Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1918-09-13
CHAPTER !.
In the American Navy.

My father was a seaman, so, nat
urally, all my life heard a great deal
about ships and the sea. Even when
l was little boy, in Walston, Pa, l
thought about them a whole lot and
wanted to be sailor-especially
sailor in the Q. S. navy.
You might say was brought up on
the water.
When I was twelve years old I went
to sea as cabin boy on the whaler
Therifus, out of Boston. She was an
old square-rigged sailing ship, built
more for work than for speed. We
were out four months on nv first
cruise, and got knocked around a lot,
especially in storm on the Newfound-
land Banks. where we lost our instru-
ments, and had hard time navigat-
Ing the ship. Whaling crews work on
shares and during the two years 1 was
on the Therifus my shares amounted
to fourteen hundred dollars.
Then I shipped as frst-class helms
man on the British tramp Southern
down, a twin-screw steamer out of
Liverpool. Many people are surprised
that a fourteen-year-old boy should be
nelmSman on an Ocean-going craft.
but all over the world you will see
young lads doing their trick at the
wheel. l was on the Southerndown
TWO years and in that time visited
most OF the important ports of Eu-
rope. There is nothing like a tramp
steamer II you want to see the world.
Inc SoutherndOwn is the vessel that.
IN the fall of 1917, sighted a German
U-boat rugged up like sailing ship.
Although liked visiting the foreign
ports, l got tired of the Southerndown
aIter While and at the end of a vow
age which landed me in New York I
decided to get into the United States
navy. After laying around for week
or two enlisted and was assigned to
DUTY as second-class fireman.
People have said they thought I was
pretty small to be q fireman: thew
nave the idea that firemen must be big
men. Well, am 5 feet IN inches in
neight, and when was sixteen was
just as tall as am now and weighed
IoS pounds. I was whole lot husk-
Ter then, too, for that was before nv
introduction to kultur in German pris-
'on camps, and life there is not eva ctlv
fattening-not exactly. I do not know
why it is, but if you will notice the
navy hremen-the lads with the red
stripes around their left shoulders
you Will find that almost all of them
are small men. But they are husky
lot.
Now, in the navy, they ALWAYS haze
newcomer until he shows that he
can take care of himself, and I got
mine very soon after I went into IN
Gle Saws service. I was washing nv
ciothes IN a bucket on the forecastle
secK, and every garby (sailor) who
came along would give me or the
bucket a kick, and spill one or the
ooth OF us. Each time I would move
70 some other place, but 1 always
seemed TO be in somebody's way. Fl
naiiy saw marine coming. I was
nowhere near him, but he hauled ont
VI MS course to come up to me and
gave the bucket a boot that sent If
twenty feet away, at the same time
handing me a clout on the ear that
Just about knocked me down. Now
did not exactly know what q marine
was, and this fellow had so MANY
STRIPES on his sleeves that I thought
he must be some sort of officer So
just stood by. There was a gold strine
commissioned officer) on the bridge
ana l knew that if anything was
wrong he would cut in, so I kent look,
ing up at him, but he stayed where he
was, looking on, and never saving
word. And all the time the marine
Kept slamming me about and telling
me TO get the hell out of there.
FINALLY l said to myself, .I'u got
.ms guy If it's the brig for month "
30 planted him one in the kidnovs
ana another in the mouth, and no wont
cream up against the rail. Rn+ ba
came back at me strong, and we woro
ut 1t for soma time. "e'e
But when II was over the gold s+r,,o