Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 August 1895 — "JACKIES” IN DEMAND. LARGE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF SAILORS. [ARTICLE]

"JACKIES” IN DEMAND.

LARGE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF SAILORS.

New Warships to ba Manned--Life of a Sailer on an American Man-Of-War and His Pay. American men-of-war’s men have no distinctive title. They are variously termed “blue jackets,” "Jack tars” and "jackies.” The last is by far the most common name given the men who "plough the raging main” on ships of war. It is a contraction of the other two, and it applies alike to the sailors of all navies. Special attention is directed to the American naval sailor just at this time, because of the preparations of the Navy Department to enlist 1,000 men for that branch of the service. The recent rapid increase in the number of vessels of the navy, as a Washington Star reporter was informed, has naturally necessitated an addition to the force of men to operate them. Secretary Herbert represented to the last Congress that 2,000 additional men were needed to meet the requirements of the service during the coming fiscal year, beginning on the Ist proximo. Congress found it expedient, however, to provide only for an increase of half that number. The total enlisted strength of the navy at present is 9,000 men. The authorized enlistments will swell this total to 10,000 during the coming year. Six hundred new men will be needed within the next few weeks for the manning of the second class battle ships Texas and Maine and the gunnery practice ship Lancaster. The three vessels will be put into commission about the Ist of August, the Texas at Norfolk and the Maine and Lancaster at New York. The complement of these vessels will be about 125 in excess of the additional force of 600 men. but for that matter nearly all of our warships are short of their complement. There are other vessels that will soon be readj’ for active sea service, including the ram Katahdin and the torpedo boat Ericsson. The cruisers Boston and Marion, which have undergone extensive repairs at San Francisco, could be put in commission today if crews were available. Men for one or the other of these vessels may be obtained by putting the coast-defense vessel Monterey, or some other ship on that station, out of commission, but not otherwise. The first-class battle ships Indiana and Massachusetts, the finest ships in the navy, will probably be completed this winter. Officials of the Navy Department say there will be no difficulty in getting the additional men, and that it will not even be necessary to advertise for them. The classes of men wanted are seamen, landsmen, firemen and coal passers, and it is expected that most of these will be recruited at New York. Enlistments will also be made at Philadelphia and Boston, if necessary. The men are needed mostly for manning the batteries and for looking after the fires and machinery. New York city is the only place where recruiting goes on in all ratings. Men, physically and otherwise qualified, who have served in the navy, are enlisted in the following ratings at the monthly pay designated: Seamen, $24; ordinary seamen sl9; machinists, S7O; first-class firemen, $35; second-class firemen, S3O. When qualified and advanced to the ratings of petty officers, as vacancies occur, they receive from $25 to $65 per month. Men twentyone years of age or upward, physically qualified, who have not served at sea, are enlisted in limited numbers as landsmen or coal heavers, and are paid sl6 and $22 per month respectively, All enlistments are for a term of three years. Every enlisted man is allowed a commutation of rations at the rate of thirty cents a day . It is a matter of pride in the navy that there is no ration given by any foreign nation that is equal to the ration of the United States navy, either in weight or nutritive qualities. Although the American sailor may be cramped in his sleeping quarters, he has no cause, it is asserted to complain of his food, as it is the best possible under the circumstances, and vastly superior to that of his brethren in other navies, excepting none. Living room is very limited on board modern warships. Everything below decks is sacrificed to engines, boilers and coal bunkers. Consequently “jackies” are huddled together like sheep in a storm. Each man is allowed but fourteen inches room for his hammock, and the hammocks are dovetailed together-from beam to beam, so that the sleeping tars form a solid, compact mass, with hardly room to swing even ina rolling sea. This is the greatest drawback to service on a modern man of war, and is a source of general complaint from the veteran who has experienced greater breathing space in the more spacious wooden frigates of bygone days. With this exception, the lot of the modern tar is much easier in every respect than in the olden days of sailing ships. He is now. better fed and better cared for. The discipline is not so severe and Exacting, and he is afforded better protection against tyranny and oppression on the part of the officers. Their general nature, however, has not undergone any material change since the days of Cooper and Maryatt. They are a jolly, happy-go-lucky set, always ready for a lark or a fight, with an abnormal fondness for grog, and are chronic grumblers over imaginary ills. Nevertheless, it is said, they are stanch and true, and patriotic to the last breath, and will never go back on their country or a friend in distress. The best ratings open to “jackies” are boatswains and gunners, These places pay from $1,200 to SI,BOO a year. They are open to any sailor who has served more than one enlistment in the navy, and who shows special aptitude for promotion. All appointments as warrant officers are* based on the record of the applicants. There are several vacancies in the list of boatswains at present, but none in the list of gunners. Warrant officers are retired on three-quarters pay. Petty officers are pensioned on

half pay If physically incapacitated for re-enlistment. There is a popular impression that the rank and file of the nary is composed of aliens, who hare no patriotic affiliation with this conn try or its institutions. That this is erroneous is demonstrated by the last census of the navy, which allows tha| nearly 70 per cent of the entire enlisted force is composed of citizens of the United States, either by birth or naturalization. The other 80 per cent is made up of aliens, the majority of whom are Scandinavians, Englishmen and Irishmen. There are many Chinese and Japanese in the navy, but they are employed almost exclusively in the mess rooms. Colored men are numerous, but they too, are mostly niess attendants.'