Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-04-28
.CANTEEN ISBUSY;;
JACK|ES BUY SWEETS
Sailors Store in French Port
Sometimes Does $500 Bust
ness in One Day.
BY A. r.. DECKER.

BY A. b. DECKER.
Especial Correspondence Of The Sunday
Star and the Chicago Daily News)
WITH THE AMERICAN FLEET IN
FRENCH WATERS. March Livery
bluejacked on shore liberty passes by
the canteen before returning to his
ship. This is in order to stock up with
crackers, toothpaste and cigarettes. or
any Of the other thousand and one ar
ticles Of which the canteen boasts. Jack
has a sweet tooth. Hence the candies
go very rapidly; indeed. Yeoman Inge.
who has obtained a transfer as student
aviator, and his assistants have an ex-
ceedingly busy time handing over the
counter the sea-going candies. These
chocolates and other sweets are packed
in tins, each piece being carefully
wrapped in tinfoil. and the whole sealed
within a wrapping Of oilef paper. They
arrive almost as good as the day they
were packed. For time candy was
unobtainablA becauea one shipment
-wAs- found to =haEa- spoiled OF to have
'been tempered with by German agent1
This lot was condemned. It must be
assumed that the cause was discovefed
since to-day Jack is receiving his candy
regularly In the interval cookies and
other sweet eatables held the pinnacle
of popularity.
Overheard at the Canteen.
Inee,s best customers are the mess at
tendants, for, fortified with orders. they
buy for the mess and often for the men
who do not happen to have shore lib
erty. In the canteen today 1 overheard
a spirited conversation between a col
ored mess attendant and one Of the
sailor clerks The subject was the
proper. way to prepare the canned plum
puddings of which the mess attendant
was laying in supply.
Serve them raw" said the clerk.
mot on your life," protested the cook.
T amt no plum pudding man. I'm a
chicken man. This man what's got his
name on the can says to boil them two
hours and serve with a sauce. He's a
plum pudding man. He ought to know.
l boils EN-"
The canteen is not only a popular
place for the bluejackets, but also for
the American hospital nurses and the
Y. NJ. c. A. workers.
Prisoner Makes Purchase.
Once a German prisoner was able to
enjoy the privileges Of the canteen.
This was entirely irregular and caused
quite a laugh on the clerk. The Ger
man was passing in a working party.
The prisoners never show any inclina-
ton to escape. and, although guarded
closely. are allowed a certain freedom
This particular prisoner had paused to
wash his hands near the canteen en-
trance. 1t was a rare moment when
the crowd Of bluejackets was not as
sailing Inge and his force. A lone
clerk sat behind the counter reading
He heard some one enter.
"A box Of matches. please" said the
customer. The clerk tossed over a box
Of matches and took the money; it was
a small purchase, so he hardly took his
eyes from the paper.
What are you doing there?" called
one of the assistants. You just sold
some matches to a German prisoner"
By this time the prisoner was lost in
the file of workers whom the French
territorials were conducting back to
their camp.
On good days when the transports are
in the canteen does business totaling
sometimes 1000 francs $4,000. The
stock is all American and arrives regu-
larly No profit is made. since the
goods are sold practically at cost. The
quality is uniform and good. The can
teen fills a big need and is one of the
necessities of the base.
Learning to Swim.
The port where the sailors get shore
leave is replete with anecdotes abous
the service. An American officer who
had just come across on a transport
related this one:
He was on deck one day when his at
tention was attracted by strange
sounds coming up the hatch. He APP
preached and heard short and abrupt
commands something like this. Hold
yo' BRET! Swim! Hold yo' BRET! Swim"
This was repeated regularly. Looking
down the hatch he saw a number Of
.olored soldiers Of the stevedore regt-
nert sprawled fat and going through
! series Of movements under the direc-
lion Of ono Of their number. The off,
ser called the leader up to him. and
asked what 1t was all about.
This is Just a swimming party, said
he teacher. "a man gave us a bunch
IF tickets marked with numbers. He
,afd the numbers meant the places we
should take If we get torpedoed. So I
asked him what places"
WELL" he said, eff this here ship
sinks you'd better get right over to
hat other ship back Of us. So were
Ill learning to swim-see?"