The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1904-01-13
U. S. S. Pensacola,
Naval Training Station,
San Francisco, Cal,
Januury g. 1904.

y
will have to grin and bear it, SO here
goes,
suppose you have all read my last
letter. so it will be unnecessary for me
to start at the beginning again
| understand some OF you have the
idea that myself and the other boys
who came with me are tired OF our bar
gains. Such is not the case at all as
/ do not see how any one could ask for
better treatment than we are getting
here. OF course If a man tries his best
to be tough and smart, and not attend
to his. duties at all, he will naturally
get the worst Ct it here. the same as in
civil life. But as long as you are at
tentive to your duties and do as you are
told, you will get along all right, and
not have the sleast bit OF trouble with
any one.
There are couple of fellows here
who are trying their best to get a
beach" and they will in all PROBABLE
ity Ut it. too. A beach is .dishon-
orable discharge at the nearest port
without any clothing exceptth which
you are wearing at the time. The two
men have reference to are.confined in
double irons, or In the prig about half
the time. and men of that callbre are 9
disgrace to the service. One of them is
the man l mentioned in my last letter
as being confined in the prig on ac-
count of not properly saluting the col
ors. He has been sentenced to the prig
on bread and water for five days twice
since that time, and was released just
the other day, after being confined in
double irons for ten days. You see they
cannot sentence a mau to confinement
in double or single irons and the prig
on bread and water at the same time,
or on the same charge, so that IS why
he has not been doing double servitude,
and he certainly deserves it if ever a
man did, He has a Fighter an average
Of three times day when he is not in
confinement, and generally gees whip
ped, but that does not seem to affect
him in the least.
The other man spoke of is almost as
bad, but not quite. He has served two
or three terms in the prig and does no,
seem to mind it at all. He was senten.
ced once on charge of attempting te
desert. Desertions are common here
but as rule no one who has been do
ing as he oughtto, ever tries it. The
punishments for desertion are various
but as a rule consist of thirty days sol
itary confinement on bread aud water
and the loss OF one. two or three months
pay. If man delivers himself aboard
, any u. S. ship he is not fined so heav
lily, but always has to do at least thirt,
days on bread and water, Ii he is cap
tured and delivered aboard by any civ
il authority, he has to pay the srewart
and travelling expenses Of both parties
You of course understand that th,
above punishments apply only in tim
IF peace. In time of war, desertiol
calls for the firing squad at ten PAGES
We have aboard at the present tim
three or four men who-haye1 delivere,
themselves aboard here, and are nov
prisoners at large, awaiting a court
martial. They will probably conven
court-martial in a few days now, an,
the men spoke of will be tried an.
sentenced.
The minor punishments are of cours
in proportion to the offense, and gen
orally consist of extra duty, and sentr
duty. For having dirty clothes or shoe
at inspection, a man is generally give
from two to FIVE days extra duty, ae
cording to how often he has his clothe
or shoes in that condition. shirkin
any form of duty, untidy dirty bag:
swearing when some o1icers happens I
hear it, disrespect to a superior, at
sence from morning quarters and IL
spection, and great variety of petit
offenses call for the same punishment,
The penalty of breaking ones liberty
that is, staying ashore longer than 20
are allowed, is restriction OF from fiv
to ninety days, according to who syo
are. and how long you broke libert,
and great deal also depends upon you
former record.
Restriction, must explain, mean
not being allowed shore liberty for tn
periods of time above mentioned. BIZ
Understand all this is to be changed
and instead of being given restrictio
as at present the man who breaks iii
erty will be fined certain amount {
money. and this, I think will be MOI
satisfactory for the men, but will pr
badly encourage them to break libert
more than at present.
So far, Staley. Rudd and myself hay
behaved quite lwell. and have clel
record. We started quarterly exami
alton about two weeks sgo, and al
still at it. but think will be fnishe
in q few days. To me fell the work