The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-08-21
He WANTED THE SHIP
Thought He Mas Eligible 10 Com
mand a Cruiser.
AN OLD TIME NAVEL PRANK.
Tire Shabby Trick That Was Played
Upon Patriot. Greek Boilerrsksr
By Some ef Uncle Sans Sailors Win
Whom He Had Shipped.

- number 81 years aeo the cruiser
on which I was serving shipped boil
errnaker while We were on the Medi-
terrancan station" said retirei petty
officer Of the navy. "Our former boil
ermakers time expired while We were
az Gibraltar. and az be was not In good
physical shape he wasn't re-enlisted,
but took his discharge and returned
10 the United States by mail steamer.
50 the ship was shy boiIermaker.
very important and necessary petty
officer down below In the engineers
department. and when the ship pulled
into Naples harbor the chief engineer
went ashore to see II he couldn't dig
up a bOilerinaker
There was a clause In the enlist
ment regulations permitting command
ing officers 10 ship necessary men on
foreign stations IN short handed emer-
gcncies. The chief engineer brought
back 10 the ship Greek named Char.
lie Marc The man couldn't speak any
English TO speak o. hut he was a
good man at the boilermaking busi
ness. and he was duly shipped aboard
Of US for three years. lie was a Wild
hairy looking lot. Marc was. and he
got good deal Of laugh AZ the
hands Of the crew. especially the
younger fellows. from the time he hrst
came over the side.
marc thought that there wasn't any
other country on the map except
Greece. and after he got bold 81
enough English 10 make himself un-
derstood he used To take some Of the
young apprentice boys up into the
eyes of the ship and tell them. with
many gcsticulatlons and furious words
of the different kinds of tar Greece
could knock out Of Turkey.
The ship was around on the Pa.
cifc alton when the war broke out
between Greece and Turkey When
the news Of the outbreak Of the wal
got 10 Marc, our bollernaker he
nearly had heart disease and whole
lot OF other sudden things from pure
excitement. He Just couldn't hold
himself in. he looked 50 tickled.
IDA Greek man villa bin, bin
bin. da Turka man. was Charles
Maro's way Of putting II, and he didn't
see that the Turk had ghost Of a
show. All hands forward encouraged
him In the belief They all acquiesced
In expressing the belief TO Marc that
Greece would simply eat Turkey up.
Then bo'sun's mate who knew how
TO crack the most impossible jokes
with n face as solemn and wooden as
an Indians took charlie In hnnd and
told him some things. He told Marc
that the United States was 80 much
In sympathy with Greece In the strug-
gle with Turkey that the navy depart
mcnt had decided TO turn over all OF
the ships Of the American navy to
Greek commanders.
Here's big chance for you, Marc.
the bo'sun's mate told Marc. You just
want To work your edge. Here you
are already shipped on this cruiser. and
It's dollars To doughnuts that II you
ask for the command Of this ship In
order 10 take her over To Greece to
mix II up with the Turks you'll get II
hands down. Better try II on
THAT idea impressed Marc hea"
lie asked the bo'snn's mate whom he'd
have to apply to to get command Of
the cruiser.
why, I" the commanding officer
Of course was the reply.
marc was tremendously Important
FOR day or 50 while he let this huT'
idea grow witnin MN, ana ne pulled
the men detailed To work win MIN
dowh below III th" boiler room gooh
deal The b"Sun's mat" Kept working
nm up 10 H. ana hnally Marc appeared
on deck one morning logged ont IN MS
very best mastering SUIT OF blu"lncke'
clothes ana went mp To the oihcer or
the deck ana asked permission to see
me commanding ofhccr at the mast
ihe oncer OF the deck was rathcr SUI
prlseh 10 see the man all done mp II
MS mastering togs wh"n all handS
were NJ work: bnt. M he IN Obliged Y"
DO wheh an enlisted man requests per
mission ID see the comm NnllnH DfflrGr