Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1908-06-04
WASHING DAY AFL0AT
When the Sailor Lads In the Navy
Turn Laundrymen.
A HARD JOB IN BAD WEATHER
Each Man, With I'll. Feet and Leoa
Bare, Scrubs His Own Clothes and
Gets Thorn Ready For Inspection.
"Jimmy Legs" end the "Luckv Rao."


Bare, Scrubs His Own Clothes and
Gets Thorn Ready For Inspection.
"Jimmy Legs" end the Lucky Raa."
Have you ever noticed how clean and
we'll dressed sailor lad looks when
on shore leave, how white his clothes
look when you board the ship on Wis
itins days: But did you ever realize
that he was his own washerman:
With Il shrll blast of his silver whis.
tie the chief boatswaill's ma.c will
pipe. Scrub and wash clotles." ard.
every man hurries TO his bucket. gets
his soiled clothes. salt water soap.
draws Il bucket of briny or fresh W.,
ger. as the case may be. and begins his
washing
lie is generally barefooted ut this
time. so that lie will not wet his shoes
and stockings. He wears his trousers
very he'll shaped at the bottom in order
that he may roll them UP over the
knee.
After scrubbing and rubbing bis
clothes until clean lie turns them In
side out and with stops proceeds to
get them ready for hanging up. These
stops are short pieces of twine. twisted,
and with whipped ends, that he uses
III lea of c.otllcspins They arc fas-
tened In e.:e!vts placed at the size
scans ;:::i;l baton of his !il.;s and tl..
Maitland of lii.; trousers. lie .,lsns
. Gil his washed clothes inside out to
Prevent the right side getting soilcd.
They are then hung. Oh Il line which
says the Youths Companion. is RUIZ
from the bow to the top:ll:,st OF upper
top %: IL fighting mast. The We'll lii
foriaed man, now usually puts his
clothes to soak the night before in II
| l,lc&et half full of water into wllic.l
h. has either sp:inklesl 81 handtul o.
soap powder OF IL small piece of salt
water soap. In the incoming IL little
rubbing and his clothes :l.y clean ana.
hung u!,. while the ":,ns.lubber'' has
just begun
When they have been thoroughly
dried. t:,e chief bNltswain again pipes
SCRUB ard wash clothes.. and eve.,
man PUSHES for the cothrs.iae tx
claim his own. III he fails to secure
them Within IL reasonable time. til;
El.St"r mt arms. or Jimmy Legs.
takes them down. and they go into the
the nnlucliy owner has is 10 80 to tn,
mast. or the stick" AIS tie coart o:
board slii, is commonly called. ANA pc
tition the FIRST H.a." or executive OH
ces:. to order them released.
AS Il rule Jimmy Legs. who ha:
charge of the cleanliness of the decks
| always has extra cleaning paintin.
and SO forth in mind. and the MAJ
whose clothes get into the lucky ba.
receives SO many hours extra duty a.
u gentle reminder to lie more careful
in the future. His name goes Oh Jim
my Legs time book. and when there
Is any extra labor to he performed hi
is called upon to assist
This is usually the lot of the lands
man. who has not been aboard Ion.
enough to learn the ropes
After they are taken from the lint
the stops are taken out ANA the olo.hc.
rolled in such Il manner that they need
no ironing. These rolls are then tie.!
ut eac. end with the stop; and an
slowed away in the clothes bag. Ir
this way all his clothes. both blue :nt
white. are Kept clean. and when Sun
day morning comes and there is gen
eral inspection on the quarter deck Ii.
has no fear of being reprimandcl 70:
having on Il soiled uniform.
The hardest things Of a sailors outfit
to wash are his blanket and hammock
The hammock forms part of his equip
lnent, but belongs to the ship. lie is.
however, required to keep 1t clean
| His mattress and blanket are dashed
into the hammock and slowed in the
nettings or crates provided for that
purpose.
Every day couple or more men are
detailed to stow them away and al
night to break them out. 1t is this
handling SO much that gets them fear
fully dirty, especially while ship is
coaling. When washing his hammock.
sailor lays it fat on the deck and
uses a wire brush to get it clean, with
the assistance of soap and lots Of EEL
bow grease
In visiting foreign port and before
TIE ship has come to anchor it will be
surrounded by .bumboats." generally
bringing cut washerwonen. who are
usually ncgresses and who clamor for
any work in the laundr. line They
Go good work and charge very httle
for it, They always show their refer
cuccs from the last ship aud always
want Il now one to add to their already
long list.
1t is III wet and stormy weather that
| the sailor has his own troubles trying
to dry his clothes. Round the uplpkes
of the smokestack there is dr.. ing
room in which clothes may be hung.
but rs the. grow yellowish when hung
J there often this room is used as little
as possible In the newer men-of-wa:
there are installed washing and drying
machines which greatly facilitate the
laundry work. making 1t ineXcusablc
for Il sailor to have soiled clothes.
THIS machine, which dries clothes by
! centrifugal motion. does the work rap.
idly and we'll.
These machines. which arc being
added to all the new ships. will In
time do away with all hand work The
| old familiar sight Of a long line of
| clothes strung from bow to masthead
| will no longer be seen. and the boat
SWANS mate will forget how to pipe.
"Scrub aud wash clotlics"