Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-25


IN American man-o'-war cruising off
n the coast of California had mutiny
1.-THE other day. That is to say, the
dispatches from California reported it to
be a mutdny. The enlisted men of the
ship. it seems, were sore because the
grub served out to them was poor; be-
cause. although cruising in United States
waters, there was a lack of vegetables
and fresh provisions; because the tobacco
wasn't up To the mark; but most partfc-
ularly because their shore liberty had
been restricted, a majority of the mem
bers Of the ships company for'ard. not
having been ashore for months, and
SO on.
The details were probably correct These
things occasionally do happen on Amer
lean ships of war, on the ships of war
of all nations. When they do happen on
American warships there is invariably
a mIgnty sudden investigation by the
navy department and the rights of the
matter are got at regardless of any
body's feelings. Quite frequently after
such Investigations commanders are Sc
verely 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 mutiny and instanced as
one of the manifestations of the mutiny
days to coal the ship, whereas ordinarily
the ship coaling only required day and
a half. the story contradicted itself. That
wasn't any mut1ny 1t was what is
called in the navy lay-down.
American men-of-war men don't mutiny
these days. They know too much about
navy regulations and navy punishments
for any such foolishness. A sure enough
mutiny on board any kind Of ship is
good deal like what General Sherman
termed war.
But while they don't actually mutiny
disconnected crews In the American navy
suffering under what they deem imposi-
ton or a Withholding of their rights, can
and quite occasionally do make it mighty
unpleasant on board their ship for the
officers directly concerned with or re-
sponsible for their grievances. Such
methods of reprisal as heaving missiles
at disliked officers are not employed in
the navy today. but the blue jackets
have little methods of their own for
getting back at severe or imperious Of
flcers
Laying down is one Of their schemes.
1t is an efficacious method. Laying down
is most probably what the crew of that
cruiser out in California waters did the
other day.
Whole Company Can't Be Punished
The men for ard know full well that a
whole ships company cannot be pun
ished in bunch for not coming up to
fixed standard in the performance of
ships duty, and they know how to take
advantage of such knowledge The
amount of work that disaffected ships
company cannot do in a given space of
time is something prodigious.
Inethat matter of coaling ship, for ex-
ample they can either make life wretched-
for the commanding officer, If he is the
man they have 1t in for, by loafing on the
job through all the watches and drag
ging the dirty and unpleasant coaling
business through an interminable length
of time. or they can punish any watch
officer for whom they have got it in 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 coaling,
>,and then they proceed to give an exhibit
tfQn Of how frantieally a ships company
of blue jackets can work without actu-
ally doing anything They shovel away
furiously. but some how or another very
little coal seems to find its way over the