The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1916-01-13
CLAIMED THE SHIP
Marc Thought He Was Eligible to
Command a Cruiser.
AN OLD TIME NAVAL PRANK.

| AN VkU 1--WE NAVAL TnHNN
The Shabby Trick That Was Played
Upon a Patriotic Greek 6oiisrm AXE,
by Some Of Uncle Sans Sailors With
Whom He Had Shipped.
"A number of years ago the cruiser
on which was serving shipped boil
ermaker while we were on the Medi-
terranean station" said a retired petty
officer of the navy. Our former boil
ermakers time expired while we were
at Gibraltar, and as he was not in good
physical shape he wasn't re-enlisted.
but took his discharge and returned to
the United States by mail steamer. So
the ship was shy boilermaker, a very
important and necessary petty officer
down below in the engineers depart
nent, and when the ship pulled into
Naples harbor the chief engineer went
ashore to see If he couldn't dig up a
boilermaker.
ment regulations permitting command.
ing officers to ship necessary 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 he was duly shipped aboard
Of us for three years. He was wild,
hairy looking lot, Marc was, and he
got a good deal of a 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-
tice boys up into the eyes of the ship
and tell them, with many gesticula.
lions 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 a 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
bosun'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 so much in sympathy with
Greece in the struggle with Turkey
that the navy department had decided
10 turn over all Of the ships of the
American navy to Greek commanders.
Here's chance for you, Maro,'
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 1t up
with the Turks you'll get it hands
lown. Better try it on
'That idea impressed Marc 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
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 bo'sun'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 officer 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
bis 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,
be sent word to the skipper, who soon
from his cabin and appeared
ut the stick
"'Well, my man' said the skipper to
Marc, who stood bolt upright and sa-
luted with flourish.
'Sare,' said Marc to the skipper, I
hav-a da honor to her-a-by taxa da
command Ola da ship
'Hey?' said the commanding officer,
putting his hand to his ear and looking
60 II he hadn't heard Alright.
'Da ship repeated Marc. Fora da
navee Ola Hellas 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 Eve