Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-09
ROUND ROBIN"
CHARGES AGAINST CAPT. CULVER
OF THE GALVESTON.
Allegations of insufficient and Poor
Food-overworking the Crew
and Bad Language.

Many members of the crew of the U. s. s.
Galveston. which recently arrived at Nor
rolk from cruise to Texas, have issued a
round robin" in the form OF an open un-
signed letter, complaining of conditions on
board that vessel. This letter, in part. is
as follows:
Half an hour before the Galveston ar
rived at the Norfolk navy yard Capt Will
lam q. culver gave orders that all men who
hao broken shore leave at Galveston, cur
port OF last call, or any who had made any
trouble during the voyage, should be placed
In double irons until the ship left the dock.
The cruiser will be here for two weeks,
and 30 all men in irons will remain prison
ers for that length Of time
The result Of this order was that forty men
were shackled. We have twenty-five men
VINO are waiting for summary courts-mar-
tial and one man who is waiting for a gen
eral court-martial. The latter man is a
fireman. The charge against him is that he
refused duty. There was good reason for
MS refusing, for the man was overworked
and the food supplied him was scanty and
OF poor quality. Weakness resulting from
poor food and overwork made him abso-
iutely unfit for work in the fire room The
night ne refused to go to work he had been
given stale canned meat and hard bread
Tor supper.
Poor Provisions.
The quality Of these provisions was so
poor that we took samples Of it to the mast
10 protest to the captain. He looked 1t over
ana then said 1t was good enough for u.s.
mat was the only satisfaction we got The
oay before this occurred Captain Culver
remarked that he would make skeletons of
us.
While we were In Galveston one-balf of
the engineers deserted the ship. When the
remaining half returned to work they were
loiced TO do all the full complement had
done before. This exhausted them terribly
Four were knocked out by overwork and
mad to be taken to the sick bay in a serious
conoltlon Some of the other men were so
weak they almost fell at their posts.
another and mere serious charge that We
make against Capt William G. Culver Is
that he has used the most provoking lam
guage toward the men, A drunken man
would not use the words the captain freely
utters to us.
The Crew Defended.
we nave noted that some of the papers
nave printed story about u.s. stating that
the crew of the Galveston are q lot of lazy
drunken loafers and hoboes 1t is claimed
tnat we insulted women while the shin Law
d. galveston. We deny positively that we
ever insulted any women in Galveston The
crew or this ship is as good a lot of sea-
men as Uncle Sam has on any ship in the
navy. imp 40 INV
NANNpiC - tiidt we nave not got the
right man for leader a captain who can
use Judgment Since the ship went into
commission two months ago there have
peen thirty desertions. sixty-fve men in
ooupie irons ,thrity-three summary courts
martial and one general court --aatria),',
Inc matter is being quietly investigated
az the Navy Department. but action is sus-
pended pending the receipt of the official
report OF captain Culver regarding bfs
cruise and the alleged mutinous conduct Of
certain members of the crew.