Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-22
4 Ness CREW ABOARD SHIP.

ing ashore quite regularly down Nicara-
qua way and creating the impression that
they could whip their weight in wildcats
These marines have four posts aboard
ship and maintain watches at those posts
night and dan.
Altogether there is a lot Of time for
work and play, for strenuous cndeavor
and for easy relaxation. The enlisted
men are mostly mere boys. ranging in age
from eighteen to twent y-fiNe years. They
are lusty and sport-loving and fun of fell
lnwship. The officers of tho hattleships
show n majority under thirty years Of
age and on the Delaware there were but
three or four who had passed forty. I'm
navy administration the secret of tile
male of the Species-the fact that man
never grows up, but likes the sports of
you'll to the end of the Chapter-haS been
discovered. Sports and amusenents are
arranged accordingly.
::
The amusement that is regular diet is
that entertainment of all the people. the
moving picture show. The profits from
the cantcen. where trinkcts, candies. to-
hacco and small articles are sold. are ex-
pended in providing the materials for
sport and amusement. The moving pic
ture show eats up good deal of this
profit Each battleship subscrihes for a
regular SSTNlCc VI hlhu JoSI as "oNo
a moving picture theater. The result is a
new show each night that compares Ia
vorably with anything seen in the shows
of our town.
The setting is unusual for this perform
ance \ screen is put up on the nam
deck, aft. There is only the night SKY
above and the great reaches of the ocean
beyond the decks. The deck is the par
uuet of the theater. At one side are ar
ranged chairs from the wardroom and
these are the boxes for the officers. Inc
enlisted men sprawl at ease in the par
ouet Back of them are the turrets of
the big guns rising some ten feet above
the decks. This is the gallery and the
reservations here are popular. Even the
barrels of the great twelve-inch guns are
TO view the show, and dozens of men may
perch there.
There is no restraint on the men and
they very freely voice their like or dislike
for the features of the show. There Is no
chance to avoid condemnation when any
.'mushy stuff is pulled The dapper
chappies are not over popular ana the
fast work gets the hand. Funny hlms
sometimes call for repetition ana the
frenzies of those greatly accelerated pic
lures call forth applause. OF officers ana
men there arc few of the go absent from
the show that takes place at dark every
night.
hand of some fifteen to twenty pieces.
The musicians who compose it perform no
other service than that of furnishing mu-
sic and the band plays at regular inter
walls every day: Almost any day during
these concerts half hundred couples of
seamen may he seen doing the Turkey
Trot'' or some of the other most up-to-
date dances.
There is a great deal of sport and RI
yalrv i'm the very work of the men of the
navy. for nothing is more fascinating
than the craftsmanship contests. There
are rifle matches between the teams OF
the different ships of the fleet. These
meets are the order Of the day for much
of the four months OF the year that the
fleet is in Guantanamo bay. Cuba. Fhere
is an Atlantic fleet cup. and the contests
for the possession of that cup are held
at Guantanamo. and the shooting is done
on shore OF course, there Is the big con-
test when the fleet has its rendezvous Tor
target practice in Hampton roads. Inc
operation of these big guns and the nit