Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1899-02-01
HEWANTED THE SHIP
THOUGHT HE WAS ELIGIBLE TO COM
 MANo A CRUISER.

hfNNO ~ NhOtoCh-
 The shabby Trick Played Upon . Patriotic Greek Boiler Maker by ! Some Of Uncle SaFs's sailor. With Whom He Had Shipped.
 About four years ago the cruiser on which l was serving shipped a boiler maker while We were CD the Mediter- ranean station" said a Washington chief petty officer of the navy, now on ] leave of absence. "Our former boiler makers tine expired while we were at ! Gibraltar. and as he was not in good ! physical shape he wasn't re-enlisted, but took bis discharge and returned to ' the United States by mail steamer. So the ship was shy 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 Co see if be couldn't dig up & | boiler maker
 There's 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 English-to | speak Of--but be was q 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 a good deal of laugh at the hands of the crew, es- pecislly 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 1t came to scrappin9 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 the outbreak of the war got to Marc. our boiler maker, he nearly had heart dis ease and a whole lot ss other sudden things from pure excitement He just couldn't hold himself in, be looked so tickled.
 Da Greeka man villa bim bim ! biml da Turka man, was Charlie Maro's way of putting if, and be didn t see that the Turk had ghost of a show All hands forward encouraged him in the belief They all acquiesoed in ex- pressing the belief to Marc that Greece would simply eat Turkey up. Then a bo' sun mate who knew how 10 crack the most impossible kind of steers with a face as solemn and wooden as an h. dian's 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 American navy to Greek commanders
 "'Here's a big chance for you. Marc, the bo'sun's mato told Marc You just want 10 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 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 have to apply 10 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 be 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 him up to it, and finally Marc appeared on deck one 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 commanding 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 be is obliged to do when an enlisted man requests permission to see the commanding officer, he sent word to the skipper. who soon emerged from bis cabin and appeared at the stick.
 "'Well, my manT said the skipper 10 Marc, who stood bolt upright and saluted with aourish
 " 'Sarc, said Marc to the skipper, I have-a da honor to her-a-by taka da com mand of a da ship
 {" 'Heyg said the commanding off oeT, putting his hand to his ear and looking as if he hadn't heard aright.
 " 'Da ship. repeated Marc Fora da navee of-a Hellas-da Greeka navee 1 l hava da honor to taka da command.
 "All hands among the enlisted men were Up Jn the to'gallant fo'o'sle talk ing the thing iD, and they broke into a ! roar that you could have heard five 1 ca Die ieuklus ulslauC1- MdIu deaIu lts ! and, suspecting that his confidence had l been abused. got red and fiabbergasted. l He suddenly bolted for the engine room | hatch and made his way below, and it 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 10 his sanity. 1 Marc was game enough to decline to l give the name of the enlisted man who l had told him he was eligible for the | command of the ship upon its being | turned into the navy of Greece. but the thrashing be gave that bos'n's mate when be got him 'on the beach | was certainly savage. "-Washington Star.
 Upon an average 10000 pineapples are imported into London every week throughout the year.
 
 Our citizens are becoming quite weary of the senseless quarantine