The Point Pleasant register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, W. Va.) 1909-1939, 1910-01-05
THE MIDsHIPMAN.
He Had a Hard Life In the Early Days
Of Our May.

o. Our Nay.
When a Doy entered the naval
service Of the United States in the
DAYS following the war of the Rev
olution the highest rank obtainable
was that Of captain, and he had
to pass through what R. 1lacdon-
ough, in the 'Lifc of Commodore
Thomas Macdonough, {. S. Navy"
describes as "a laborious and dan
gerous minority or apprenticeship
before securing the coveted prize.
In those days our midshipmen's
lines were not cast in pleasant
places, nor were their paths the
paths of peace. Although "the
wards and children of the public"
us they called themselves, little or
no attention seems to have been
paid to their physical, mental or
moral welfare.
They picked up on board ship, as
hest they could. the technical edu-
cation necessary to fit them for their
profession. Although ship school
masters were mentioned in connec-
lion with the service, there were few
Of them. There was no exacting ETH
quette, no rigid courtesy. Instead,
there was the rude discipline of the
merchantmen transferred to man
of-war-a discipline often enforced
by incorporate and abusive Ian
guage and occasionally by blows.
$50 great were the exactions,"
wrote Admiral Porter in his Me
moirs of Commodore David Porter"
'Sand so unceasing the strain on a
boys nervous temperament that
only the most rugged and deter
mined could remain in the service
for any great length of time"
In 1900, when Midshipman Mac
donough, afterward the hero and
commander of the naval force on
Lake Champlain at the beginning Of
the war of 1872, entered the serv-
ice, he drew $40 month in pay and
vas entitled to one ration a day.
This, on Sunday. consisted of
pound and half of beef and half
pint OF rice; on Monday, pound
OF pork, half a pint of beans or peas,
four ounces of cheese; Tuesday, a
pound and a half Of beef, u pound
Of potatoes or turnips, pudding;
Wednesday, two ounces of butter or
six ounces of molasses, four ounces
of cheese, half pint Of rice; Thurs
day, a pound of pork, half pint Of
peas or beans; Friday, pound of
salt fish, two ounces of butter or
one gill of oil, a pound of potatoes;
Saturday, a pound of pork, half a
pint Of peas or beans, four ounces of
cheese, and every day pound Of
bread.
The value of this ration was rs
cents. 1t was changed later, by act
Of congress, March 5, 1901, to "a
ton of value of 30 cents.
When 4Hdshipman Macdonough
Che was sixteen when he entered the
service) appeared in full dress uni
form he wore coat of blue cloth
with short lapels faced with the
same and ornamented with six but
tons; standing collar with a dia-
mond formed of gold lace on each
side, not exceeding two inches
square; slashed sleeves with small
buttons, all buttonholes worked with
gold thread; single breasted blue
vest with flaps, no buttons to the
pockets; blue or white breeehes;
gold laced cooked hat, shoes with
buckles and a hanger.
When in undress uniform he wore
a short blue coat without worked
buttonholes and having a standing
collar with button and a slip of
gold lace on each side. Dirks were
not to be worn on shore by any Of
fcer.
This was the uniform prescribed
by the navy department under Rob
ert Smith, secretary Of the navy,
]