Omaha daily bee., 1906-08-13
DULL DAYS IN The CANTEEN
Sailors Are Not HOpelsssly Addicted to the
Soda Water Habit.
JACK sHUNs THE SOFT DRINK STORE
Sergeant of Marines Tells of Good OLD
Days when Real Beer Might he
Had ut the Brooklyn
Navy YARD.

Morning drill was over, and the mem
bers OF the squad Of marines that had been
marching, presenting arms, shouldering
arms. and otherwise acquiring temper
and a thirst, filed into the locker room Of
the building on the Cob Dock, at the
Brooklyn navy yard tore OF their heavy
uniform shirts and swore continuously and
fuently as they scrambled into thin white
tunics.
There" said the sergeant who had
served in the Philippines, as he jerked his
head back from his chair on the porch.
there is the temperance brigade as yeu
was asking about"
| Inquiry had been made concerning a re-
| port that Sunday "mixologists" and pro-
| prietors of thirst parlors on Sands street
were threatened in bankruptcy on ac-
count of a sudden passion for canteen soda
water with chocolate and pineapple flavor
ing which had developed among the mon.
Recipe for Lemonade.
| 'I remember" continued the sergeant,
that when I was younger, about the time
Joined the service, they were singing a
song which about described the present
situation in the navy. 1t went something
| like this:
For you take the whisky thin.
An you squeeze the llmon in.
Shure, they call It limonade in Bally-
hooly;
And whin the temperance brigade
| GIFTS out upon parade,
There's not sober man in Ballyhooly
'Td heard all about this big wave OF re-
! form and soda water before you mentioned
| the matter. Two men were seen in tho
canteen consuming lemon pie and drink
| ing orangende in huge quantities last Fri
day. Suppose you see If they've come back;
canteen's only two doors TO the right along
| this path"
The man in civilian dress, dosing behind
J the soda fountain, awoke at the fourth
cough. He rubbed his eyes, then hurriedly
| wiped OFF the COUNTER
yes, SIR" he said; "what'll it be; choc-
olate, vanilla. pineapple or ginger7 The
| ginger is very much favored. because II
has a grip to It, and -"
Thank you 1 do not belong to the post
was merely seeking Information"
Yes. sir: certainly, sir. But won't you
| let me serve you? I'd just like to have
you try our plain soda with ginger. It's in
| great demand-sometimes
Are the bluejackets drinking much,
| these DAYS?
Drinking much? WELL say, don't you
| think there'd be something doing in wet
! goods this weather? What, this stuff
mean soda water? Not much. Only, when
they have to. and that isn't very often"
Said the Sergeant
The sergeant raised his eyebrows. rWell,"
| he said, "ain't a whole lot doing II there
Won't be, either, If you anchor in the place
| all day long. But they're doing busy on
Sands street and Navy street, amt they 2
/ Perhaps they're not boiling some of our
| fellows this very minute with colored wood
alcohol and diluted vtriol.
There was time before the Water Cart
p, Travellers undertook to run the army and
| navy Of the United States, when a man
| could go to the canteen and get a scoor
| of beer that was beer. Perhaps he had
| two, and maybe little later in the day
he had two more. Suppose the last SCOOP
| before he turned in made him feel Bit
happy; what OF It? Wasn't he right in
barracks, turning into his own bunk, safe
| from all harm and on hand to answer ia
| rollcall in the morning? No headache, nc
| empty pocket t..-
well, they changed all that. The morals
of the army and navy was being destroyed
by the demon rum in the per cent lager
and parade thirst called aloud for choco-
| late ice cream"
While he was talking the whole squad
had hurried to the tiny ferry boat that con-
meets the Cob dock with the main section
of the reservation.
Did you notice that Wild rush for the
! cant0en Now, what do you think those
boys will do when they get outside the
gates? I'll tell you. because I know, and
because I've been there too often myself
they'll make first class, special diploma,
blue ribbon idiots of themselves. They