Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-09-27
DONE WITH TATTOOING.
No Longer q Fad In the United
States Navy.

"Tattooing may have become the
vogue among faddy young men and
women Of distinction in society, as
occasionally see noted in the newspa-
pers, but it has gone out Of fashion
among the men-o-war's-men," re-
marked naval officer at the Brooklyn
yard the other day. For number
Of years past, in fact, the old-timers
have been using a certain method to
get rid Of their tattoo marks. This Is
the milk-an-toothpick treatment, and
it's about the simplest thing in life.
1.-The sailorman who has q bit Of
tattooing that he wants to get rid Of
simply dips a sharp and hard toothpick
in milk and jabs away at the mark
with it. 1t is trifle painful, Of course.
The skin must be broken all over the
surface of the tatooed mark to let the
milk into the flesh.
1.-THE milk absorbs the ink. and when
the wound heals the tattoo mark is
by no means as bad scar as Is left af-
ter a tattoo mark has been treated by
the electric needle.
I'm time about every one grows
weary of his tattoo marks. The young
officers Of my day in the old navy
nearly all had themselves marked up
with the bunch of tattooing needles,
just as the old-time blue jackets did,
but think we're all more or less sorry
for 1t.
1.-THE sorriest two people I ever saw
over tattoo marks were q couple Of
young women, both Of them daughters
Of one Of the most famous admirals of
the old navy. They accompanied their
father out to the China station, and
while in Japan, in a spirit Of mischief.
they both had their cheeks tattooed a
lovely, blushing pink.
1.-THE job was done by the finest tat
tooer in the empire Of Japan, and it
simply made the young women look as
IL they were blessed with the charm
ing high color of perfect health. Their
father, the old admiral, ragged and
stormed over it, but the job was done.
never to be undone.
when the two young women grew
bit elderly, still, of course, preserv-
ing the peachy color In their cheeks,
their women friends accused them, ma
turally enough, and behind their backs
Of course, Of using rouge. I have
heard both Of them, after they had be-
come mothers Of families, bitterly be-
wall their foolishness in having had
that extraordinary bit Of tattooing per-
formed on their countenances.
There was a funny tattooing Incl
dent on board of the ship to which I
was attached on the Mediterranean
station about a dozen years go. The
executive officer Of the ship-of course.
you know the executive officer. or first
lufr,' as the blue jackets called him. is.
next to the skipper, the biggest man
on board a man-o'-war-was perhaps
the quietest and most reserved man in
the American navy.
"An ensign was sent out to our ship
to replace young man who had been
relieved. The new young officer had
been the talkiest cadet, perhaps, who
ever went through Annapolis. and his
penchant for volubility clung, and his
after he got his commission.
lone day just after Joining the ship,
the young ensign began at the mess
table to dilate on the subject Of tat
tooing. He had noticed that a large
percentage of our ships company for
ward was tattooed and it panied him.
Its a barbarous, silly. disgusting
practice said the young man, and
there ought to be q regulation provid-
ing for the severest punishment to be
meted out upon any man, fore or aft,
who permits himself to be tattooed.
An officer who allows himself to be
tattooed ought to be dismissed from
the SERVICE
Now, that was pretty warm talk,
inasmuch as most Of US older men at
the table were more or less marked up
with the needles, but the older men
around a pess table have to make al
lowances for the rawness Of the young
er chaps, and so nothing was said. The
executive officer regarded the talkative
boy with vague smile in his eyes, and
then transferred his attention to his
plate.
I'VE had a salt water shower bath
fixed aft on the main deck whereWith
to cool ourselves when we turned out IN
the morning. We'd don short trunks
and stand under the thing and then go
over ourselves with fresh water.
ION the following morning after the
young ensign had basted tattooing so
thoroughly the executive officer walked
out under the shower bath In his
trunks. The young ensign happened
to be officer Of the deck, and 1t was
study to observe how his eyes stuck
out when he had one good look at the
person of the first luff,' his very much
superior officer.
"The executive officer was a giant
of 6 feet 2. On his chest he had tattooed
an enormous full-rigged ship IN piue
and red. On his back he had a really
fine niece about a foot and half long
and wide that had been done by
japanese. 1t represented japanese
dragon battling with an eagle. in four
colors--blue, red, golden brown and
green.
ION his brawny arms from his shoul-
ders almost to his visits were nicely
pictured anchors, boa constructors,
weeping willows, stars, flags and such.
"The executive officer stood under the
shower, looking straight ahead and
,,,,,l,n, drea uilv He knew that the