Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-23
FAVORITES IN NAVIES.

.Tm after reading that the champion
fighter Of the British navy recently got
walloped to a standstill by an unknown
bluejacket fighter when the champion was
a 1-to-1O-shot in the betting" said a former
chief petty officer in the American navy.
THAT was a repetition Of the old story.
Favorites don't win anything in navies.
can't explain why. but they don't, and
myself have stood for lot of hard jolts
that prove it. I'll mention q few examples.
When the Baltimore left Japan for San
Francisco early in go pup Of a moon
faced landsman, who didn't know any more
about ship than starfish. but who just
had bunch. that's all, offered to bet me
even money for $50 that the ship wouldn't
reach San Francisco under forty days. I
figured that the trip would be done in
twenty-five days at the outside, and, of
course. took him, and it sure looked like
had the favorite's end. On the second
day out the Baltimore ran her nose into a
typhoon and she was hove to and battered
out of shape for ten days before sne could
proceed on her course. When she linped
into Honolulu she had to be overhauled,
and 1t was nearly two months after leaving
Japan before she crawled into San Fran
cisco harbor.
'Once, when I served on the China sta
ton was soaked for half the savings OF q
three-year cruise on a still tighter-looking
place in Seoul. Corea We had a big marine
on board the ship named Jack Brinton,
Who imagined. was good enough to put 1t
on anybody in the Asiatic station. 1 had
seen him trOunce lot of good men in diff
ferent ships. and so, when he got into an
argument with an understood Danish sea-
man, and they made arrangements to have
it out ashore in Seoul, gave all of the 2
to l that they wanted on the proposition
that the Dane would lick Brinton. l didn't
see the fight, for l was master-at-arms
at the time and had to stay on board on
duty. but the whole starboard watch went
that Dane to be brought off to the ship in
the steam cutter all chopped up, and ready
to pass into the hands Of the surgeon. But
he came back as clipper as you please with
the liberty bunch, and nary the mark or
scratch on him. Brinton didn't appear till
the next morning. and he was the worst
looking mess of hammered sea soldier I
ever saw. The men who. saw the fight told
me that my man hadn't been in it at any
stage of the fight-that the Dane could have
put him away in q punch had he minded,
but that he played with the big marine for
six rounds, pounding his mug into a jelly,
before putting the finishing touches on him
ION board the old Swatara we had goat
and wildcat-this was on the Pacific side
and the two animals didn't hit 1t off well
together. The wildcat-it really was Cen
trail American panther, but we called it a
wildcat-took a good deal OF humping about
from the goat while it was young and
sappy, but when it began to get it's growth
it revolted over being prodded all over the
ship at the points Of the goats horns and
It looked to be only q question of time be-
fore the two got together for finish fight.
Now that goat was practically the boss of
the ship. and fighter from away back,
and so. when the betting began on the out
come of the eventual scrap, took ..,e goat
end. l announced that I had 500 under
meath my mastering shirt that saiu that
the goat would win in walk If it ever
came to real, sure-enough scrap between
him and the wildcat.
Just after mess gear one day the two
got together, and the chief bosuns mate,
as soon as he heard the racket, said to me
across the mess table:
:" There they go! I'll take you on that
500 proposition of yours If you'll give me
2 to L.
You're on said I, and we all hustled
above from the berth deck to see the battle.
All hands on the spar deck were trying to
separate the brutes. but 1t couldn't be done
and watch that wildcat shake the life out of
that goat in less than three minutes by the
officer of the decks watch. The goat
never had look-in from the first yelp the
cat just grabbing him by the throat and
bleeding him to death. The death of the
goat in that way made the men for ard
hot. and they chucked the wildcat over
the side with capstan bars. The thing
swan ashore-this happened in the harbor
of La Libertad, Salvador-and probably
Joined its tribe in the jungle. That's an
Otner time Enen got IN DaQ taxing the
fayorite's end.
again, one day I was standing at the
gangway of the old Marion, at the Mare
Island navy yard, watching a lot Of rookie
landsmen coming over the side with their
ditty bags and hammocks from the re-
ceiving snip Independence. An old quar-
termaster was standing alongside of me,
sizing up the bunch. He was a shrewd old
chap. and had pretty good eye for men.
His eye lit on stalwart-looking young fell
lev with Il fine. open countenance, and the
look of u st:cIer, and said he to me:
18TH bet that one lights out before he
has been Oh Loard a MONTH
Stow that l replied. He looks like a
young 'un that's just found his home. He'll
stay the cruise and many another one
Maybe he WILL, replied the old quarter
master. but I'll bet you so to $50 that he
jumps the ship before he's been aboard
thirty days
"'On.' said to him.
Three days later the Marion coaled
ship. Coaling ship is sure an eye-opener
for young fellows who banker for man.
o'war life. A lot of the new men. in
GLIDING the man had bet on as slayer,
got shore liberty the night following the
last day of the coaling. One-third Of them
forgot to come back. and one of them was
my man. That: where got 1t again TAX
ing the short price.
II got over playing favorites after that,
and by the time l was ready to quit the
seq # any of my shipmates had offered
to bet me $50 to 500 that I would get
general court-martial before taking my dis