well-appointed school
room, keeping pace with THAI sterner
training they are receiving on deck. The
most grizzled old seaman on board must
Sir them, but there are plenty of cor
| receives all around to hinder the growth
in them of any false pride.
On the same deck is to be found the
common room of the warrant officers, such
as bO' sum- carpenter, gunner; those sages
who have worked their difficult way up
from the bottom of the sailors ladder
through all the grades, and are, with the
petty officers, the mainstay of the service.
Each of them has a cabin of his own as IS
only fitting; but here they meet as do their
superiOrs overhead, and air their opinions
freely But, like the ward room officers
they mostly talk shop" for they have
only one great object in life the efficiency
of their charge, and it leaves them little
room for any other topics. Around this,
the after part of the ship cluster also an
other little body of men and lads, the do
mestics, as they are termed, who do their
duty of attendance upon officers and wait
ing a table under all circumstances with
mat neatness and celebrity that is insep-
arabic from all work performed in a ship
of-war. Body servants of officers are
usually marines, but the domestcs are a
class apart, strictly non-combatant yet
under naval law and discipline
Going 'forrard" the chief petty officers
will be found to make some attempt at
shutting themselves apart from the gener-
al, by arrangements of curtains, etc, all
liable and ready TO be flung into oblivion