The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-14
NO NAVY MUTINIES NOWADAYS
BLUEJACKETS HAVE OTHER WAYS
OF SHOWING DISLIKE.
The "Laydowu' an Effective Weapon for
Disseminated Crews-How Unpopular
Oficers Are Brought TO Terms Power
OF h Black GanE-The BIar Gang.


the coast Of California had a mutiny the
other day. That is to say, the dispatches
from California reported IL TO be a mutiny>
The enlisted men OF the ship, il seems
were sore because the grub served out to
them was poor; because, although cruising
in United States waters, there was a lack
OF vegetables and fresh provisions; be-
cause the tobacco wasn't up to the mark
but most particularly because their shore
liberty had been restricted, a majority OF
the ships company for ard not having been
ashore for months, and so on.
The details we're. probably correct.
These things occasionally do happen on
American ships Of war, on the ships Of war
OF all nations. When they do happen
on American warships there is invariably
a mighty sudden investigation by the
Navy Department and the rights of the
matter are got at regardless Of anybody's
feelings. Quite frequently. after such in
vestigations, commanders are severely
hauled over the Goals.
But when the California dispatches
went on to state that the collective kicks
on board the ship out in those waters
amounted to a mutiny and instanced as
n Of the manifestations OF the mutiny
VIZ e@Ss tbot ~ a. tahNh III lev v
days to coal the ship, whereas ordinarily
the ship coaling only required a day and
a half, the story contradicted itself. That
wasn't any mutiny. 1t was what is called
In the navy a lay down.
American m~en-o'-war's men don't mutiny
these days. They know too much about
navy regulations and navy p%unishments
for any such foolishness. A sure enough
| pnnfinu ON hon ~ INV blvd - ,hsn 4. -z-l
deal like what Gen. Sherman termed war.
But while they don't actually mutiny,
~discoDtented crews in the American navy
suffering under what they deem imposition
or a Withholding of their rights, can and
quite frequently do make it mighty I'M
pleasant OF board their ship for the officers
directly concerned with or responsible for
their grievances. Such methods Of re-
prisal as heaving missiles at disliked Off
GERS are not employed In the navy to-day,
but the bluejackets nave little methods of
their own for getting back at severe or
imperious officers.
Laying down" is one of their schemes.
1t is an cficacious method. Laying down
is most probably what the crew of that
cruiser out in California waters did the
other day.
The men for'ard know full well that a
whole ships company amt be punished
in a bunch for not coming up TO a fixed
standard in the performance of ships
duty, and they know how to take advan-
tage of such knowledge. The amount of
work that a disaffected ships oompany
can not do in a given space OF time is some
thing prodigious.
In that matter of coaling ship. for ex-
ample, they can either make life wretched
for the commanding officer, il he is the
maj they have it in for, by loafing on the
job through all the watches and dragging
the dirty and unpleasant coaling business
through an interminable length of time
or they can punish any watch officer they
ave it in for by showing him up.
In the latter case they calmly wait till
the watch officer who has incurred their
displeasure takes the deck and assumes |
direct command of the work of coalinR
and then they proceed TO give an exhibition
Of how frantically a ships company of blue
jackets can work without actually doing
anything. They shovel away ~furiously'
but somehow or another very little coal
seems to find it's way over the side and
into the ships bunkers. The bl~uejackets
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 dis1iked officer OF the deck NAV
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
IL is OF course found by comparison
IL is only about one-half that which
hoisted over the side during the watch
Of the preceding officer Of the deck, who
on good terms with the crew.
A matter OF this sort always gets a COM
handing officer to thinking, for men who
are old enough TO be commanders OF Ameri-
that IL is as easy as launching a dingy
for a naval officer to acquire and hold tbe
good will OF enlisted men, and that the use
fulness on board a ship Of an officer who
has sacrificed the confidence and good will |
Of the men forard is as good as gone
Thus il comes TO pass tina nowadays
few officers of the United States navy fail
TO apprehen1 how well it pays them to
themselves popular with the men
In the old navy il often hap
pened that officers who had earned the
will OF the bluejacket actually feared
10 go for'ard at night after lights out, and
there was a reason.
such officers taking the chance would
after pipe down there was only the dim
Illumination Of III one standing light.
han they would have TO dodge all manner
missiles. "soup-and-bouilly' cans. chock-
ING docks, mess gear, DOOte, anything and
everything throwable that the sailors and
in or out Of their hsmmocks. first
their hands on.
On such an occasion the officer who was
he target had but one thing to do, and
hat was to scoot aft as fast as his legs
would carry him. He could make com-
olaint to the skipper il he were fooIish
Dut he rarely secured the punishment Of
my Of the men for'srd. The throwers Of
year couldn't be singled out.
A famous commander of one of the old
jackets of the dead and gone navy was
TO one morning by a junior lieu
enant. who. as officer OF the deck on tbs
night. had been treated 10 a dose
the flying gear on a visit 10 the fo'c'sle.
ID you know the men who chucked the
inquired the bluff old skipper.
Some Of them the Lieutenant replied
nd he named these he had identified.
The skipper was rough. ready and p~rofane.
We'll. IL serves you damned good and
light, my little afterdeck swab, he said 10
he Lieutenant. Those men you've men
are the best men on my ship.
I've been shipmates with some of them {
II and on since I was a MILDLY, sir. and 7
ave never had any trouble with them I
I you had treated them right they'd have |
reated you the same, and as an oficer on |