Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-29
JOLLY JACK TARS
Cruise of District Battalion Aboard
the Prairie.
EXPERIENCE In TARGET SHOOTING
Drill in Daily Duties by Officers of
Regular Navy.
S G. RU BEING TIL E d &c KS
CRUBBING THE DECK KS
Special From a Staff Correspondent.

left Washington Sunday morning, the Naval
Battalion of the District of Columbia Ma
tonal Guard arrived here early last even
ing aboard the U. S. s. Prairie, direct from
Gardeners bay. The Prairie will leave New
London in time to return to the bay early
tomorrow morning to remain at anchor
there tomorrow and Saturday. Then she
will steam south, reaching Piney Point
Monday. The battalion will thereupon dis
embark and return to the Fern, on which
the journey up the Potomac to Washington
will be made.
The transfer of the Naval Battalion from
the Fern to the Prairie was in the nature
of relief. On the former craft the men
We're very crowded. Compared with the
Fern, the Prairie is as a mountain to the
proverb;ai mole hill. 1t seemed to those
boarding the warship that a system of
railway cars might appropriately be in
stalled, judging from the time required to
walk from one end to the other. or, to come
down to nautical terms, to pass from for
ward to aft.
Prior to the war with Spain the Prairie
in the merchant service, the property
of the Morgan steamship line. She was
purchased by the government and con-
verted into an auxiliary cruiser, being sup
piled with a battery consisting of eight
6-inch guns, six 6-pounders and several
rapid-fire pieces of smaller caliber. The
ship is provided with every modern i'm
provement including electric dynamos,
searchlight electric signal lights and the
like.
For the naval reserve work the Prairie
carries a skeleton crew of regular seamen.
In addition she has a marine guard OF
eighteen, under command of a first ser
geant. There are nine officers of the navy
aboard, as well as a complement of petty
officers of the regular establishment.
The Officers Quarters.
Lieutenant Commander Hopkins of the
Naval Battalion occupies a state room ad-
joining that of the commanding officer of
the ship, directly in the rear of the pilot
house. The other officers from the District
of Columbia are domiciled on the after
berth deck, and they are living in what
might be termed luxury. They occupy
state rooms specially constructed for the
purpose at the time when the Prairie was
assigned for the practice work of the naval
militia of the Atlantic coast states. Each
room has double berth, with ample locker
accommodations. They are fitted with fold
ing wash basins. toilet racks, large writing
desks. mirrors, shelves, chairs and portable
bath tubs. The doOrWays are provided with
pOrtiers. All in all. the accommodations
are everything that could be desired
The men are assigned to the gun deck,
which is directly beneath the main deck.
They sleep in hammOckS swung from hooks.
In the morning the hammOcks are taken
down and removed from sight. The officers
of the battalion mess with the officers OF
the Prairie in the ward room on the main
deck The table is supplied with all the
subs antials and da,ntes procurabe at this
season of the year The petty officers of
the battalion mess with the petty officers
of the snip, while the men breakfast, dine
and sup apart from the regular Seamen.
The food is issued by the battalion pay
master. the supplies having been brought
from Washington on the Fern and trans
ferred to the Prairie at Piney Point They
are kept until the time for issue in the
store rooms, over which Paymaster Bieber
and his assistants have entire control. The
food is prepared by the battalion cooks and
served on tables suspended by ropes from
the rafters of the deck above. Each man
has his own mess kit. consisting of knife
fork. spoon bowl, plate and cup, which are
of the latest pattern and manufacture.
JacI.ies' Working Clothes.
In addition to his regular sailor garb of
blue. every member of the battalion is pro-
vided with a white working suit He also
has a jack knife and a clothes bag which
serves the purposes of a combined trunk
easily soied. Wash day with the sailor is
not Monday. as is the case with the land
iubber, but every day and very often twice
daily. 1t is an interesting sight to see the
jackies from he national capital armed
with scrubbing brushes and soap diligently
cleansing their white duck uniforms. When
the Scruhbing is finished the dripping gar
meats are attached to a line in long rows
and the mass of White then elevated where
il win receive the force OF whatever air
happened to be stirring. But very little
time is required to dry the clothes. When
they are lowered they are worn but a few
hours before being again subjected to the
scrubbing brush and soap process.
After the clothes are washed it is essen
tial that the decks be scrubbed. With bare
feet and trousers rolled to the height of
the knee the citizen sailors go at the work
with gusto. One man plays the hose while
the others use brushes and broomS to eX-
cellent advantage. The same methods are
followed when all the decks are cleaned in
| the morning.
The first day out the jack tars had a les
| son IN scraping woodwork. Their attention
| was directed to the rail on both the port
| and starboard sides of the main deck for
ward With their jack knives they went &c
work and smoothed the rail, and it was at.
| terward vanished
Favorable Conditions.
| Had Lieutenant Commander Hopkins pre-.
pared the specifications the weather and all
| the other inc.dentals of the cruise so fal
| could not have been more perfect mol
| nearer ideal Leaving Piney Point Mon
l day afternoon, the Prairie steamed doWr
| the Potomac and into Chesapeake bay al
| speed of twelve -.nots. She passed between
| Cape Charles and Cape Henry into the At
| iantic just after darkness had fallen Mon
| day evening. Tuesday was d day that coulC
| not have been improved upon. An hour OIL
| so of the early morning was spent in turn
| ing and maneuvering the ship to test the
|
| easterly course and kept at it steadily
| throughout the day. A number of craft OF
| all sorts were passed. About O'Clock
| Wednesday morning the Prairie rounded
| Montauk Point. Had it been daylight those
| aboard could have seen the spot occupied
| for a week or more last year by the Is
| District of Columbia Infantry, immediately
| after its return from Cuba The Prairi,
| steamed along he north shore of Long Is
| land into Gardeners Day and anchor wa.
| dropped.
The first entire day, Tuesday, spenc
| aboard the Prairie was a busy one Their,
| being very little leisure for anybody AT
| ter the morning routine work had beer
| looked after the officers and men assembled
| for instruction about the guns, in reguia
| crew formation. The several parts of m,
| six-inch and six-pounders were named ant
| their uses explained by officers of the shin
The crews Were then interrogated VINE,
recall sounded at the end Of an hour an,
a half everybody had a very good idea O
the workings of the guns. At the Afternoon
| assembly the men who in the morning hal
been instructed regarding the six-inch gun
had a lesson on six-pounders, and vic,
| versa.
Target Practice.
Wednesday was a novel as well a. a bus,