The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-09-14
Yarns That Jack Will Back Against
Fresh Water Narratives.

4 EA LIFE develops a sense Of hu-
NOR and Jack sees the funny side
of everything. Any incident that
occurs aboard ship with a side capable
Of humorous development is instantly
seized and launched upon a sea Of
fOrecastle gossip, until it circles the
globe more times than Jack himself and
is translated into as many tongues as
there are maritime nations.
1t is in the second dog watch that
jokes are born and told. The second
dog watch is from to s o'clock in the
evening. when the days work is done
and all hands are at leisure Then,
after the evening meal. while pulling at
the pipes, the fOrecastle hands arouse
one another's mirth. Here is a typical
yarn:
The conversation had drifted to long
voyages and to Jacks inevitable deser-
ton at the first port. Said one old ex-
man-of-war's man;
But We can't do that in the navy"
NO" replied the young merchant
man. Hang the navy 1 wouldn't ship
in the navy for shippers pay. It amt
fit for white man-sellin' yeTself for
four years"
We'll" says the man-of-war's man,
lit amt so bad as We think il is. There's
ways Of gettin' out of the navy, too,
an what's more, with your pay
''HOw?" inquired several.
when I was on the old Alabama, ten
years ago" continued the bluejacket
there was a young fellow abroad ust
shipped.
He'd been bred to the sea in Cape
Cod fishin' smaclzs. so navy discipline
didn't agree with him We could all
see as how it was maxim him pretty
IL ]
and jOked and jOllied him along, think
in he'd soon get used to il.
1T wasn't no use, though; ne kept
gettin' bluer, and pretty soon he got to
actin queer. Whenever he was of
duty he'd sit danglin' his feet over the
rail- fishin', no bait on his hooks and
the ship gOin' ten knots. After that we
begun to get uneasy.
"One day the officer of the watch
came aFong and SEEM the lad fshin.
he SEE, SEE he:
g Wen, Jack. what We doin'?'
" 'Fishin'.' SEE Jack.
What fOr?' SEE the lieutenant.
" Dunno sez Jack very short
We'll. the officer got suspicious after
he saw this few times and he report
ed to the captain. Then the captain
came along and he SEE:
What We dom, Jack?'
=" 'Fishin''
A." What for2'
o" Dunno.
An that was al we could ever get
out of him-he didn't know what ten
ne was fishiu' for
'WeI, one day we fetched I'D in
Frisco, and Jack was reported unfit
for duty. Application was put in for
his discharge. SOS they could send him
home, where ne could be well took care
OF One day Jack was called aft. and
there. sure enough, was his disability
discharge and a check in full fur his
pay.
When he came on deck again Jack
was a civilian. We was all gatherin'
round him to tell him good-by when
suddenly he busts out laughin' fit to
split hisseh. We all thought as how
some new kind of fit took him, but the
executive officer SEE:
What's UP. Jack2'
Why, shouts Jack. between laughs.
I just found out what I was dshin' for.
1t was this.
And he holds up his discharge and
pay check.
The Spanish American war brought
out another story that has also circled
the globe. The incident took place out
side New York harbor, but the writer
first heard of it from Greek sailor on
the veranda Of a japanese tea house in
Nagasaki.
When the war was declared the crows
OF the 1erican Warships of the Atlantic
squadron were at once swelled BY the adj
clifton Cf numerous naval militiamen-
amateur sailors whose sea-gofng exneri-
ences have been confined to anchored
training ships and sailbOats. Jack has an
unspeakable contempt for these fresh