Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-06
NUEJECK[TS At PLAY
About 1900 Sailors From Fleet
Having Great Playspell in
Washington
LEFT TRAIL OF RoMANcEs
Globe is EncircIcd With a Chain of
Love Affairs-Men Are on Their
Good Bei,avior-Men of the Fleet
Got Frost in Sunny Itay-No De-
sire to Return.
Especial Corresnondencel

Washington, March 6.-There ar
about 1900 blue jackets in Washing
ton who have just come up from tn
globe-touring fleet, and they are surel
having the time of their glad youn
lives
Young. for most of them are boys
and a startling proportion farm boys
too. They say that a big majority o
the best men in the navy never knew
anything about seafaring life till the.
enlisted.
The best time we had" said
young farmer from Michigan, whose
] cap bore the name or the Connecticut
was in Australia That's becaus,
! they're all crazy over what they cal
! "wyte Owstry!yea" That means, il
! English, "a white Australia They
1 love an oriental about as much thert
as they do in San Fran. Say, they
haven't come out of it yet. When we
got to Norfolk most of the boys found
letters and post cards waiting for
girls they have over there, too | bet
there's a dozen weddings because we
went there, and there'd be a lot more
if ocean transportation was as cheap
as marriage licenses.'~
Are on Good Behavior.
The jackies are giving Washington
an Illustration of how we'll they de-
ported themselves on the long trip. II
haven't had any shore leave since we
left China" said one of them. and it's
mighty lonesome business. But we're
having fun enough now to make up for
it. What shows are there in town to-
night?"
They are telling some good stories
about the receptions in Australia and
Japan. They gave us a banquet at
Sidney" explained young man from
the Georgia, at which there We're
seats for 1900 people. Fifteen hundred
We're reserved for the jackies, and just
one turned up-an alone. They asked
him if he didn't have a pal.
I had one when I started he said.
but a girl kidnapped him. That was
the way with the other 1899 The one
poor devil that turned up was asked
to eat for all the rest, and tried it.
He recovered The boys had simply
gone seeing things. They didn't want
banquets; they wanted to get wise to
the country; it's bully, too"
A Trail of Romances.
The sailormen must have left an aw-
full string of romances around the
globe, about the size and power of the
American navy. Early in the voyage
they laid plans to bluff the universe
They told the Australians that the
United States had four fleets like the
one which visited that country, except
that two of them We're of bigger and
newer ships, and that we had been sent
around the world because we needed
practice in sailing. But it was when the
leet got to Japan that the talk be-
came really strong. It was explained to
he Japanese sailormen who were de-
prising number of them talked ex-
,ellent English-that the United States
navy wasn't understood by the rest of |
he world; that the country had ten
building and soon to be
aunched, and two other fleets in the |
Then it was explained that |
here was a whole navy on the great |
axes which was never counted in the
.stimates of the naval strength of the
United States, but which under a new
reaty was free to leave the lakes and
20 out on the ocean; and it had first /
lass fleet, and only needed to sail
lown the st. Lwrence, in order to add
is power to the accepted estimates
# American naval power. This sure
lid make the Japs open their eyes.
There wasn't any nonsense about their
Welcome to us. They were really glad. II
guess we had 'em bluffed, when they
aw us, and they decided the best thing
hey could do was to be glad.
Heavy Frost in italy.
Italy was the country where we got
he frost. Wouldn't that jar you? We
urned over to 'em two shiploads of
rovisions, and have been eating hard
acll ever since. l. didn't have any real
read until four days ago. Yet in spite
f all we did for their earthquake vic
ms, when we got to Naples we got
othing but the razzle dazzle Never |
aw such place for beggars, and they {
link an American sailor is made o. I
loney. Not any more Italy for this i
unch." &