The San Francisco call., 1908-05-15
Sailors Ball Topic Of
the Fleet
BIueiackefs ReVeI ia RecoHec-
tions OF Time When They
Danced With Society

That society enjoyed the bluejackets'
ball is ewhat the blue1acket might call
a "cinch" and that the blueiackets also
enjoyed 1t was fully proved the next
day. as the ball was the popular topic
Of conversation in the forepart OF all the
ships OF the fleet. Mrs Arthur Corn
wall and Walter Macarthur are the
idols OF the hour in fleet circles.
{ 1t may increase society's appreciation
OF Jacks agility and cleanliness TO
know that many OF the sailors who
danced on Tuesday evening had spent
the day coaling snip and mat after
the strenuous tussIe with the black
diamonds they had washed the coal
dust from their ships decks and sides
and restored their blackened ducks to
regulation white They had all done
hard days work before the ball On
top of that they cleaned house and
then. for good measure. they got away
with days washing. lat time was
left between then ard the ball was de-
voted to cleaning up.
After the ball many Of the blue
jackets were taken to lovely mansions
and there en-crlained at luncheons as
elaborate as any spread ever laid for
their officers.
They certainly gave Us a swell
time" said one of the sailor guests
yesterday. There was h Of a
crowd and I reckon that was Just as
well for scme of our fellows have the
spelling habit and when they get half
chance turn on reverse that leads
to collisions and spoiIs the dancing for
everybody else
Those girls could dance all right. all
right We didn't have a chance to try
'em out good. There was no long spurts.
But Lord, they were willing. There
was one girl we called the track team.
Say, she was a dandy. The crowd
made Nc. difference to her. She started
out win 2:2e dash. hurdled the home
stretch and finished with pole vault
that made your head swim
II understand that the word was
passed for refreshments. but I didn't
get any. Didn't want any. When there's
bluejacket wants to eat. If they'd kept
it going until o'clock we'd have had
things humming, but we did tine as it
was. Some of the boys were invited to
swell houses afterward Nfor dinner
The house went 10 was fitted out like
an admirars cabin. A big orderly took
my bonnet when went in and a few
minutes after he piped all hands to the
SWEETEST supper you ever. saw.
Say, did you hear anybody say any
thing about getting whiT or so OF
liquor on any of the boys breaths2
want TO tell you about that 1t wasn't
no booze. Leastways it wasn't took for
that purpose. 1t was a new game to
most of US older men and some. OF US
took little nerve tonic to brace up
on. II we'd been swelIs we could have
taken scent for a chaser and hid II.
but we weren't sure Just what the
swells took. so we let it go at that. II
anybody didn't like it tell EN- it was
only nerve tonic.
I'VE all took extra cap bands along 70
give. tot the ladies. We couldn't take the
bands on our hats, They're stitched
on and by the time we yanked 'em OF
would have been all feather edged.
Then il we'd gone back to the snip
without no hatband we'd have been
cIassed for not being in uniform. and
we was on our good behavior that
night I've been in the navy ten years
and that BAH was the best ever saw"