Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-25
Sailors Lie Down; Don't Mutiny
From the Chicago Inter-ocean.

lcSSo 1nter-Ocean.
| side and into the ships bunkers. The
| blue Jackets in the coal lighters perspire
and pant under the strain of labor that
looks terrific. but there is a monumental
lack of Roadway in the coaling of the
| ship.
The disliked officer of the deck may
chafe and mutter deep and dark things
under his breath. but that doesn't get any
coal into the bunkers. When he makes
his report to the skipper of the amount
of coal that has been got aboard during
his watch it is only about one-half that
which was hoisted over the side during
the watch of the preceding officer of the
deck, who happened to be on good terms
with the crew.
Gets Commander to Thinking
A matter of this sort always gets a
commanding officer to thinking, for men
who are old enough to be commanders of
American men-o'-war have learned by
experience that it is as easy as launching
a dingy for a naval officer to acquire and
hold the good will of enlisted men, and
that the usefulness on board a ship of an
officer who has sacrificed the confidence
and good will of the men for'ard is lust
as good as gone.
Thus it comes to pass that nowadays
few officers of the United States navy fail
to apprehend how well 1t pays them to
make themselves popular with the men
for'ard In the old navy 1t often hap
pened that officers who had earned the i'll
will Of the bluejacket actually feared to
go for'ard at night after lights out, and
there was reason.
Such officers taking the chance would
no sooner set foot under tine fo'c'sle,
where after pipe down there was only
the dim illumination of the one standing
| light, than they would have to dodge all
manner of missile, Soup and bouilly''
cans, checking blocks, mess gear, boots.
anything and everything throwable that
the sailors and Marines in or out of their
hammocks, first laid their hands on.
On such an occasion the officer who was
the target had but one thing to do and
that was to scoot aft as fast as his legs
would carry him. He could make com
plant to the skipper If he were foolish,
but he rarely secured the punishment of
any of the men for'ard. The throwers of
gear couldn't be singled out.
A famous commander of one of the old
packets Of the dead and gone navy was
appealed to one morning by a Junior lieu
tenant. who, as officer of the deck on the
previous night, had been treated to dose
of the flying gear on a visit to the 70 c sle
Advised Him to Transfer
DO you know the men who chucked
the gearY' inquired the bluff old skipper.
Some Of Them" the lieutenant replied
and he named those he had Identified.
The skipper was rough. ready and pro.
fame.
We'll, 1t serves you damned good and
right, my little afterdeck swab," he said
to the lieutenant. These men you've
mentioned are the best men I've got on
my ship.
I've been shipmates with some of them
of and on since l was a MILDLY sir, and 1
have never had any trouble with them. If
you had treated them right they'd have
treated you the same, and as an officer on
board my ship ought to be treated-if he
deserves It,
I'd privately advise you sir, to put
In your application for transfer to some
other ship"
That Lieutenant who lived to become an
admiral told this story on himself. as he
could well afford to, since he became one
OF the most popular officers with the men
for-ard In the Whole American navy.
But there are modern occurrences In the
American navy that are equally iHuminat-
ing A deck officer who had gained the
extreme i'll win Of the men for ara was