The sun., 1908-03-24
IMPROVEMENT OF THE SAILOR
Men Of Intelligence and Good
Character the Only Kind
Enlisted Now.

-Man.O.War Bill OF Fare No Longer
includes LObscOuse or BargOo-Fine
.. Libraries for Al Hands-The Canteen.
UN BOARD L. S, s. LOUISIANA,
L. S. BATTLE FLEET,
At SEA IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN
OPP PANAMA, March o,
Socially the modern man-o'-war houses
series Of clubs, one large and several
small ones. They are called messes, The
large clubs membership, the general mess,
consists Of the entire crew, with the ex-
cartion Of the officers. Uncle Sam, through
accredited agents on board runs that club.
The small clubs membership consists
entirely Of officers, and these clubs are
managed by the membership.
The officers clubs are graded according
to rank On a flagship the Admiral may
form a club all by himself, or he may en-
large the membership as Admiral Evans
does, by having his staff officers join his
ness. The Captain is also a club Of one
member. The commissioned officers make
no the wardroom mess. The midshipmen
mnior paymaster, junior officers of the
marines and the pay clerk form the steerage
wess The warrant officers-bos'n, car
renter, machinists, glnners and the like
have another mess, and the largest Of the
small clubs is the chief petty officers
With the exception Of the general mess
all these olHbs provide their own supplies
Of food and drink. The Government used
10 allow every man on ship, no matter
v hat his rank the sum Of 30 cents a day
for rations The members of the crew
in the old days formed various messes Of
.am twenty TO forty members. Some Of
these messss drew provisions from the
laig'G stores amounting 10 the value Of 81
cents a DIV for each man. Others drew
only three quarters Of the ration and COM
muted the rest Of the 30 cents, to which
they added more or less money Of their
own, and purchased food luXuries from
time to time. The allowance Of 80 cents a
day 10 all hands was made just after the
civil war, and Jack celebrated the event
by a song which closed
They gave us thirty cents a day
And stopped our grog forever.
Jacks grog did stop. although other
nsyies still serve out liquor regularly to
their sailors, but he got pretty good rations.
There we're times, however. when he did
not fare well. Sometimes the mess treas
urer would go ashore with the mess treasury
and would fall into the hands Of the Philis-
tines and the mess would have to 60 hungry
or borrow from the kindly disposed MEM
hers Of other messes.
Nearly ten years ago Congress cut on the
n cents a day allowance for the officers
above the rank Of midshipmen, The conse-
OIcnce ia that every commissioned officer
m an American warshp has to purchase
his own food and other household neces-
tties Thatact oiCohgress COS, each officer
about sllO year. matter of at least three
months board.
Naval officers must live well and must
entertain when in various ports, at home
end abroad, and, being persons Of extremely
moderate salaries and generally with fam
lies 10 support, they must exercise econ
omy 10 make both ends meet. 1t is no easy
task, and the communal plan Of paying for
food and the individual plan Of paying
for drnksis the best solution Of the problem.
The navy regulations provide for the for
nation Of messes, tell how they shall be
managed, and declare that they must show
clean financial sheets 10 the Captain at
every quarter They must not contract
debts which they cannot pay
ORGANIZING THE MESS
suppose a new ship is going into COM
uission. About fifteen officers below the
Captain must mess together, The Govern
ment provides certain necessities such as
tAbles and chairs. and an allowance Of crock
cry and linen but the officers must assemble
heir own food and wine supplies for a
cruise Of say three years II requires cap
raL Few officers are 30 forehanded that
they have sufficient money 10 lay in supplies
then for several months. They are not
allowed TO run In debt for them They
must eat and drink and what do they do7
Hey take advantage OF a clause in the
regulations, which shows that there are
many ways to kill a cat, especially II the cat
10 running into debt and which says:
'Whtn vessel is in a United States port
and preparing TO proceed on a cruise the
C0mmaL ding officer may sanction supplies
'o- officers messes being received on board.
f' the risk Of dealers, to be paid for as con-
FImod in not less than quarterly install
m"rts, provided the dealer shall agree
thereto in writing
This means that as soon as an officers
mess ir organized its treasurer goes TO GER
l1jn dealers and contracts for large guam
iiy NJ food supplies on condition that pay
w"rts shall be made at certain intervals
I."re are many large wholesale houses
'"lt are glad TO get that kind Of trade be-
'.H-o they know that ultimately they viii
'nonlyo every cent due them, The MEM
ops Of tho mess are assessed so much a
month, according 10 experience In such
matters, and the result Is that the food Of
laval officer costs him in the prepared
state aboutsl a day. A treasurer is elected
''"" overy month. He must serve. and
+. ITS at the foot Of the table, while in the
"rdroom mess the executive officer sits
% tie head. The treasurer may be elected
~ serve a second month but he cannot be
made n serve more than two months con-
sosptyely.
The organization Of the other messes
r similar to that Of the wardroom mess.
III" wine mess is composed Of such officers
,' Wish 10 join it, They get their supplies
'F"n a dealer who backs them, and TO make
'r '.r brcakage and loss they charge 10