The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-07
WHEN JACK JUMPS HIS SHIP,
HARDER 10 DESERT FROM THE
NAVY THAN THE ARMY.
chances Taken by HincJ tckets-t Swim
Among sharks-Tar IN Hard Luck
The Good Twin and Ills Had IIrOther
"A SailOrrnan Tric ,cd by a Current,


greater in number during the past year
than during any other year in the history
OF the two services.
The official reports Of general officers Of
the army. a. well ~ the privately expressed
opinions of hundreds Of army officers Of
long experience, attribute he increase in
the number Of descrtrrs from the army
TO the abandonment Of the post canteen
Soidi"r> acCust omed to moderate iudul-
Rence H. the beers and light wines Of the
cantcen, have gone outside the post limit
for their beverages.
Going outsid" the post limits for this
purpos" has meant indulgence in the vi
cious whi-kcy purvrycd a, tho groggcries
which sprarg up at the gates of garrisoas
as soon a. the canteen was abolished, and
this led 10 brawls, trouble with the civil
authorities, followed by worse trouble
with the military powers. and the consr-
quou' ~'"...Ag 90 the d"sortors' roll
Thu increase III the number Of deserters
from the navy i a,cribcd to a sort of dis
content in general throughout the sea
service, but the exact natur. Of which it ia
hard TO define Il i a fact that such periods
OF discomfort in the navy have been of
occasi )nal rccurrouCe ia the history of the
~ WV ~ Niih' wv lH'S'IN
sulkiness. if -uCt it could hc called, through
ont the sea service should not be taken too
seriously
The Navy Department is at present
engaged in an inv, : igation Of its causes.
Unnecessarily harsh restrict ohs upon
the shore liberty Of the sailor, is probably
a. tn" bottom 4 most Of the feeling Of dis
content among them. Another cause 4
Il. a..
mon for the sea service in he inland country
districts. II has been among the men so
enlisted that the number of dcserters has
BET greatest. II is fact We'll known to
ON ers, both Of Ia" army and navy. that
the countrynen have not the endurance of
the city chaps
II Is a good deal easier for the man who
has determined to GtsoIt from the amy
to get away with the job than il is for the
blucjaCket who has formed a similar reso-
luton. He generally waits to get hold
of a months pay. When the day comes he
simply puts in his name for liberty. dns
his civilian clothes, If he has any, walks
out and forgots TO come back
Many soldiers do desert in their uni
forms, of course. and one defiant chap
once rugged himself out in heavy marchirp
order and stalksd out Of the garrison eatS
under cover OF darkness. He didn I come
back and they never got him.
The deserving soldier nearly always
leaves all OF his army clothing and most
Of his personal effects behind him This
gear Is regarded as legitimate loot by the
men Of his OUTFIT and the deserer barely
gets out OF the gate before his box is rised
that IL 10 say, II he hasn't previously
Distributed his stun among his btinkics.
The sailor who has made up his mind
TO jump ship has got To do more planning.
In 'he first place he nearly always has 10
"ait good deal longer FOR his day to come
around than the soldier
The Intending deserter from the navy
Is usually on the fourth-cass conduct
list. which means that he must remain
aboard 81 ip for three months before he gets
a shore liberty. Moreover when hi. name
appears on the fourt h class conduct lis,
he gets only a mGfthly dIiblet of his paw
and can only draw bis money in fun when
he reaches the tirst-class conduct list, and
even then he must allow full months
wages TO remain on the ships books
Every hluejacket in he lazy has this
months pay always ON the books" and
he can draw It only when his time has ex-
pired and he is paid Of II is little meas
ure devised TO prevent desertions on the
part OF dissatisfied men. A tar with an
Idea OF deserving naturally hates TO donate
TO the Government a months pay for which
he has had TO work hard
But Tie month pay To loo left behind 10
no real lrpeulment Ia the fiaifoot who has
fully determined to jump ship. There are
other IMPEDING nts which he must over
come. Among other jhugs. he has got TO
get his dunnage ashore. Bueiackets pick
up lot of gear in tho way of souvenirs
and the like III The course OF their voyagings,
some OF which is often of cons! d. rable
value, and the intending naval deserter
never entertains the slightest notion of
leaving the contents OF his dit'v Tag be-
hind hlm.
He gets it ashore pecemeal a. best he
can Then when his dav OF IbcIty and
money drawing arrives, the tar simply
goes upon the beach, don, civil an rig,
collects his gear previously irrr.Cd from
thc ship, and Il q job j. dom"
But II l. for Tie taC Who / bound to make
a uck Jun p, Althout waiting for liberty
or money, that the work j. cut out These
are the desperate de~crters, the fellows
who balk az nothing 10 get uut Of the serv-
We" and they are generally fellows who
fore'ee trouble ahead for offences COM
mlttcd on shlpbOard
Occasionally they are men rendered
desperate by bad news from home, and
sonnet ines they are men more or less crayed
by long confinement on shipboard. For
the~" fellows II IL generally a case Of slip
ping down the anCl OF chains and making
a swim for it, or framing up some adroit
dodge Whereby TO get ashore in one Of the
launches or cutters.
The swim " der cover Of the night il not
lItN' Wy l'f', i'ul II as olt''lI Deer
comrli-hed Nv dari.g men. In United
States ports IT il merely a matter Of the
deSprtcrs stree 9Th a. a swimmer. for /, il
easy to slir T. to VI" water after i"o-dowu
when all hands are | 4 cir lammocks az d
tho slips watch l. conf ed To tie marine
guard and az assistant legs or so. But H.
Southern waters the sharks have got to be
reckoIcd ~i'h.
Perhaps tie 'rvie-t chance ever taken
by a d"Hcytcr maxi gtho igh, swim ashore
from tie n .Chor ohai was in the case Of
blUoIa' kct who "a, klcd he lob a few wears
aCp Acapulco harbor, "u the west coats
of Mexico. r." gu.boa' o which lie was
servi. = lad her alohor ohai"s attached
10 n rock about three hundred yards from
the shOr,'.
TIE harbor was aliv" with huge mar
eating sharks, 4 few hundred Yards dis
ta.t from the im"ri' AZ gu',hoat was
anchored a Birth ror, "a slir. o. the
oane dav { At tie do>o.ti = man-o'-war's
MAJ made j. da' . swim, q couple Of
sailors, en- "a zig / sorHli - TIE side ~
this n"r' IN ~ii" from sVi 81 z plank
were a"CiDr tai" cast To tie water a q
thev wnr, tryourt1 hv the wal, Jag sha ks
In twirkli'P.
The hcw, Of this reached the mar-o'-war
very soon after il harr"ucd But il didn't
deter the ma on hoard the waislip who
was bound To- desert n at Uiglt.
n" waited u.u midi git, ard then he
slipred to y - water. A score Of his mess