Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-08-10
HE WANTED THE ship
Thought He Was Eligible to con1-
rlland a Cruiser.
AN OLD TIME NAVAL PRANK.

The Shabby Trick That Was Played
Upon Patriotic Greek RoiIernna ksrs
by Some of Uncle Sans Sailors With
Whom He Had Shipped.
+ IA number Of years ago the cruiser
on which was serving shipped a boil
ermaker while we We're on the Med1-
terranean station" said retired petty |
officer Of the navy. sour former boil- |
ermaker's time expired while we We're
at Gibraltar, and as he was not in good
physical shape he wasn't re-enlisted,
but took his discharge and returned
to the United States by mail steamer.
So the ship was shy a boilermaker.
a very important and necessary petty
officer down below in the engineers
department, and when the ship pulled
into Naples harbor the chief engineer
went ashore to see if he couldn't dig
up boilermaker.
"There was a clause In the enlist
ment regulations permitting command
ing officers to ship necessary men on
foreign stations in short handed emer-
gencies The chief engineer brought
back to the ship Greek named Char
lie Marc. The man couldn't speak any
English to speak Of, but he was a
good man at the ALTERNATING bust bust
hess, and he was duly shipped aboard
Of us for three years: He was wild,
hairy looking lot, Marc was, and he
got good deal of laugh at the
hands Of the crew, especially the
younger fellows, from the time he first
came over the side. 5g ...
"Maro thought that there wasn't any
other country on the map except
Greece. and after he got hold of
enough English to make himself I'M
derstood he used to take some of the
young apprentice boys up into the
eyes Of the ship and tell them, with
many gesticulations and furious words,
of, the different kinds Of tar Greece
could knock out Of Turkey. ~
"The ship was around on the Pa
cific station when the war broke out
: between Greece and Turkey. When
) the news of the outbreak Of the wal
? got to Marc, our boilermaker, hi
nearly had heart disease and whole
lot of other sudden things from pure
excitement. He just couldn't hole
himself in, he looked so tickled.
g "s'Da Greek man villa bin, BIN
t, bin, da Turka man, was Charles
s. Maro's way of putting it, and he didn'
see that the Turk had a ghost of I
show. All hands forward encourages
him in the belief. They all acquiescet
in expressing the belief to Marc tia
4 Greece would simply eat Turkey Up
9 Then bo'sun's mate who knew HOY
o to crack the most impossible joke
: with a face as solemn and wooden a
!. an Indians took Charlie in hand an,
;, told him some things. He told Mar
. that the United States was SO mucl
\ in sympathy with Greece in the strug
o gle with Turkey that the navy depart
8 ment had decided to turn over all o
j. the ships of the American navy t
g. Greek commanders.
It "Here's big chance for you, Marc
the bosun's mate told Marc. You jus
/ want to work your edge. Here yo
= are already shipped on this cruiser, an
it's dollars to doughnuts that if 70
p ask for the command of this ship i
: order to, take her over to Greece
i mix it up with the Turks you'll get i
:, hands down. Better try it on
y 'That idea impressed Marc a hear
n He asked the bo'sun's mate whom he
Il have to apply to to get command G
a the cruiser. ~,
d "'Why, to the commanding officer
II Of course was the reply = $50
"Maro was tremendously importan
for day or so while he let this hug
u idea grow within him, and he buiiie
q the men detailed to work with hit
! down below in the boiler room goo
j deal. The bo'sun's mate kept workin
4ss| him up to it, and finally Marc appeare
= on deck one morning logged out in hi
I very best mastering suit of bluejacke
IT clothes and went up to the officer q
x the deck and asked permission to sc
7, the commanding officer at the mas
q The officer of the deck was rather SUI
g prised to see the man all done up i
|. his mastering togs when all hand
were at work; but, as he Is obliged t
n do when an enlisted man requests PEI
mission to see the commanding office
u he sent word to the skipper, who 500
emerged from his cabin and appeare
IL at the stick
4 Well, my manT said the skipper t
Marc, who stood bolt upright and 81
+ luted with flourish.
X ]" .Sare,' said Marc to. the skipper, {
hav-a da honor to heraa-by taxa d
command OLA da ship.
u !" Hey z said fine com ding Officer
4 putting his hand to his ear and iookin
as If he hadn't heard Alright. s
sDa ship repeated, Marc. Fora; d
navee Ola Hellas da Greeka nayee
haya das honor to TAXA da command
II 'All hands among the enlisted me
were up on the to'gailant fo'c'sle tai
ing the thing In, and they broke into
roar that ron could have heard five CT
BILE lengths distance. Marc heard
Hi and ssissDacffnp that his s.onfsf7ancn ha