Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-09-11
LIVING ON A WARsH|P
The Fare That Uncle Sam Serves
to His BIuejackets.
COSTS THIRTY CENTS A DAY.

The Food Is Good, Plenty and Varied
and Better Than Many Civilians Get.
The Officers Meals and the Different
.Messes-The Paymaster's Work.
How many housewives would like
to have to cater for a family for 80 1
cents head q day That's exactly
the sum it costs Uncle Sam. and he
has something like 10000 bluejackets
to feed at his man-of-war table. $@
Even on ordinary days sailor sits
down to a fare no civilian need sniff
at, says the Home Magazine. Eggs,
boiled potatoes, bread and butter and
coffee form his breakfast one morn
ing Perhaps the next he has sau-
sages and corn bread. n
Roast veal with gravy, boiled pota-
toes, succotash, bread and butter, gin
gerbread and coffee is an ordinary din
ner menu, while fried pork chops,
bread and butter, apple sauce and tea
is the bill Of fare submitted by the
steward to the paymaster for the same
days evening meal. .s.6
That the fare agrees with him is at
tested by his hospital record. Seldom
more than five to ten men are sick at
time from the ships crew of 800.
Not all the seamen are brought up.
near the sea Many of them are In
land boys who run away from home
for the life on the brine. The books
Of the Virginia, for instance bear this
out with record that Of the $50 sail
ors 600 have enlisted from states as
far inland as Idaho and Wisconsin.
Every minute Of the day aboard ship.
| Is lived according to rule. At $50
o'clock In the morning the sailor is
aroused by the call of three bells.
Thirty minutes Is allowed him for
flashing his hammock, etc. After that
he is allowed to take 1t down only by
special permission. There is no sneak
ing 1t of for seductive little maps in
the day. ~
| His breakfast Is served at $50
o'clock, Ave bells. Twelve seamen
mess at one table, one Of their own
number receiving an extra stipend Of
SIS monthly from Uncle Sam for walt
1 ing on his comrades.
This assignment Is now generally
. made in rotation. Jack tars have been
! known to come to blows A their zeal
| to secure 1t. Then. again, when sta
! toned In warmer chimes it was not
~ fs,~1S - ~, 5,r,sIlSr.cr - ga nfofo
4 Uncle Sam sets seven tables. in ac-
cordance with his rules OF class dis
tinctfon, which are as fixed and nm
sweryfng as the laws Of the Modes
and Persians. There is, first, admiral's
mess, at which the head officer b
Eserved In solitary state; second, cap.
i tafn's mess, at which the presiding
officer enjoys the same lonely distinc-
tion; third, wardroom officers or jol.
lif1cation mess, SO called for the good
times enjoyed by the tableful Of com
missfoned officers below rank Of cap
tain; fourth, junior officers mess, con
Esistfng of midshipmen, the young
II graduates Of Annapolis, who. having
Il been educated at Uncle Sans expense
i are now getting their first maritime
,lexperience: fifth, the chief petty
officers mess, for those In rank below
! the midshipmen; sixth, the warran
officers mess. who, by pull, specia
ability or act OF prowess, have raiset
y themselves from the enlisted ranks
. seventh and last, but not least, TIL
\ general or mess table where the lust.
{ appetftes Of the rank and file are as
. suaged-
4 Uncle Sans officers want the ia
! OF the land and supply 1t from thei
Town purses. BY special clubbing al
arrangements among themselves an Off
GERS mess Is provided at cost t
leach officer OF $50 month. Even
colored chef lis retained.
!, His souffles and his salads are tru
works Of art. The key OF the win
( chest he guards with jealous care. Blu
4 all this is matter OF reckoning BIZ
! tween him and the officers. Uncle Sar
! enters not at all. N
j Uncle Sans head houseikeeper, th
i lpaymaster, indeed, has quite enough o
/ his mind trying to keep nearly q tho,
c sand lusty men satisfied with the
b grub and at the same time keep h
9 bills down to the satisfaction OF tt
]. navy department auditor at Washin,
ton. 1t Is no light undertaking.
The paymaster In truth must be
q man OF rare parts and is rightly e
teemed one Of the abiest and most hol
: ored officers in the service. Take Il
! qualities needed to make a successf
y hotel man, add to them those to NAL
r the popular leader, throw In inteni
pride and loyalty to the service, De
Boned with untiring zeal for the int
ests Of his men, and You get the kir
le of mixture Uncle Sam has to find b
It fore he appoints his paymasfer.
e. When he Is loading up for an eig
= weeks cruise no wonder his brow
- knotfed. Making ont the next mea
order while Id port Ia one thing sil
fpJy eonfab with his steward as
whether It shall be- 800 pounds Of A
IL oz 80 pounds of pork and barrel q
a d half Ole beans.
y By the ships regulations every ~