The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1916-05-05
CLAIMED The SHIP
Marc Thought He Was Eligible to
Command a Cruiser.
AN OLD TIME NAVAL PRANK.
The Shabby Trick That Was Played
Upon a Patriotic Greek 5oilerm aker
by Some of Uncle Sans Sailors With
Whom He Had Shipped.

on which | was serving shipped Doll
ermaker while we were on the Medl
terranean station" said retired petty
officer of the navy. Our former Doll
ermakers time expired while we were
at Gibraltar, and as he was not in good
phvsical shape he wasn't re-enlisted,
but took his discharge and returned 10
the United States by mail steamer so
the ship was shy a boilermaker, very
important and necessary petty oti1cer
down below in the engineers depart
ment. and when the ship pulled into
Naples harbor the chief engineer went
ashore to see if he couldn't dig up
hoilermaker.
There was a clause In the enlist
ment regulations permitting command
ing officers to shipnecessary men on
foreign stations in short handed emer
gencies. The chief engineer brought
back to the ship Greek named Char
lie Marc. The man couldn't speak any
English to speak of, but he was
good man at the boilermaking bust
ness, and be was duly shipped aboard
of rs for three years He was wild,
hairy looking lot, Marc was, and he
got good deal of Il laugh at the
hands of the crew. especially the
younger fellows, from the time he first
came over the side.
Marc thought that there wasn't any
other country on the map except
Greece, and after he got hold of enough
English to make himself understood he
used to take some of the young appren-
lice boys up into the eyes of the ship
and tell them. with many gesticula
tons and furious words. of the differ
ent kinds of tar Greece could knock
out of Turkey.
The ship was around on the Pacific
station when the war broke out be
tween Greece and Turkey. When the
news of the outbreak of the war got to
Marc, our boilermaker, he nearly had
heart disease and whole lot of other
sudden things from pure excitement
He just couldn't hold himself in. he
looked so tickled
"'Da Greek man villa bin, bin, bin.
da Taurka man. was Charlie Maro's
way of putting it, and he didn't see
that the Turk had ghost of show
All hands forward encouraged him in
the belief. They all acquiesced in ex-
pressing the belief to Marc that Greece
would simply eat Turkey up. Then
bo'sun's mate who knew how to crack
the most impossible jokes with face
AS solemn and wooden as an Indians
took Charlie in hand and told him some
things He told Marc that the United
States was 50 much in sympathy with
Greece in the struggle with Turkey
that the navy department had decided
to turn over all of the ships of the
American navy to Greek commanders.
Heres chance for you, Marc
the bo'sun's mate told Marc. You just
want to work your edge. Here you are
already shipped on this cruiser, and it's
dollars to doughnuts that if you ask
for the command of this ship in order
to take her over to Greece to mix it up
with the Turks you'll get it hands
down Better try it on
That idea impressed Marc a heap
He asked the bo'sun's mate whom he'd
have to apply to to get command of the
cruiser
why, to the commanding officer, OF
course was the reply.
Marc was tremendously important
for day or so while he let this huge
idea grow within him, and he bullied
the men detailed to work with him
| down below in the boiler room good
deal. The bosun's mate kept working
him up to it, and finally Marc appeared
on deck one morning logged out in his
very best mastering suit of bluejacket
clothes and went up to the Officef of
the deck and asked permission to see
the commanding officer at the mast
The officer of the deck was rather sur
| prised to see the man all done up in
his mastering toys when all hands
were at work; but, as he is obliged to
do when an enlisted man requests per
mission to see the commanding officer
he sent word to the skipper, who soon
emerged from his cabin and appeared
al the stick
"'Well. my mann said the skipper to
Marc, who stood bolt upright and sa
uted with a flourish.
"'Sare,' said Marc to the skipper, !
hav-a da honor to her-a-by taxa da
command ola da ship
"HeyT said the commanding officer,
putting his hand to his ear and looking
as If he hadn't heard Alright.
"'Da ship repeated Marc. Fora da
navee ola HeIlas-de Greeka navel
hava da honor to taxa da command
"All hands among the enlisted men
were up on the to'gallant fo'c'sle tax
ing the thing in. and they broke into a.
roar that you could have heard five
cable lengths distance. Marc heard it
and. suspecting that his confidence had
been abused, got red and flabbergasted
He suddenly bolted for the engine
room hatch and made his way below
and ii took three marines to drag him
aft to the sick bay. where the surgeon
at the shippers command. gave Marc
a half hours examination as to his san
| ity. Marc was game enough to decline
to give the name of the enlisted man
who had told him he was eligible for
the command of the ship upon its being
turned unto the navy of Greece but
the thrashing he gave that bo'sun's