Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1908-05-11
WASHING DAY AFLOAT
When the Sailor Lads In the NAVY
Turn Laundrymen.
A HARD JOB IN BAD WEATHER
Each Man, With His Feet and Legs
Bare, Scrubs His Own Clothes and
Gets Thorn Ready For Inspection.
Jimmy Legs" and the "Lucky Bag"

Gets Thorn Ready For Inspection.
Jimmy Legs" and the "Lucky Bag"
Have you ever noticed how clean and
we'll dressed a sailor lad looks when
on shore leave, how white his clothes
look when you board the ship on Wis
iting days? But did you ever realize
that he was his own washerman?
With shrill blast of his silver whis-
tie the chief boatswain's mate will
pipe, Scrub and wash clothes!' ard
every man hurries to his bucket, gets
his soiled clothes, salt water soap.
draws bucket of briny or fresh wa
ter, as the case may be, and begins his
washing
He is generally barefooted at this
time, so that he will not wet his shoes
and stockings. He wears his trousers
very bell shaped at 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 Irvine, twisted
and with whipped ends, that he uses
in lieu of clothespins. They are fas-
tened in eyelets placed at the side
seams and bottom of his shirts and the
waistband of his trousers. He turns
all bis washed clothes inside out to
prevent the right side getting soiled.
They are then hung on line which,
says the Youths Companion, is run
from the bow to the tOpmast or upper
| top of a fighting mast. The we'll in
| formed man now usually puts his
clothes to soak the night before in a
| bucket half full of water into which
| he has either sprinlIled a handful of
! soap powder or Il small piece of salt
water soap. In the morning a little
rubbing and his clothes are clean and
| hung up, while the "landlubber" has
| just begun.
When they have been thoroughly
dried the chief bOatSWain again pipes,
Scrub and wash clothesr' and every
man rushes for the clothesline to
claim his own. If he fails to secure
them within reasonable time, the
master at arms, or Jimmy Legs"
| takes them down. and they go into the
"lucky bag" Then the only recourse
! the unlucky owner has is to so to the
mast, or the stick" as the court OF
board ship is commonly called, and pc
tition the first luff,' or executive Off
Ger, to order them released.
AS a rule. Jimmy Legs, who has
! charge of the cleanliness of the decks.
always has extra cleaning. painting
and SO forth in mind. and the man
whose clothes get into the lucky bag
receives SO many hours extra duty as
a gentle reminder to be more careful
in the future. His name goes on 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 Glands
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 a manner that they need
no ironing. These rolls are then tied
at each end with the stops and are
slowed away in the clothes bag. In
this way all his clothes, both blue and
white, are kept clean, and when Sun
day morning comes and there is gen
eral inspection on the quarter deck he
has no fear Of being reprimanded for
having on a soiled uniform.
The hardest things of a sailors outfit
! to wash are his blanket and hammock.
l. f1, o,,% 90 Il ;e C1,;y
! ment, but belongs to the ship. He is,
however, required to keep it clean.
His mattress and blanket are dashed
into the hammock and slowed in the
nettings or crates provided for that
purpose
Every day a couple or more men are
s detailed to stow them away and at
e night to break them out 1t is this
r handling SO much that gets them fear
d fully dirty, especially while ship is
= coaling When washing his hammock,
a sailor lays it fat on the deck and
. uses wire brush to get it clean, with
/ the assistance Of soap and lots of eel
t bow grease
l. Ia visiting foreign port and before
d the ship has come to anchor it will be
d surrounded by "bumboats," generally
# bringing out washerwomen, who art
# usually negresses and who clamor fol
- any work in the laundry line. They
!, do good work and charge very littl'
~ for it, They always show their refer
&c ences from the last ship and Away:
y want new one to add to their alread.
IS long list.
Ill 1t is in wet and stormy weather tina
re the sailor has his own troubles tryin:
1e to dry his clothes. Round the uptake
IF of the smokestack there is a dryin:
~ room in which clothes may be hung
but as they grow yellowish when hun,
- there often this room is used as littl
" rs possible. In the newer men-of-wa
re there are installed washing and dryin
he machines which greatly facilitate tn
n laundry work, making it inexcusabl