The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-06-11

Fully 100 enlisted men on the United
States cruiser philadelphia, now Mt the
Port Orchard dr%cock, Will this morning
be called upon To FACE charges OF -nsub-
ordination Their crime hes in the fact
that they visited Seattle while on
shore leave givins permission 10 spend
twenty-four hours IN any place they might
wish excepting this city.
The men themselves are very much put
out. and vie with one another in saying
that If court martial II must be, they VIII
stand o. fail together.
As l. customary When lying In port
Cant Meade the men say, when the YES
sci entered the Sound, promised them
leave of absence for forty-eight hours
beginning Saturday at noon. The vessel
was put in good order Saturday forenoon.
and as Friday was payday aboard snip
a good time on shore was anticipated
Just before u o'clock Saturday the men
were called on deck and an order read
which was signed "Commander-in-Chi
cutting down the leave to twelve hours
and permitting only one-half the men to
go Saturday at noon, TO report back at
$50 Sunday morning, and the other one
half to depart at that hour and return
at 7:30 Monday morning This was bad
enough, but the order continued and for
babe the men,. during their leave, to visit
Seattle.
In the order itself no reason for this lat
ter clause was set forth, but the men say
word was passed around by the medical
inspecting officer that there was smallpox
in this city and 1t was unsafe for the
sailors to come here.
But yesterday was an excursion day TO
Port Orchard. and many boats We're ply
ing between the naval station and Seat
tie. Order or no orders, the men. many
Of whom were in this port for the first
time decided to see the city. As many
as could steal away took passage on the
excursion boats and came over. Proba-
bly, fifty waited until the officers had left
the ship. and then. raising n purse, char
tered the steamer Pilgrim to land them
al a Seattle wharf and return them to the
station. leaving Seattle at o'clock sharp
this morning.
The men are very indignant at the or
der.
I'VE don't really know why were
ordered to stay away from Seattle" saba
noncommissioned officer last night, 'and
we don't care much. as we have spent the
day here. Seattle is the only place any
OF us would want to visit. In the neigh
borhood of the station there IS nothing
but bad whisky and gambling, and either
will kill a sailor off quickly. We were
told by the medical inspector there was
n great deal of smallpox here Tho Off
GERS Of the boat are in Seattle every day
and don't seem to he afraid Of smallpox.
We can't see why the enlisted men should
be afraid.
Another thing. II there is smallpox here
why are the men off the Iowa and other
United States ships allowed to come to
Seattle and stay forty-eight hours.
"Our ship was several months in South
American and we never had n days shore
leave When we reached San Francisco
we had forty-eight hours, which is GUS
tomary in all American ports, and IL
Capt. Meade had his way we would all
have had that time here. Many Of us
have never seen Seattle We leave here
Thursday and may never have another OPP
portunity. We don't want TO spend what
little money we have in the gambling
houses at the station. and whore else
than Seattle, can we go on a twenty-four
hours shore leave?
I'VE may All get three months aboard
ship as punishment. but we have seen
Seattle Admiral Kautz Is commander
in-chief, and It IL presumed he issued
the order forbidding us TO come here"