Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-13
GULLIBLEi IBLUEJACKETs

The gullibility- of the naval bluejacket
ashore Is an enduring mystery. 1t would
naturally be presumed that men whose
lives are spent in cruising the world up and
down. and in meeting up with all types of
humanity, ought, in the course of time. to
develop really basaltic quality of shrewd-
hess in dealing with the cheerful workers
of the beach. Yet there is no easier prey
for the roush-and ready CRATER than the
blueiacket. The bueiackets are stripped.
plundered' soused in the picking barrel of
the broke dead ones" and hung out to
dry again and again. and yet few of them
ever seem to learn through bitter expe-
rience OF all uniformed men-and men in
uniform in general are accounted pretty
easy by the beach grafters-the naval blue
jackets are perhaps the most susceptible to
the caloiery f1attery, fawning and schem-
ing OF the chaps ashore who make a bust
ness of fattening on them And it would
seem that the older and more experienced
the sallorman, the easier he is
Few years ago the writer attended a
county lair IN small town in Westchester
county, about half an hours ride from New
YORK city. Several of the ships of the
North Atlantic squadron We're then lying in
the SOUND. and about 200 of the buejackets
came ashore and spent the afternoon at
the fair. or trying to get to the fair 1t
was extraordinary to observe the positive
easerhess with which the sailormen. all of
,hen with thelr months pay under their
mastering shirts, went I'D against the shell
games and fixed wheels and devised chuck
a-luck ana the phony games in general that
were scattered around on the outside of the
grounds. All of the games belonged TO the
"heads-l-wn-tai ais -you-lose" class. but the
Saiiormen. many of whom had been around
.,e Worln haif dozen times, just ate them
up a good many of the jacks never got
INSIDE the fair grounds at ALL having gone
broke before they much as reached the
sac. Ihose of them who didn't go to
hnf1
grounds sloughed off their wages at the
phony games after they came out and the
sratters all had leather bags filled with
gold coin to carry away at the Wind-up of
the afternoon One of these cheerful work
crsua sharp-faced manipulation of the
Shei!s-remarked. saturninely as he gath
of yellow coin
TAX about your Rubes and hayseets.
Incle Sammie's swabs with the bell bot
toms are good enough for mel"
:, IN an OF the cities of the country where
there are navy yards-except Washing
toh' the navy yard here being no longer a
rendezvous Tor ships of war-the rum mill
ket pers who build up a clientele of blue
jackets have got the art of holding on to
men, ,neir patronage beautifully worked up
lheE toady to the tars. employ their cheap
establishments in dealing with them and
very often practically carry them off from
'nelf Shlps-tcd up at the navy yard docks
by main fierce. to their sawdust -carpetad
"ct-SoodS emporiums. The proprietors of
some OF the saloons that adjoin the navy
yards seem to have the ShipS' muster roofs
nor TO say the paYmaSterS' accounts at
lhelr myers ends. They appear to know
TO IA day when the registering. drinking
men are TO be discharged, well as the
amounts the roysterers are to be paid
off With When a ship with n crew of
many men whose enlistments are about
expiring returns from a foreign station
me Keeper of the rum mill adjoining a
navy yard goes about the job of wheediing
the Shoft-tlmc men, to the end of accumu-
iatlng their savings when they are dis
charged, with rude diplomacy.
lie toys himself out in his best which
generally includes dazzling array of rose
diamonds, and spends the greater part of
a haE aboard the newly returned ship. The
sih-ihlil man knows most of the men of the
crew, especially the old timers among
them. and he makes himself known to the
others lie Tits around the spar deck with
gag here and a coddling word there
and he likes to have the men address hin,
by his first his nickname He sits down
at a rough mess table, a number of the
members of which are shortly to be paid
off and he hreatkes the musky breath of
sporting life upon all hands eating a. ong-
side of him He is a hot sport and the
men like to be addressed Familiarity by such
& fellow. He gets the about -be-paid-off
men one by one into corners and tells them
Oh the rattlinS good arrangements he has
made for their entertainment when they
get quit of their cruise next week. He
works them up into fever heat of antici-
pdtloil, ana When ne goes the side
before evening quarters he IS pretty certain
OF his quarry. He has kept the name of his
establishment in the minds of the. crews of
al! the ships likely to return to his navy
yard by sending them big bundles of news
papers to all quarters of the world and
every Christmas season he has sent out to
all the ships gaudy Christmas cards with
the name of his place stamped on a corner
of them.
OF the mon that he thus makes a business
of corralling before they repair aft to the
pay office to draw their accumulated say
ings. there always numbers who have
lnaue detailed plans to spend their three
months before shipping over at the homes
OF their people, some Of these homes be-
ing situated far inland. Some of the men
about to be paid off may not have seen
these homes for six, nine or twelve wears
and for months before their final paving
off they have pictured over their pipes
the scene when. arrayed in purple and fine
linen, they finally reach their homes, with
pockets stuffed with money. presents for
all the women folks. including souvenirs
from many lands, and a good, decent
.iine ahead OF them They resolve to be
decent" do these planners of home visits
ana Hereby resolve not to touch a drop of
rum from the day they go over the side
until after they have finished their visits
at home. Many Of them are men who in
their little inland homes, made records in
their young manhood as reckless lads, who
seemed bound to drink themselves to death
and they are DESTROYS of proving To ali
hands. when they return home after wears
Of cruising about the world. that they have
made men of themselves in the navy.
Wen, these are the men who fall into the
nicely stretched net of the navy ward Ladder
of damp goods When their money is gone
hey are reminded in no gentle terms that
If they are going to ship over in the navy
the time is ripe. And all their dreams Of
trjumphal home visits fall, shattered, at
the cruel awakening
a HARD RAIN.