The Washington herald., 1914-05-17
MARINE BAND GUARDS
TOOT HORNS ON BEATS
Musicians Practice Notes When Forced
to Do Guard Mount at Bar
racks and Navy Yard.

With 5000 men doing duty under Col.
L. W. T. Waller, commandsnt Of the
First Brigade of United States Marine
Corps. operating In Eastern Mexico. the
complement OF men at the local barracks
and Navy Yard consists Of only 1856 men.
OF these sixty-six are members OF the
Marine Band, sixty-eight are apprentices,
that 10. music boys, and the rest are OF
the clerical force detailed from corps
members. All told, the privates at the
Marine Barracks who have not been or
dered away. number seven men.
In this crisis 1t has become necessary
to detail members Of the Marine Band
to do guard duty at the barracks and
while the musicians are not adverse 70
filling In during the present stress Of war,
many humorous incidents have cropped
out because Of this enforced guard
1t Is said that when the expert helicon
player of the band was ordered on duty.
he brought his large brass instrument to
the post Of duty and made a verbal re-
quest to the sergeant In charge OF the
ammunition to have furnished him Q
sufiicient amount OF explosives to load
his instrument either became the
ammunition In the general stores at
inc pdTTdChs hhu wv VI eAcC eAsS
helicon player was considered facetious.
the keeper Of sunpowder refused the re-
quest ,-
Another musician who plays the dol
cateiy reeded oboe, answered the clari-
onet players call OF who comes there"
with a timid run OF the diatonic scale
ending with tremendous burst Of notes
that were at once protested because the
other real performer meant not to fright
en- the nagiolet expert. A fute-player
who wished to improve his tone and kill
time. practices almost continually while
treadins In front OF the southern gate,
and never before have the denizens Of
East Washington taken as much inter-
est IN the guards at the gates as at this
time.
When two men Of the bandsmen &C.
cupy posts Of guard together. duets are
played and the meiodic patriotism OF
the musician-guard finds many warm
advocates In the gamins who congregate
outside the gates to hear" these men
do their guard duty.
While the German tuba player knows
less about advance bass and more
about the large double-bass that he is
wont to lung in harmonious accord with
his fellow-bandmen, his real dreams dur
ing the enforced guard duty fly to the
other BASES that are always In the mind
of fervent fans, and expresses a musical
objection frequently by blowing low
growls on his metallic weapon. which has
the effect of scattering the kiddies who
congregate around his post Of duty with
better effectiveness than the usual
heavily armed marine.
These men of Uncle Sans nautical SOL
diery are well versed in harmony" and
therefore are averse to expressing too
strongly their dislike for the unique
stunt they are Obliged to perform. but
several officers at the local headquar-
tiers express the doubt as to whether the
soldierly conduct of the men supersedes
their musicianly qualities.
The men do two-hour tricks. and are
Off for the four hours following: the
men following each other In alphabeti-
cal order of name. Thus the solo saxa-
phonist has as his relief the player Of
the bull-nddle, the trap drummer asso-
ciates with the baton wielder. while the
trombonist and baritone player voice
their opinion of the enforced service by
a fugue In lower e."