Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1910-08-16
A YOUNGSTERS VIEWS
MidShipman OF Class 1913 Tells
OF The Foreign Cruise
FIRST EXPERIENCE AT SEA
Boston Boy Says Friends Would Laugh
Al Seeing Him Do His Own Laundry
Aboard Ship

Aboard Ship
Written for his hometown paper,
the following letter Of midshipman
on the Naval Academy summer
cruise, appeared first in the Boston
Transcript and was reproduced by
. last Saturdays Army and Navy Reg
ister:
I To the Editor of the Transcript
wonder if any of the people back
in good old Boston would be at sll in
terested in the life of an Annapolis boy
on a summer voyage in European
waters?
As sample Of what we have TO
do on the warship Iowa, started
out assign ed TO the evsporstors,
where the fresh water is made out
of salt This is pretty easy, but a
mighty hot job. Next ! ran the
ice machines for a number of days,
and then hit the boiler room for six
days. The first three ! was coal
passer, when l had to shovel the
coal out of the bunkers in front of
the furnaces. Then ! was fireman
for three days.
On coming on watch | would help
clean one of the furnaces by raking
out all the bad fire and starting a
new one. The rest of the time
was taken up by ring, slieing and
firaking the four fires under the boil
er. The work was not nearly so hard
as il is cracked up TO be. At present
! am again on the evaporators. One
of Tho ol.,rtaros fh,-a - 4L,+ ;+ -
possible to get hot fresh water to
wash clothes with; last night | was
washing clothes for over an hour.
We shall probably knock off engi-
neering duty at Plymouth. and after
that my crew will be employed on
deck and at the guns. Besides our
regular watches we have fire. colli-
son, abandon ship and ordnance drills;
also, we have to take notes and make
sketches of the various types OF ma
chinery used on this ship. While this
sounds like a good deal, We really
have lot of leisure.
Reveille is at six (seven for those
who have been on watch during the
night Immediately the boatswain
blows his whistle and in a fog-horn
voice sings out: "A-l-l hands rise
and shine and shake a leg there"
Plunks can then be heard as fellows
drop from their hammocks, which are
quickly lashed and slowed in bins on
the superstructure. We then dress
and get our quart of fresh water for
the day. Fresh water is a scarcity.
and only those in the fireroom can get
more than one wash day.
At 7:l5 mess gear is sounded, and
at 7 80 We are piped down to break
fast After that there is nothing till
inspection at 9 80. after which the
drills last till dinner at -. At 80
another hours drilling, and then the
rest of the day We have to ourselves.
Supper is at 6. after which the band
plays on the superstructure till ham,
mocks are piped down at Z 80. At
taps sound and all hands except the
watch turn infor the night.
This evening, for example, there is
going to be a smoker on the quarter
deck. There will be several boxing
bouts, some dancing and singing; re-
freshments will consist of hardtack.
lam and coffee. When on duty in the
fir Groom during the midwatch | had
some fine coffee. 1t is cooked on Goals
taken from one of the furnaces with
condensed milk and sugar added, and
drunk with bread swiped from the
| commissary steward.
Ii certainly gives a fellow an ap-
petite TO be on this old hooker, for
| there never seems to be time when
| we could not eat a little more no
matter how much we cram down.
While there are no frills to the food,
it is as good as. or better than, we
get at the Academy, and we pay only
nine dollars a month for il. Our moke
| has a grease with the cook, so we get
/ toast twice a day. and every once in
/ while he swipes some mashed pota-
toes from the officers galley for US.
There is a great difference in being
a voungster; we can do as about as
! we please, so far as the upper classes
are concerned. and there is no con-
slant expectation of being balled out
| for something or other. Wehave seen
very few ships so far: although they
saw that the Lusitanis passed Us early
this morning. We are to have sew
enty-two hours leave to visit Lon
don. and two special trains have been
chartered for that purpose. They
are going to ALLOW US twenty dollars
to spend in London, besides our car
fare.
There will be very little liberty al
Plymouth, but we cannot kick very
much. considering the long leave they
are going to give Us in london.
have large bar of salt water soaI
and a scrubbing brush. My old friends
in Boston would laugh to see ms
down on all fours on the deck scrub
bing q jumper or pair of trousers.
P. P.