The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-04-18
WASHING DAY AFLOAT.

and well dressed sailor lad locks
when on shore leave, how white his
clothes look when you board the ship
on visiting days9 But did you ever
realize that he was his own wash
woman?
With shrill blast of his silver whis-
tie the chief boatswain's mate will
pipe, "Scrub and wash clothes - and
every man hurries to his bucket, gets
his soiled clothes, salt water soap
draws a 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 trobsers
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 twine,
twisted and with whipped ends. that
he uses in lieu of clothespins. They
are fastened in eyelets placed at the
side seams and bottom of his shirts
and the waistband of his trousers. He
turns all his washed clothes inside out
to prevent the right side getting
solid.
They are then hung on line which,
says the Iouth'S Companion, is run
from the bow to the topmast or upper
top of fighting mast. The we'll in
formed man now usually puts his
clothes to soak the night before in a
bucket halt full of water into which
he has either sprinkled handful of
soap powder or 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 clothes ~ 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" take 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
petition the first luff," or executive
officer, 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
Jimmy Legs time book, and when
there Is anu extra Labor tom mba ser.
This is usually the lot of the lands
man" who has rot 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 Sum-
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. The hammock forms part
of his equipment, but belongs to the
ship. He is, however, required to
keep it clean. His mattress and
blanket are lashed 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
at night to break them out. It is
this handling so much that gets them
fearfully dirty, especially while ship
is coaling. When washing his ham
mock, sailor lays it fat on his deck
and uses wire brush to get it clean,
with the assistance or soap and lots
of "elbow grease"
In visiting a foreign port and be-
fore the ship has come to anchor It
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 it. They always show
their references from the last ship and
always want a new one to add to their
already long list.
It is in wet and stormy weather
that the sailor has his own troubles
irving to dry his clothes. Round
the uptakes of the smokestack there
is a drying room in which clothes
may ba hung, but as they grow yell
lowish when hung there often this
room is used as little as possible. In
the newer men-of-war there are in
stalled washing and drying machines
which greatly facilitate the laundry
work, making it inexcusable for a
sailor to have soiled clothes. This
machine, which dries clothes by cen
trifugal motion, does the work rap
idly and well.
These machines, which are being
added to all the new ships, will in
time do away with all hand work.
The old familiar sight of long line
of clothes strung from bow to mast
/ Iz.o~ - soon aud fha