Page:Autobiography of Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes.djvu/75



Pursuance to the orders of Comdre Bainbridge, I reported to Capn McDonough for duty on board the Guerrier. My friend Randolph, W. S. Walker, W[illiam] S. Harris, & Stephen B. Wilson were likewise ordered to report, & as the Steerage was full, we were assigned the Cockpit for our mess, which was on the deck below the Steerage. It was but 4½ feet high between decks, and as we were all of almost grown size, rather an inconvenient one; but as to space, we had plenty of room. We had all come from the Independence and were much pleased to get to sea, bound on a cruize to Russia & the Mediterranean.

The accomodations were rather unfavorably looked upon. Wilson (S.B.) was one of the oldest Mids attached to the Ship, then came Walker, with, then Randolph, Harris and myself, five, and therefore for rights we had the oldest, and our mess soon acquired its influence on board. We made a nice outfit of crockery & mess things, secured a good cook and steerage Boys to wait upon us & made ourselves comfortable, and were content with the change and happy in our quarters as they were roomy though wanting in height. The Steerage being overcrowded, with 12 or 14 in a Mess on each side, the Southern mess or aristocrats on the Starboard while the Plebians or Northerners were on the Larboard side. We came to the resolution of maintaining our Neutrality, Wilson & myself from New York, Walker from New Hampshire, Harris from Kentucky and Randolph from Virginia. I think we arrogated to ourselves the positions after the Wardroom officers, the Cockpit usually belonging to the Surgeon and his mates. Our outfit was greatly in excess of what steerage officers usually possessed; the purser was kind enough to advance us the mess money to provide suitably. My service in the Merchant vessels had given me some experience & I was determined we should have plenty to eat and a table set which combined usefulness with cleanliness and gentility. In this my messmates went hand in hand, and caused us to become the No 1 mess of the Steerage officers. And we enjoyed our seclusion from the uproar and ceaseless stir in the Steerage proper, and, being well known to each other, we agreed and good humor prevailed throughout our intercourse.

I wish I could say as much for the two steerage messes. Arguments, wrangling and disorder was continual; selfishness and bad temper with 49