Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1896 — HOW A BIG FLEET IS FED [ARTICLE]

HOW A BIG FLEET IS FED

The Bumboat Woman Supplies the Jack Tar with Luxuries It is not likely that to the mind of the average man, as he looks at the cruisers of the White Squadron lying in the Bay off Tompkinsville and sees the decks alive with hundreds of hearty, healthy bluejackets, the question would be suggested as to how the inhabitants of these great floating creatures are fed. Those who visit the ships care only for the pomp and display of things martial and warlike. The vessels themselves, their mysterious and complicated interiors and machinery are far more interesting to the generality of mankind than the interior of the sailor and the fuel that keeps him running. There are on the coast certain regular naval stations where the vessels spend a large portion of their time when in home waters. At each of these ports the Navy Department has standing contracts with certain firms to supply food. This concern stands ready to supply meat, that one vegetables, another groceries, as soon as a ship arrives in port The ship’s paymaster notifies the fleet paymaster what is needed in a particular vessel, and the fleet paymaster sends the orders to the firms. Thereafter each day the paymasters send in their orders for supplies. If the fleet or a particular vessel goes Into a port that is not a regular naval station, he at once takes bids for food supplies and makes his contracts accordingly. Every man on board an American man-o’-war receives his day’s rations or 30 cents in lieu of them. The officers, of course, generally draw their 30 cents and have their stewards purchase for them special supplies. The sailors, however, form in messes, generally of fifteen or twenty men, one of whom acts as steward. About onehalf of the men draw ship’s rations and the other the 30 cents per man, which is spent in extras for the whole mess. With this money, and a few dollars extra per man each month, they purchase when in port some luxuries, such as butter, sugar, radishes, pickles and pastry. When the vessel goes to sea the government stocks her with canned and salted meats, canned vegetables, biscuits and such foods, and in addition each mess takes out its supply of extras. An important factor In the sailor’a comfort is the bumboat woman. Every one of the cruisers now lying at Tompkinsville has its own bumboat woman. She alone has the privilege of Hoarding the vessel and selling her wares to the crew. This is a valuable privilege and one usually given to the wives or widows of sailors. When a vessel goes on duty the commander appoints a woman to manage the bumboat. This woman usually follows the vessel from port to port and daily visits it with her wares. She carries pies and pastry, beer, cigars, cigarettes and tobacco, and such odds and ends as do not come under the supervision of the paymaster and his general manager, the paymaster’s yeoman. The bumboat woman loads her stock in a boat, hired or kept for the purpose, and visits the ship during the mess hours. At those times and those alone she is allowed to go to and fro among the crew selling her wares.— New York Run.