Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1908-08-20
WASHING DAY AFL0AT
When the Sailor Lads In the Navy
Turn Lauadrymen.
A HARD JOB IN BAD WEATHER

Each Man, With His Feet and legs
Bare, Scrubs His Own Clothes and
Gets Thorn Ready For Inspection.
"Jin,my Legs" and the Lucky Bag"
Have you ever noticed how clean and
we'll dressed sailor lad looks when
III shore leave. how white his clothes
look when you board the ship on Wis.
ting days? But did you ever realize
that he was his own washerman?
With Il s!lrill blast Of his silver whis-
Tie the chief boatswan's mate will
pipe. Scrub aud wash clothes" ard
every man hurries to his bucket. gets
his soiled clothes. salt water soap.
draws IL bucket of briny or fresh WA.
ter. as the case may be. and begins his
washing
time. so that he will not wet his shoes
and stockings. He wears his trousers
very hell shaped mt the bottom in order
that he may roll them up over the
knee.
After scrubbing and rubbing his
clothes until clean he turns them In
side out and with "stops" proceeds to
get them ready for hanging up. These
stops are short pieces of twinc. twisted
and with whipped ends. that lie uses
N lieu of c!otllespinS. They are fas.
tened In eyccts placed at the side
seams and bottom of lis shirts and tho
*listband of his trousers He turns
all his washed clothes inside out to
prevent the right side getting soiled
They are then hung on Il line Which
Gays the Youths Companion. Is run
from the bow to the top,nast OF uppc.
top OF a fighting mast. The well IN
formed Elan now usually puts his
clothes to soak the night before In i,
bucket half full of water into whiri.
he has either sprinSled IL handful y,
soap powder or IL small piece OF sal.
water soap. In the morning IL littl.
clubbing and his clothes are clean ans,
hung UP. while the 'landlubbcr' has
just begun.
When they have been thoroughly
dried. the chief boltswain again pipes.
Scrub and wash clotllcs.' and every
man iuslcs for the clotAe.;liac Ia
them within ii reasonable tinic. thu
master Mt arms. OF Jimmy Legs. =
takes them down. and they 20 into the
"!2cky bag" Then the only RECOURSE
the unluclsy owner has Is to so TO Tho
mast or the stick as tho court o.l
board ship is commonly called. ANA pc
titioE the first luiT" or executive OH.
yer. to order them released
AS rule. Jimmy Legs. who ha.
charge Of the cleanliness OF the decks
always has extra cleaning pain:in.
and SO forth in miad and the man
whose clothes get into the !Ecky ba.
receives so many hours extra duty as
q gentle reminder to Ee more careful
In the future His name goes OH Jim
my Legs time book. and when there
Is any extra labor to be performed he
is called upon to assist.
This Is usually the lot Of the lands
man" who has not been aboard long
enough to learn the ropes"
After they are taken from the line
the stops are taken out and the clothes
rolled In such Il manner that they need
no ironing These rolls are then tied
at each end with the stops and ar,
stDwed away In the clothes bag In
ihis way all his clothes. both blue ant
white. are kept clean. aud when Sun
| lazy morning comes and there Is K IN
sral inspection on the quarter deck III
has no fear of being repi'inandel TO
haying on II soi!ed uniform.
| The hardest thing; of Il sailors QUIZ
| 10 wash are hi.; blanket ana hammncl
The hammock fo:nls part of his equip
ment. but belongs to the ship Ne Is
however. required to keep 1t clean
| Ills mattress AMI blanket are dashed
into The hammock aua slowed IN the
MEETINGS or crates provided for thai,
purpose.
Every day 81 couple or more men arr
detailed 10 stow them away and al
night To break them oat. 1t Is this
ha"dliEs SO much that gets them fcnr
fully dirty. especially while Il ship !,
coaliMg When washing his hammock
IL sailor lays 1t fat on the deck anu
uses Il wire brush to get it clean, will
the assistance OF soap and lot; of eel
bow grcase.'
In Visiting IL foreign port and before
al, L.,
surrounded Iy 'bumboats." generally
| bringing Cut washcrwomen. who Az
usually ncgresscs and who clanlor fol
ans work in the aundr, line. The,
| do good work and charge very littl,
| for it. They always show their refer
want Il new one to add to their nlrcad,
long list.
| 1t is III wet and stormy weather tha
| the sailor has his own troubles tlyin:
to dry his clothes. Round the uplp.ici
Of the smokcstacls there is II drying
room in which clothes may be hung
but as they grow yellowish when hung
| there often this; room is used as lttl.
| as possible. In the newer men-of- wa
there IRE installed washing and dryin:
machines which greatly facilitate til;
laundry work. making 1t ineXcusabl'
FOR sailor to have soilcd clothes
This machine. which dries clothes b..
centrifugal motion. does the work rap
Idly and we'll.
These machines. which are bein'
added to all the new ships. will Ii
time do away with all hand work. Tn
! old familiar sight Of long line o
clothes strung from bow to masthead
| will no longer be seen. and the l,ont