The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-05
HARSHP VISITORS 1 BOTHER.
FROM ADMERzT DORN THE NAVY
SOON WEAKTES or THEN.
Some Agreeable Ones, OF Course. but Many
Of tbs Kind VINO Dol Down On the
Enlisted Man and Arc Indignant That
an Onlcer Isn't Detailed as Escort.

T.
Neither the officers nor the men for'ard
I OF American ships Of war entertain any
particular fondness for such big feet doings
az are now in progress at the Jamestown
exposition. The hordes Of ships visitors
are pretty apt to get on the nerves both OF
the gentlemen Of thu quarterback and the
men OF the fo'o'sle.
All hands get tired Of the monotony OF
explaining the same old things about the
ships TO the visltors-as tired as the mega
' phoners Of the rubberneok wagons become
( Of their Jobs. They tire, too. Of the ex-
treme inquisitiveness. not TO say the prying-
ness. Of most Of the ships visitors.
The officers as a rule show their ships.to
distinguished visitors, friends, people who
approach them with letters OF introduce
ton and pretty girls without any letters
at all. The men for'ard chaperon all OF
the others, and they become most in-
formally sick OF playing the guide, par
ticularly as there are no hooks and crannies
where the nice looking girls falling to the
allotment OF the bluejackets can be BON
veyed for chummy little chats, In this
respect the officers have an immense ad-
vantage, because they have the freedom
OF wardroom, messroom and 90 On.
The extremely respectable but not very
interesting middle class folk. especially
those from the West. who know all about
the navy because they've read about 1t l the
10 cent magazines, are very exacting when
they find themselves on board a man-o'-war
for the first time.
The leader Of such a party generally de-
mands TO see the Captain Of the ship as soon
- IL -H~.L -.r.a A. ~w~ az Arnoh0
The officer OF the deck who m for'ard
then politely explains that the skipper is ex-
ceedingly busy in his cabin. Can he, the
officer Of the deck, be Of any service to themf
The respectable folk look a bit downcast at
this, for the officer Of the deck seems young
and he isn't the boss. However, the leader
replies that the officer Of the deck might do,
In a pinch. The officer Of the deck can
show them over the ship. The officer OF the
deck mumbles something about being on
watch andtherefore unable to leave the deck;
and he ummons the first handy bluejacket
apprentice or shellback petty Officer, It
makes no d~ifference-to show the party
about. Very often the visitors Of the type
indicated take this as a deadly insult. Here
they've come all the way from Ohio or In
diana or Nebraska mainly for the purpose OF
having a good look at some warships, and a
bluejacket, a common sailor person, is de-
tailed to show them about-belittling and
outrageous, a deliberate, intentionalhumili-
alton, which they will not for a moment
stand or tolerate, and which they shall re-
port at once to the Secretary Of the Navy.
II they don't debark in a huff they'll re-
luctantly and grouchily follow the blue
Jacket assigned to the job Of showing them
things about the ship, and a good many Of
them will take out their pique by attempting
to treat Jack, their guide, as IL he were
some peculiarly degraded and lowly sort
of bug. These songs Of the Man Behind
the Gun" sort are very pretty indeed, with
pictures thrown upon q scream and all
that, but when the average individual OF
the Snug way Of life comes into actual con-
tact with the man behind the gun Jacks
lust a fellow to be arrogant and naughty
with. The American bluejacket very
! quickly detects it when he finds himself
being regarded in this light by ships visi-
tors and he curls up most nightly upon
such visitors.
The things that they don't see about the
man-o'-war they are visiting under the
CONVOY Of the resentful bluejacket could not
be c~atalogued, much less described. in any
but a large volume. And when at the
finish of such a tour the visitors make the
dis NAL mistake of offering their sailor
guioe a piece of silver change in the way
Of backsheesh they are more than liable to
hear something that will send them of to
the beach with a profound dislike for and
distrust Of the man behind the gun.
y At the Oyster Bay review a pompous
fat man, something of the type Of the Sunday
clothed cattle drover, accompanied by. a
party conforming 10 his own obvious de-
gree, had a bluejaoket guide in a lengthy
tour OF the ship. The bluejacket was
a bo's'n's mate who'd been going up and
down the seven seas on American ships Of
war for more than a score OF years. The
fat man and his people were very remote
In their attitude toward this sailor person
with the bell bottoms. The men Of
the outfit addressed him as Say, you
feIlowi" The women didn't address him
at all, but regarded him with the aslant
gaze. At the end of the tour Of the ship,
when ready to debark, the fat hi pulled
a dime from his change pocket and essayed
to aslip it to Jack.
sThat's all right, mate" whispered the
bo's'n's mate back OF his hand. Keep 1t
yourself for a shave and a shine. You can
get both-your kind-for a dime. I'm on
watch, and showing you folks about lie
part Of my work. l get paid for 1t all right.
II il was up to me and didn't have 10 do it
WOulQn SNOW you dTOuIu u luDnDeT
schooner for nine dollars a minute, and the
lead sore and justifably dead sore sailor
man went for'ard,
Th fat man complained OF him to the
officer OF the deck, but the officer Of the
deck could only shake his head mournfully
and express contrition for the bad be-
havior Of the bluejacket.
The tuning fat man clambered into the
steam cutter vowing and vumming that
he would report the hull thing, just as II
occurred, to the Inauguration OF the square
deal and the manipulation Of the big stick
In Washington, and he'd be willing TO bet
that there'd be some pups OF naval officers
educated at the expense OF the hull pee-pul
looking around for work just as soon as
Teddy heard about IL. Whereupon the
Loficer oil the deck again shook his head
4 sadly as he leaned over the side waiting
10 give the word to the oox'n OF the cutter
10 shove OF, and the incident was over.
But Il was only one OF a hundred such Incl
dents that happen every time a feet is
brought together for inspection by mis-
oellaneous types Of ships visitors.
At q Hampton Roads paval review a few
years ago Admiral Bob Evans was the
recipient Of a tip. The Admiral was stand
ing at the gangway Of his flagship when a
buuuiiv appuai ins middle ass5 o0dpl5 oaiue
aboard from a shore boat. The officer OF
the deck was on the bridge. The gang
way marine guard was attending 20 some