The weekly herald. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 1906-19??, 1908-02-13
WASHING DAY AFLOAT
When the Sailor Lads In the Navy
Turn Laundrymen.
A HARD JOB IN BAD WEATHER

Each Man, With His Fest and Legs
Bare. Scrubs His Own Clothes and
Gets Them Ready For Inspection,
"Jlmmy Legs" and tho "Lueky 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 daysi But did you ever realize
that he was his own washerman2
With a shrll blast OF his silver wills,
tie the chief boatswain's mate will
pipe. Scrub and wash clothes" and
every man hurrleS TO his bucket, gets
his solled 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 bis 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 scrubblng 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 bis shirts and the
walstband Of his trousers. He turns
all his 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 well 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 sprlnkled a handful Of
soap powder or a small piece of salt
water soap. In the morning a little
rubbing and his clothes are clean and
hung up, while the '1andlubber'' has
just begun.
When they have been thoroughly
dried the chief boatswain again pipes,
Scrub and wash clothes!" and every
man rushes for the clothesline to
claim his own. II he fails to secure
them within reasonable time, the
master Mt arms, or Jimmy Legs"
takes them down, and they go into the
'lucky bag" Then the only recourse
the unlucky owner has is to go to the
mast, or the stick" as the court on
board ship is commonly called, and pc.
titlon 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
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 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 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 n solled uniform.
The hardest things of sailors outfit
to wash are his blanket and hammock.
The hammock forms part OF his equip.
ment, but belongs to the ship. He is,
however, required to keep 1t clean,
His mattress and blanket are dashed
into the hammock and slowed In the
MEETINGS or crates provided for that
purpose.
Every day a couple or more men are
detailed to stow them away and at
night to break them out 1t is this
handling so much that gets them fear
fully dirty, especially while a ship is
coaling. When washing his hammock,
a sailor lays 1t fat on the deck and
uses wire brush to get 1t clean, with
the assistance Of soap and lots of eel
bow grease"
In visiting q foreign port and before
the ship has come to anchor 1t will be
surrounded by "bumboats." generally
bringing out washerwomen, who are
usually negresses and who clamor for
any work in the laundry line. They
do good work and charge very little
for 1t. They always show their refer
ences from the last ship and always
want new one TO add to their already
long list.
1t is in wet and stormy weather that
the sailor has bis own troubles trying
to dry his clothes. Round the uptakes
Of the smokestack there is a drying
room in which clothes may be hung
but as they grow yelowish when hung