The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-05-18
TRICKS In TIE NAVY
HOW THE MEN CoNTRrVe TO PUNISH
UNPOPULAR OFFICERS

A~~A Alhn E4atcNiNc way
of Getting Full Revenge For Hi
Grievances-The Difference Betweel
"Lay Down" and a Mutiny.
American memo wars men don't mu
tiny these days. They know the pun
ishment that would be melted out fo
that sort of thing. and their average Of
Intelligence and of esprit de corps |.
infinitely higher than that of the crews
of the old time frigates who really die
mutiny. much as is talked about the
glories of the old navy by the ancient
dat feet of the wooden navy, still in
the service. A genuine mutiny on
board any kind of ship is a good deal
like what General Sherman termed
war. The entire British navy In every
part of the world upon u precOncerted
and passed around word once mutinied
1T was in the latter part of the eight
eenth century-at certain hour. Thera
were dolngs then and afterward. The
dolngs afterward arranged matters so
that there has never been a genuine
mutlny ON board one British man-o'-
war since. The yardarms were busy
standing the strain of the swung men
for long months after that mutiny, and
1t was a salutary lesson for naval mari
ners the world over.
But disconnected men-of-wars men
in the American navy, suffering under
what they deem imposition or a with
holding of their rights. can, and some
times do, make it mighty unpleasant
on board their ship for the commander
thereof and for the officers directly con-
cerned with their grievances.
Such acts as heaving missiles at dis
liked officers are not done in the navy
today, but the bluejackets have little
methods of their own of getting back
at severe or imperious officers. Lay
ing down" is one of their schemes, and
1t is an efficacious method. The men
of ships company cannot be punish
ed in a bunch for not coming up to a
set standard in the performance Of
work. and they know how to take adj
vantage of that knowledge. The
amount of work that a disaffected
ships company can't do Ia a given
space of time Is something immense
In the matter of coaling ship, for ex-
ample. they can either make life mis-
cradle for the commanding officer, If |
be Is the man they have it In for. by |
ioafng on their job through all the |
watches and dragging the dirty and
unpleasant coaling task through an in
tsrmlnable length of time, or they can
punish any watch officer for whom they
have got 1t in by Showing him up" |
In the latter case they calmly wait
till the watch officer who has incurred
their displeasure takes the deck and
assumes direct command of the work
of coaling. and then they proceed to
give an exhibition Of how frantically
q ships company of naval sailor men
can work without doing anything.
They shovel away furiously, but some
how or another very little coal seems
to find its way over the ships side and
into the bunkers. The bluejackets in
the coal lighters pant and perspire I'M
der the strain of labor that looks quite
terrific, but there is q monumental lack
of Roadway in the coaling of the ship.
The disliked officer Of the deck may
chafo and mutter deep and dark things
under his breath but this doesn't get
coal into the bunkers. When he makes
his report to 1.-THE old man" of the
amount of coal that has been got
aboard during his watch it is found by
that It Is only about one
third the amount that was hosted over
the side during the watch Of the pre-
ceding officer Of the deck, who happen.
ed to be popular with the men. \ mat
ter of this sort always sets cor ID
ing officer to thinking, for men WHO are
,iu enough to be commanders of Amcri-
ran men-of-war have learned BY cx
periencc that It Is IS ea@y as launching
A dingey for naval officer to acquire
and hold the good Will of enlisted men
and that the usefulness on board of a
ship of an officer who has sacrificed the
confidence and good will OF the men
for'ard Is just as good as gone.
And so 1t comes to pass that nova
lays few officers of the United States
navy fail to apprahend how we'll it
pays them to make themselves popular :
With the men for'arcl. In the old navy
t often happened that officers who had
earned the Ill will Of the bluejackets /.
actually feared to go for'ard at night
liter lights were out, and there was .
'eason. Such officers. taking the chance,
would no sooner set foot under the
'o'csle, where, after lights out, there
vas only the dim illumination of
Jingle standing light. than they would
lave to dodge all manner of missiles -.
soup and bully" cans, checking ,
blocks. mess gear, boots, anything and :
throwable that the sailovs
md marines In and out of their harn-
noc!Ss. first laid their hands upon. On '
uch an occasion the officer who was :
he target had but one thing to do, and
hat was to scoot aft as fast as his
egs would carry him. He could make a..
complaint to the commanding officer ,
he next day II he were foolish. but he !.
areIy secured the punishment of any =