Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-11
MORNING EXERCISE
R IN The MEDITERRANEAN

the decks from bow to stern. In the
officers quarters pianos broke adrht
and dashed from bulkhead to pulkhead
with the roll Of the ship.
Men were tuInbled from their ham
rnocks, the ships stores were turned top
sy-turyy and SO great was the motion al
daybreak that it was difficult for the
crew ito eat. The nautical instruments
registered a roll of IS degrees. which, for
ships of such great tonnage as these,
was tremendous. Port was reached Safe
ly, however, with no greater loss than
much broken furniture and several DAM
aged lifeboats.
In about mid-Atlantic coal passer was
reported missing. One who has never
heard the cry of MAN overboardi at
sea cannot really appreciate the conster-
nation that this report caused on the
FLORIDA. In fact, the conditions are
nearly identical in their effect upon the
crew and officers. Although it was mid
night the captain ordered the bugler to
call every man to his quarters; and the
giant gongs. used only to call the crew
to battle stations or to sound an alarm
~ fire. crashed out a general alarm.
Men half clad but fully awake. sprang
from their hammocks to their stations,
A full muster of the crew was made and
then the ship was searched.
Finally it was found that the coal pas
ser had slowed himself away below and
had not awakened in time TO take his
watch in the fireroom. He was publicly
rspT1nanQeu ana pidceu III Tue VI ~ ioi
two days as a reminder that to frighten
a whole ships company is no small Of
Tense.
No bluejacket breads anything so
much as coaling ship. The command
er-in-chief Rear Admiral Badger. Or
dered that all ships should take aboard
coal on arriving in port. As the naval
Golfers accompanied the fleet no fuel
was purchased abroad, much to the dis
content of the various local merchants.
The battleships lad expended their whole
supply save for two or three hundred
tons, so that the commanding officers
wished to run no chance of being not
ready in the event of an emergency call,
SO the unpleasant task was begun.
About 8 o'clock in the morning the
electrician in charge of the dynamo room
on the battleship Connecticut, at Genoa,
was startled by hearing series of taps
on the steel bulkhead separating the
dynamo room from a coal bunker. The
electrician Immediately surmised that
man had been imprisoned there while
slowing away coal taken aboard fourteen
or fifteen hours before. The crew was
mustered and it was found that not
one, but six men, were missing.
A hole was drilled in the steel bulk
head and a long iron pipe run through
the coal until the opening which con-
tanned the en- was found. A rubber
tube was pushed through the pipe and
nourishment given to them The dls-
covery was just in time. for the air had
become very bad and three of the men
were nearly unconscious
What do you want first?" cried the
ships -urgeon through the tube
..Aw cut out the bum milk and shoot
US up 'ciggy'!" --as the amazing reply.
Lest the landsman fail to comprehend,
be it stated that "ciggy" is navy talk
for cigarette.
The surgeons explained that to smoke
in the close atmosphere of the coal
bunker would soon exhaust what little
air there was left. The men were treat
ed to the best that the ship afforded
when they were released some two hours
later only after many tons of coal had
been shoveled out of the bunker Sub
sequent investigation showed that the
coal passers had been unable to stow
away the coal a rapidly as it had been
piled down the chute.
* <
Like crowd of care free school boys
one-half of each ships company drew
their money from the paymaster and
went on what they termed big lib
erty." Each .ialf had ten days leave
of absence from the ship. Each man
could go where he pleased, and this