The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-26

1 oolors are lowered, all night signal ap- l paratus tested, anchor lights turned on 1 and searchlights, deck machinery and l boats covered. At D. m. the men sweep down and wash clothing in the fofecastle;
 at 6:S5 all boats are hoisted and gear slowed; at 7:30 hammocks are stretched, 1 the anchor watch is mustered at o'clock
 and at g o'clock tattoo Is sounded and
 the anchor watch set, taps lights out" being sounded at 9:05 D. m.
 | Tn routine given above Is that of the | men while in port; the routine is slightly l different when the vessel is at sea, but
 not essentially so, although the sea rou- I tine begins at ? a. m. with relief for | the wheel and 1ookouts, and, as the men
 are divided Into watches. being on and off duty at stated times. there Is no taps, :" | as the watch below" sleeps during it's al loted time off duty.
 Five Messes on Board There are five messes on board the Bir-
 mingham, the commanding officer dining by himself in solitary grandeur. The sec cnd is the ward room mess, the third the warrant officers mess, the fourth the mess of the chief petty officers, and the last the mess of the enlisted men. All of the messes excepting that of the enlist ed men are run by the men themselves, the regular ration allowed by naval reg
 ulations being commuted to cash allow ance, which is supplemented by the men themselves, and an extra bill of fare is
 the result. The enlisted men fare very well, however, the bill of fare for Satur- day, February 25. being as follows:s
 The Bill of Fare
 Breakfast-Beef stew with dumrlngs, bread. butter coffee.
 Dinner-Roast loin of pork. apple sauce. mashed potatoes, bread butter coffee.
 Supper-Salmon croQuettes, green peas,
 bread butter, tea, coffee, German apple cake.
 There is very complete store on board the Birmingham, where 1t is possible to
 purchase everything that can be secured
 in a well regulated grocery or delicates- sen, and from this stock the men pur- chase such additions to their menu as
 they may desire. The store or canteen is
 operated at a profit of about 10 per cent, and the profits are used to purchase ath- letic outfits, instruments for the orches- tra or anything of like nature for the good of all.
 Several Mascots
 There are several mascots on board the Birmingham, the principal of which is al
 black cat which, by the way, has his tory Minnie was a little kitten when the crew of the Birmingham adopted her. and her original home was on the steam CT Bulldog, which was wrecked at sea
 during December, 1909. The crew of the Birmingham saved the crew of this ves- sel on December 19, 1909, 300 miles east of Bermuda, and after the last survivor had | been taken from the wreck the sailors noticed the little black kitten, which they took off at the risk of their lives. The Bulldog was then sunk by the three | inch guns of the cruiser as it was | menace to navigation, and Minnie was | formally adopted by the men of the Bir- mingham. Mnine has a little daughter on board which is made much of by the | men, as is also Coffee" bulldog with a record for chewing up everything in the | dog line that crosses his path, and | .Muggsy," a little Boston bulldog, the | property of Chief Yeoman R.. H. Whita- ker. The Birmingham also owns prize goat named Buck" which they picked up in Liberia, but which was left at Guan- tanamo to recuperate from the effects of a 15-foot fall down hatch.
 Primarily built for speed, the Birming- ham can give good account of itself in sny old kind of row. She Is equipped with two 5-inch rifles, six 3-inch rifles, two S-pounders and two submerged tor pedo tubes. Her speed is about % knots per hour, equal to nearly 30 miles. and as a scout cruiser the vessel is one of the most efficient in the United States navy.