Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-01
GOT THEIR WHISKY.
Tricks of Soldiers and Sailors Which
Succeeded.

From the New York Tribune. ~ ~
General Braxton Bragg was 50 utterly
opposed to having his men become crazy
drunk" by the vile stuff purchased from
camp followers that he Issued a general
order strictly Excluding liquors from the
camp or any place within the distance >of
ten miles in any direction. Nevertheless
the soldiers employed their time and tai
ents in circumventing this order, and they
were generally successful. 1t is a matter
of official record that when General Bragg's
confederate command was encamped near
Mobile there was a certain spring from
which the men obtained their drinking wa
ter. AS it rose from sandy soil in which
q nit could be easily excavated, one of the
men hit upon the happy expedient of bury
ing barrel of whisky near the spring. IL
was only natural that in that warm climate
the soldiers should go often to the spring.
but In a few days it was observed that the
water had a strange effect upon them, and
MANY often ended the day and spent the
night in the guard house while they sobered
down. 1t was not until the command got
marching orders that the trick was ex-
posed, and only then by one of the soldiers
telling Bragg s orderly how the whisky bar
rel was kept close to the spring, and, with
plenty of straws at hand, when seeming to
be drinking from the spring they were, in
fact. sucking from the whisky barrel
Sailors are as scheming as soldiers when
they want whisky This incident occurred
when Prof Agassiz, sr. was making his
famous fish Investigations In 1872 along the
coasts Of South America. 1t was after
passing through the Strait Of Magellan,
where he discovered the mammoth glacier
which was named the AgassiZ glacier On
the deck of the steamer lent him by the fish
commission, and which was differed and
manned from the navy personnel he had
large hogshead dashed just abaft the smoke
stack, In which he kept whisky to preserve
the fish until he could dissect them.
haul Of about 100 fine specimens Of fish had
been made at Chimbote. Peru. and after
leaving there, on the way to Payta. Prof.
Agassiz went to his improvised fish tank
and found only lot of spoiled fish in the
hogshead. An investigation was made, and
It was found that some of the sailors had
bored through the smokestack and into the
hogshead, and then, by means of a piece
of gas pipe, had drawn off every drop of
whisky. 1t had been noticed that some Of
the sailors seemed to have liquor but 1t
had been supposed they got it from snug
glers
Another instance of naval shrewdness
came to light few days ago. An Irish
woman had the privilege of selling TUX
uries'' to the sailors on the Maine She
invariably carried aboard good-sized
chicken and always left it, but there
seemed to be sharp competition among the
sailors to get it.. The trick was discovered
through an inquiry made by butcher as to
why the officers wanted large fowls instead
of the small and more tender ones. and
bought one every day 1t was learned that
the woman went to the market. picked out
a large chicken and In place of the Gus
tomary stuff1ng put in flask filled with
whisky and sewed it in neatly.