The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1907-05-04
MARA1s MINNESOTA, SATURDAY, 1907: =.


facilitated now by modern improve
ments. Formerly the men washed in
buckets; now they have shower baths
and other conveniences, so that the
fremen coming up, begrimed from his
work can avail himself Of all these i'm
proved means to make himself clean
and comfortable.
Following this routine IRE various
exercises-great guns, secondary bat
terry, small arms, sword or, bayonet
arm and away boats for distant serv-
ice, fire drill, collision drill or aban-
don ship.
One would suppose that the ship was
by this time ''as clean as a whistle"
but it appears not, for after drill until
dinner time Jack is occupied in paint
ing, scraping, securing, knotting, splic-
ing and doing necessary work to keep
the ship in neat and efficient condition.
The work is done at last and ten
minutes before II o'clock the well
come pipe is heard. At II the men
are merrily piped to dinner.
By the way, wouldn't it be happy
idea to have ourselves piped to our
meals? Instead Of the butler or maid
saying: Dinner is served, madam
or the Englias gong sounding, why
not a cheerful piping from whistle?
I think it would be enlivening and tend
to good humor and appetite.
The meal pennant flies while the
men are at meals Therefore when
one sees this pennant fying-a long,
narrow red fag-it means that visit
to the ship is inopportune. One is per-
soma non grata on board at that time.
The officers are careful not to call off
the men for any purpose, if possible,
during meals and to have all boats
back to the ship by the meal hour
After 80 the afternoon drill period
begins. The men have instruction in
signals, aiming and sighting guns and
handling boats under sail and oars.
Wednesday afternoon is mending
day. Men can bring out their bags and
mend and mark their clothes. The
sailors thimble for light work is the
time-honored finger hat" as the Ger
mans say-the common thimble used
by shore people: but for sewing can
| vas he uses a three-cornered needle
and the palm The latter is leath-
er or rawhide strap fitting around the
hand and having on the inner side a
roughened metallic, disk to bear
against the needle. Sewing machines,
with hand attachments, are used and
some of the men are paid by the others
to make their suits. The dude sailor
likes his clothes tailor-made quite as
well as his land lubber brother, al
though the paymaster issues ready
made clothing to those who desire it.
The work about the decks is easy in
! the afternoon. The men loaf on the
fo'castle or on the superstructure OF
the battleships and keep clear of the
starboard side of the quarter deck ex
cept when working there.
Visitors come aboard in the after
Moons and Johnny and Tommy show
the ship to their best girls. The quar-
termaster on a certain ship had his
wife to visit him one afternoon an6
the pair walked up and down the decl
hand in hand with beautiful uncon
sciousness of all on-l0okers. ''All man
kind loves lover" and when Jacks
sweetheart comes on board the others
view the couple with interested eyes
tos of the ship are given and show1
by the girls afterward with pride a:
coming from a friend of mine in the
navy
Sometimes at four o'clock in the ali
ernoon a liberty party is sent ashore
till the next morning. Liberty or thu
desire for it is often the cause O.
tribulation to the sailor.
In reading accounts of the memo
wars men back of the '40s we find tina
the character Of the sailor has changed
immensely for the better, but there
are still ways and tricks known. t.
Jack. The "happy-go-lucky" kind. will
go far into the realm of diplomacy ii
order to get liberty that they have
no right to expect. It is said to be
common ruse to pretend that some
| ~~~~
The following to the commanding OH
Ger from Jacks adopted sister wa
once tried as persuader:
Dear Captain: Won't you let my des
brother Johnny Jones come home? Hi
dear mother is dying, so please do, dea
captain, as he may never see his dea
mother again. Let him stay a. long tine
dear captain. Dear captain, this lette
amt no fake. From yours truly,
/ "MOLLIE JONES'"
"P. s.-Dear captain, please let Bill!
Brown come, too" =
I Johnny Jones did not get libert!
that day. 50.
| Seventy per cent. of our navy arr
American-born. The rest are English
Scotch, Irish, Scandinavian, with ;
sprinkling Of German and the Latil
races. Our Woodworking sailor mel
are our pride and there is many here
! waiting for an opportunity doing hi