The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-11-11
Few Visitors or
Cruiser on
Monday.
Jack Tars We're Passing
Black Diamonds Into
Bunkers of Warship.

Natty white uniforms, clean faces,
clean hands, and polished boots were
in vogue for every man on the cruiser
New York on Sunday. officers were
displaying new uniforms with the reg
ulation amount of gold braid attached.
On decks, bridges, guns, and in fact
in every portion of the vessel there
were visitors. But On Monday the scene
was changed. Instead of cleanliness
all was black. Coal dust was flying
about in clouds. The guns were covered
with canvas AND the men who man the
guns were covered with coal dust to a
depth Of nearly half an inch in some
cases. Visitors viewed the cruiser from
a distance. And the crew were making
a record.
The scene around the big warship
was a strange n Nearly all of the
~bluejackets were at work passing coal
and coal went down into the bunkers
OF the vessel more rapidly thar it ever
went into a vessel in Honolulu before.
The bluejackets seemed to revel in the
blackness of their skins. The only in
cident to remind one that not every
body was working in a. coal mine was
the w%ership's band, stationed on the
bridge. and playing lively martial airs
as If to remind the men that they were
expected to step lively. The band
played Hail Columbia" A sailor tried
to make rag time" out of the air and
dance to hat arrangement and after
a few lively steps in real air the basket
of coal ne was carrying fell and jack
tar went bouncing into the water with
the accompaniment Of the shouts of his
comrades. He was on the coaI barge
again in a twinkling and did not seem
to mind the wetting.
When he attleship Oregon came up
to the anchorage the bluejackets had
nearly completed their work. AS the
last bits of black diamonds were usher
ed into the bunkers of the big cruiser
the barges were hauled away and a
couple of very black men looked down
from the vessels rail into the dock.
Someone jumped from the deck into
the water. In a twinkling all the men
had followed suit and diving from the
deck were soon scrambling in the brine
One man went over the side with a pail
of socks on his feet. He kept his head
under water until he had kicked thess
off and then f1oated around in the docl
: just like a duck There were scores o.
these fellows washing off coal dust ant
swimming at the same time. and whe1
they left the water it seemed to have {
black crust all yer it, but this sool
: fioated out to sea with the tide.
After two o'clock all hands were a
work cleaning up. Every inch of tn
} exterior of the cruiser was washed an,
f. when the nightfan came on the vesse
appeared as clean and new as If sh
had just been painted up p~reparator
to going to sea.
3 Father Chadwick. the popular chap
lain of the New York, was scurryin
around all day yesterday picking u
talent for a musical treat that will b
given on the New York on Friday ever
ing and unless the popular priest {
- the old Vermont mas missed his mar
the entertainment Of the close of tn
, week Will be very interesting.
= Many visitors will probably look owe
zs the cruiser today as the coal is no
se out of h way and the naval wharvt
n viii be almost as spotless as the fool
of the Palace.