The Washington herald., 1913-02-09
DOGS, GOATS, GRIZZLY BEARS, COONS,
AND WHAT NOT BATTLESHIP MASCOTS
Anxous Awaiting Decision of Navy Department Whether They
Keep Their Pets, Following Incident in Which Horned
Ruminant "Buted" Admiral Doyle


He was decked out with many . star,
That twinkled and winkled afar,
TIL the hears on the earth
Who Of stars had great dearth,
Would remark. oh, how lucky you areP'
His scintilIating decoration brought
him no happiness, however, for one day
Of such starry splendor was enough to
accomplish his finish. The occasioni
for his triumphal regalia was a FEAST
day aboard ship. The ice cream which
rejoiced the feasters was served from
huge freezers, whose brine proved too
tempting for poor Rruno- Again and
again during the day. Bruno indulged
in a salt drink. until, by evening. the
unhappy grizzly, In spite OF his 81
brilliant studded collar. was no more.
The suggestion of bringing aboard a
successor caused the admiral to reason
that a second grizzly bear might
prove yet more of a problem: a butt
was already aboard, and the Gaby hug
and the Whiskers glide were estabt
llshed features, so with all these COM
plications a general edict went forth
All mascots must be abolished"
Another battleship which viii be de-
prived OF famous pet is the Nebraska,
which voasts a Boston bull terrier, en-
tered upon the enlistment papers as Regi-
nald Doolittle. but addressed commonly
| as Nebby." out of compliment to the
ship. "Nebby' is entered as the prop
erty OF one ''Davey'' Jones, but he is
pretty much ships property. when It
comes to attention, treats, &C. He IL a
chronic dyspeptic, and has even under
gone treatment in a hospital at Key
West, but in spite of his proclivity for
ventral disorders he manages to get con-
siderable enjoyment out of life. Soft
boiled eggs are his regular diet. no mat
ter what the cost. while mint iuleps are
weakness with him when ashore.
Dog Fights with shark.
''Nebby'' is a great swimmer. and take
plunge thrice daily. a tragedy wa
almost enacted in Guantanamo Ba
when he had a desperate encounter with
a shark, from which he was rescued by
one Of his mates, wounded, but still afire
with the lust of the fray. His favorite
diversion is the phonograph, to which.
I like the doggie in the familiar advertise
ment. he sits listening with rapt sttsn-
ton. The tale goes that 'Nebby'' ac-
quired the French language by means
of the phonograph. II sounds like a
fairy tale. but "Nebby's" mates vouched
for its veracity. Besides his linguistic
: accom- 9lishments he can also stand on
his head for an unusually long time, and
in that remarkable position eat anything
that is handed TO him, shakes hands, and
does a ball pirouette. He has as many
accomplishments as the dogs OF the Or
pheum circuit.
/ A pathetic letter to departed pets is
conveyed in a letter from the Mississippi,
the simplicity and genuineness OF which
| pleads as naught else for the retention of
something upon which the sailor can
lavish affection and tenderness that Is
so commendable in these husky followers
OF the sea
4" Nanny our goat, was presented to
Capt. Fullam by Admiral Young. Of the
Pensacola Navy Yard, June 10, lsn, and
took TO the ship as duck takes to
water. Nanny became my shadow and
followed me all over the ship, up and
down ladders. from engine room to
bridge. and at mess gear and pipe
down to all meals you would find her
awaiting me at the table and depending
upon me to feed her Her favorte diet
was celery and rice. Il was remarkable
that after she adopted life upon the sea
she never worried about eating grass.
Well. in port l took her regularly for
a walk, and she was as docile as a lamb
and followed me everywhere II by
chance she became lost she would stand
in one place and call for me-
Goat Property Buried.
She was in splendid trim when I left
on my furlough, and when returned in
fifteen days they broke the sad news to
me that Nanny was dead. Wen. II sesmH
ed as though l had lost my best friend.
as she was a sticker and as full OF tricks
as a kitten. All the boys missed her,
but. you see, with me It was different,
for she did seem to love me the best
She would walk on her hind legs, shake
hands, jump through a hoop. and when
in ha ha
decks she would go and pull the covers
OF them and wake them up by jerking at
their clothes.
The night she was taken sick two
men were put on special detail to watch
her. but early in the morning she died
They boxed her up and sewed the box in
canvas, and a guard of eight men took
her toward the dry dock. dug a grave.
an placed thereupOn a marker. Nanny,
pet and pride OF the United States ship
Mississippi"
The trim little gunboat Petrol has a
Boston brindle of uncommon beauty.
This breed seems to furnish the ma,
jority OF mascots because OF their in
telligence, endurance. and true sports
manship. Mike was presented to the
ship at Vallejo. Cal From the moment
OF his arrival he made it clear that no
other mascot was to be tolerated on
board. On the few occasions when
some thoughtless Jack Tar introduced
a second mascot to the ships company.
blood owed instanter. and It was
speedily decided to part with the new
conner in the interest Of peace and dis
cipline. Mike Is still with the Petrol
His favorite place is on the fo'castie.
where he can see the porpoises tumbling'
in the water under the ships bow.
There he will spend long hours barking
at these big fish. probably daring them,
dog fashion. to come up where he can
get at them and fight things to a finish.
Mike Is a great "rounder" When
ever the Petrel has come to New Or
leans, which has been rather frequently
In recent years. he has signaiized each
visit by a genuine spree. Once he took
leave In a particularly mysterious man
ner and was not recovered until within
a few moments Of the time scheduled
for the departure of the ship. greatly
to the discomfort OF the crew and to the
high displeasure Of the detail sent ashore
to search the wharves for him. Just In
time to avoid earning the dissraceful
term deserter. Mike" came trottfng up
the gangway, wagging his tail In a
carefree way. and with every evidence
of having had a gay time
Space does not suffice to list all the
mascot dogs of the navy. But this
article would be incomplete, indeed,
without passing mention of Piras III.
Of the Naval Recruiting Station in Clevc-
recrui Is Justly given great weight IN
the Georgia. Every ship in the navy
H. vi