The Navy Deserters Living Among Us
Bluejackets from the cruiser New York and gunboats Marblehead and Concord are shedding their uniforms to start civilian lives in Tacoma.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
As a sequel to the visit of the cruiser New York and the gunboats Marblehead and Concord to Tacoma the first of this month, at least 12 of the bluejackets who had enlisted in the navy and detailed to these ships are now in this city, living the life of the landsman. A few of them were left here when the boats steamed out of the harbor on July 6, and the balance of the number returned here from Bremerton on a two or three days' leave of absence. In each case the men have become tired of the restrictions of naval life and are now either working or looking for work in Tacoma. The blue uniforms which they wore upon leaving their ships have been sold or safely packed away, and every trace of their identity as mariners has been obliterated. In conversation with a Times reporter yesterday one of the deserters said: “I came over from Bremerton yesterday to find a mate of mine who was left here when the New York steamed out of the harbor last week. I found him this morning, holding down a good job in one of the business houses here. I am going to stay with him and if we are not followed up and taken back by force we will not serve any more time in the navy.” It is said no special effort is made by the officers to apprehend an escaped sailor, though a reward of $20 or $30 is always offered for his return to the ship.
“The blue uniforms which they wore upon leaving their ships have been sold or safely packed away, and every trace of their identity as mariners has been obliterated.”
This story captures a human-interest angle on military life in a port city, highlighting the perennial tension between the rigid demands of service and the lure of civilian work. It reminds us of Tacoma's long history as a place where people come to 'disappear' and start anew.
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