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Show IBLUcfAQKEfS V jmSi A IDF FYPF0F 5 wPvS;i AJHI FITS PfeiljM -4wf' :,:A r3.vV ril -J rl -1' Nr.-. . vSi - v X- , '!-i;Ty r jACK at play Is e,"H as characteristic Wfy a follow as when back of a 12 Inch gun ' IB sending a littlu pleasantry to a hostile i foo. Not that ho takes his pleasure-A1S pleasure-A1S seriously; quite the contrary, but he fcav, does put the same vlra into It whether. , In the memorable words of Fiiihttug Itob Kvans, "It's a frolic or a fight." "Whatever he does," the lleet athletic officer. I.leut. 8 C. Hooper, remarks In summing up the situation, "ho clous rUht." It Is this determination to bo satisfied with nothing short of tho best that makes the American Amer-ican sailor such a power to be reckoned with, w hether afloat or ashore, at work or at piny. In athletics alouo tho American sailor Is on expert, though many are not awuro of the fact, and a footbull team made up of Jnrkles Is quite the equal In physique and prowc-ss of the average college col-lege outfit. So nation In the world has developed devel-oped athletics In tho navy to the extent we have done, and so Important does 1'ncle Sam consider the development of gnorts among the enlisted men tint flow every ship has Its specially appointed ap-pointed athletic officer td direct recreative ftmusernent ; to eneouraco It there Is no need. !e rnntev'a "i.i, sailors of other nations In forlen ports. whether 011 the 1 r . --.z China station In I W&ttf the Philippines or I 'f'l, '-'f-,','' elsewhere, the I VtS''V ',V. v"" American sailor 'iy YiV'U'' f. ' emerges trium- ' j'i'f' . V1'-' pliant. Hut Jack ,', fV VVc "i' has to have the VVVy f 1'' tff equipment to begin r- 1 t, lY A -t i with. He must ' '''''"'' have the spike- . ( ; " . . nail shoe, for i''rili'EU fV I baseball aud the f 'rVVV up-to-date outfit f V p, TN ; r V.-', that goes with J-lUViwi each sport, but ?.;',; given that he Is lj . ' 1 then ready to bo- j '' ' 5 stow his whole at- i (t .'V '; V , tentlon on getlln? ! , ,y ' ' there, and that he 'V,:,1Ji,.';'''fV succeeds beautiful- I "H" '-- V-rf ' ly every athletk r-; ofrrer aboard ship 1 ? ',' J-'f:ti j ' will ronviee you. vV. "' , v ' Wlih preot priue 1 ' ' ' . they will tell you I f.',: ';. - , how the men un der their e.Mniiiniid . " yX,7 .' -r-T" compare profes- 3f?SV&' a.J. slonally with col- loen athletes not only in football but In wrestling, rowing, boxing or any other sport. So to further this specialty there Is In the navy a regularly organized fleet athletic committee commit-tee composed of five oflicers. Lieut. 8. C. Hooper of the flagship Connecticut In at the head of It. This committee exercises n general oversight i over all sports and arranges dates for regattas j and sporting events. Outside the daily partlclpa-! partlclpa-! tion In sports, there are four distinct seasons I when Jack Is put on his mottle so far as athletics ' go. They ara when the games are pulled off at , Guantanamo, Newport, liar Harbor and Huston. I when the fleet is together. At such times Interest , Dhhore is quite as great as aboard ship, j If rooters for college games think themselves the acme of Infectious enthusiasm It la because they haven't seen a navy contest. It takes a j bunch of Jackie, effervescing with the excitement excite-ment of an Intershlp contest, to give the former cards and spades in emotional pyrotechnics, for the games are always vigorously contested, the various ship's crews being reprerented rn the tide lines, howling encouragement In their own peculiar fashion. As a rule competition In the events Is ellmlna-tlre, ellmlna-tlre, the ships first contesting by divisions In championships playing each other for fleet championship. cham-pionship. For the last two years the Connecticut team has won the football trophy a wooden football, gilded. It Is when the fleet Is In southern waters for aerial target practice that baseball Is particularly enjoyed. "Tb n.M savs I.luensnt Hooper, "baseball psr-ilea psr-ilea are landed each day an l the games are as hotly contested as those of the major leagues. The men are as rabid 'fans' as those ahore and keep as sharp tabs on the official scores as any landsman. Fach evening about 8 o'clock the scores of the various games In the National and American leagues are sent from the flagship by 'radio ' "When It comes to the boat races." says the 1 chief athletic officer, "the sailor Is naturally In his elemeot tnd the races are highly spectacular. The course Is usually between the line of ships and as the boats skim over the waters all the men "man the rails' and cheer tbelr favorite team ' to the echo " 1 For this competition the regular telveosred service cutter of the navy Is tied, that Is. unless, ' I ss sometime happens, the men of a speclsl ship ' I et together and buy one of tbelr own. Snen a craft is generally termed a "tallor-rasde" boat . because of Its superior rtyle and finish. The t Battrnhrg cp," presented by Prince l-ovls for the crew races, ta moat d'slred and all tf.'orts I are bent at winning It A large number ef thr I cup biv at various times boon put up for com-1 com-1 petition, among them one by August Itelmont Money priies are sometimes offered, too, and a 1 ship will sometime win aa much as 15.000 in 1 pnrsea. One year the Indiana won that sum, and I the Maine ! 100 In a special et t. a th res-mil race, which was pulled off In St minute. On t the sam occasion th marines on th Indiana I woa a pur of 13.049 eid the Dutch challenge , cap In Guantanamo also occur th final bout to , determine th flet championship In boxing , For this lb men trail as Industriously as though . they were really th "whit hope" of th pro-reatijaal pro-reatijaal das, and la spit ef th fact that tbelr tv.iti. , ft I ;tfl -:" , HV&c : ; ... --.."" . (. - j - . ""v - . . 1, - ''-' - t." .( . v.,' . s fKsl&4' "'"I' i vts?. '' ' ' ; ' VlrJ' -,:r . iV,. ' . V, i J . . -J i aw . . , - " " 1 . r i; k i .' t ; ' ,! ! ' ' ; ' - - i. , v 3 Sffi&a&rjtey'&yz izxvh'av&isa training fuciLties are limited the navy has turned out some of the best men in the boxing world today. 1-or examile, there are Sailor Hurke and Tom Sharkey, bott graduate of the navy prlxe-fight-ers. and Sammy Hobldeau, lightweight champion of the navy, who is considered one of the best lightweights la the country either In or out of the navy. "The constant change in the personnel of the men," says Paymaster Uowne. "not only means constant work on the part of the oflicers to mold them Into shape, but it also means that Fnel Bam Is Just so much richer by every man who leaves the navy after serving his apprenticeship. He has Just so many more to call on In case of necessity, for a man never forgets the A II P of the war game once he learns It. Bo for this reason, as well as because It contribute to the health and pleasure of the men, nothing they can get In th w'ay of training I thrown away on them. "And. too. the sailor' life Is a pleasant on. There I lot of hard work, to be sure, but there I plenty to eat, a clean place to sleep and a good share of recreation. In the matter of athletics, as well as In other ways, the government do more for It ssilos than any other country. Wher will yon find It matter for active education educa-tion and concern It ts with ns? Certainly not in the British navy. "The superiority of th American salUr in athletics has been dninstrated often Our men ar satUfUd with 'alrg but the best. They want t be expert la whatever they tinderake; therefor they train lemtc!ly and ar furnished fur-nished with every fseiilty In the wy of equipment equip-ment thjf need. This I provided for from the canteen troths H la arraeged that th profits of the ship' stores rn b 4!poed of for this pur poe, o the men 'lack aothlng In the way of paraphernal that lll caadac to their success In athletk" "A aa flltatratloa of th aptness of th American Amer-ican sa'lor athletic an uTrer tells this np-rlrac np-rlrac of Lt when on th China taUo. Th hip was uCrvd at Mtgkong and oa day a group of Abisylejui sailor trVed to Indue some ttrltlsh aIlof to Join 'hra l a football gam. Th Utter p.-.' erred oeeev. Finally, however, th British agreed; they wuold play football If oar ta) wol lean ov-c. Tils n aoord- ,V lors beat the Hrttlshers at their 'J?Y.4'( One of the newest amusements V'Mii provided for the sailors ta the I' ' ' li moving picture show, and this Y , I they enjoy hugely. The films ar I V tented for the most part, though V.!'M the navy recently bought a set which Mr. Kdlson took depicting jf'NV. the life of the sailor. This Is very popular. How often exhibitions are H , p t -l given depends on the weather and j ' 1 L where the ship happens to be. If I I -J' In port where the men can get J f , ,1 ashore, there la little peed of spe- "' l clal recreation Hut lr on a cruise " Ji Of th9 weather l bad, then the Vll "movies" are given two or three Jvv-iuJJ exhibitions a week. Apropos of '" - I this feature Capt H. H- Wilson of I w the North Dakota Is considering a ' tl,an ,0 r,,ro,lure ,ne Klnemacolor La pictures soon. Another innovation which Cap- "Vl according to Paymaster Howne. Is -'Kj'X tho setting aside of one of the gun ?ifV'f compartments on the ship as a reading snd writing room for the rJM sailors! Though small, It Is a A f ,reat boon ,0 xh"m- for now lb,)r ' can write comfortably at a desk In- ,'r lner re Povl,"(, between ''''wjl thirty and forty magaxlnes with v' t0 or ,D' '"P1'" MCD ' ,h" f'y da,lT vp''rB- ,he ,p;ion, hB y at leisure, can pas th time read- 's ?0i In " t,"jr 1,0 rict' A'A "The sailors like dancing." adds -gJvAV rsymaster Howne." and though if U tD,,y n,a' not l3r" uks dTn" V) taite of the band concerts given every noon snd night. If a popular air like 'Great. Illg. Hejiutlful Doll' or something that especially appeal, .trtke. up ,he impulse will move them to t.a. a turn 7er.do,!lriydJack ha. a love of betting. Gambling au out u to pas.lon with him and at the big S even, a considerable sum of money I. "pi to change bands. Hut Jack doesn't confine bfmsHf to l'g events, for a. one salior says, be bets at the drop of a hat. He carrie hi propensity for wagering to the possible destination of the ship, whether he will have salt or fresh water in which to wash his hammock, and a thousand ar.d one things be. side You see one of Jack's duties Is to glv his hammock a thorough scrubbing once a fortnight, and sometime when th vaporlxei that turn salt water Into fresh fall to work he has to use salt water for the purpose. Every minute of Jack' day has a correspond-'Ing correspond-'Ing occupation for hlra. and from revelll. when th bugle "I can't get 'em up" penetrates to every rnrt of the big jattleshlp. until taps Is sounded the sailor's life Is a busy on. First ol all Jack arise at 1:10, HI first duty is to turn to and wash down decks and slick up tnlngs generally. gen-erally. Mess gear comes at 7: IS. which Interpreted Interpret-ed means letting down the table for breakfast Then comes "pipe down" for mess. Thla Is s long drawn not on th bo's'n' whistle. Mess lasts halt an hour ususlly and then fot lows the call for colors, quarter, prayer and drill, and before he know it Jack' morning li gone and It Is a quarter to twelve, when dlnnei time has arrived "Stand by. scrub and wash clothes." I the next order from the bo's'n. and thla come at tel minutes past one. This arduous, duty over, thejf I drill until 30. when th bo's'n call "Pipe down clothe If dry." for meanwhile Jark'i clothe ar swinging on th Hn. Now the "smoking lamp" I lit and for a while Jack li lot in contemplation of th delicious wed "Lighting th smoking lamp" I on of th pie-turesqu pie-turesqu customs that hav com down from to old evy and at this tint th men ar privileged to enjoy their pipe and cigars, la artur years th stroking Ismp. an ordinary copper affair, wai brought ap from below deck at stated Intervali durlcg th day, and It wa th signal ta "smoki up." hut whU la more recent year th actual operation has been abandoned U term remain |
