Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-09-08
JACK TARs IN POKER FIGHT.
Asia Was Pitted Against Africa, and
Nerves Were Tried For Three
Months.


Months.
"A couple of cruises ago I saw a pair
of poker hands dealt in Japan the ac-
ton upon which eliminated In the
United States three months later" said
chief petty officer in the United
States navy. 1.-THE hands constituted
try-out between the backbone Of a
black man and the nerve Of China
man.
THE game began in the harbor of
Yokohama. For four months previous
all hands had been quarantined on
board ship on account Of the prevail
ence of cholera in the Japanese ports
The quarantine against shore liberty
was raised when the ship drifted into
Yokohama harbor and it was found
that the cholera had been wiped out.
"Then all hands forward drew big
money from the paymaster in anticipa-
ton of one stupendous saki toot In
Yokohama as a wind-up to the cruise.
Before the liberty party went ashore,
however, the skipper got his sailing or
ders for the run to the Mare Island
navy yard, and, as the ship was to up
anchor on the following morning for
the states, the liberty was Of course
cancelled.
"Bluejackets hate to have money
loose on them that they have no i'm
mediate chances to spend in port, and
the big sums that they had drawn with
the Yokohama liberty in view were
thrown on their hands, with no chance
of big beach blowin until the States
were reached. So they got down to
sure enough poker as soon as knock-of
was piped on the evening before the
sailing.
For chips they used, after the GUS
tomary fashion in the navy, old decks
of cards cut in two, thus nursing the
idea that they were deceiving the off,
GERS as to the nature Of the game they
were playing. The officers. as a rule,
permit the poker-playing bluejackets to
entertain this comfortable delusion, for
even the middies in our sea outfit un-
derstand the non-necessity. not to say
the foolishness, Of seeing too much of
what is happening among the men for
ward.
THE four-hand game around the
fo'c'sle capstan quickly developed into
the hottest affair Of all the poker ses-
sions that were in progress all over
the ship, from the coal bunkers to
the space in the forward anchor
chains. 1t was so hot that two of
the players, bo'sun's mate and gun
ner's mate, were bulged out at the end
of a couple Of hours playing leaving
coal-black seaman named Terry and
the Chinese wardroom cook, Tsi Moon,
pitted against each other.
"Tsi Moon was the crack pokerist
of the ship, If not Of the whole Asiatic
fleet, and the black was only a shade
behind him. Both of them always had
in their neck-bags $1,000 or so in loose
poker winnings, easily snagged from
reckless f1atfeet who had the temerity
to play with them. But throughout
two cruises, or six years, during which
both were on the same two ships. they
had refrained from playing against
each other by a sort Of mutual con-
sent feeling no doubt, the the picking
among their shipmates was better and
easier than pitting themselves against
each other.
| But here they were, the placid, in
scrutable Chink and the lowering and
singularly lucky black, right up agains,
each other in two-hand game on the
night before the ship was to up anchor
for the States, and all. hands, although
they kept a proper distance away from
the capstan so as not to attract any
undue attention from the officers to the
game, were a whole lot interested ir
the way things were going to come ou
between Tsi Moon, the cook; and Ter
ry, the seaman.
THE two felt Of each others game
for couple Of hours before either o.
them got down to business, and ther
Tsi Moon collared the black in the ac
of trying to get away with scientific
stand-pat bluff. A while later Terry
had the goods when the Chink got af'
ter him again in the same way, anC