Shenandoah (1886): links, questions, comments, coordination, ...

1863-1886
DANFS entry

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espross
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Re: Shenandoah (1886): links, questions, comments, coordination, ...

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On 7 July 1886, at anchor in Callao, Peru, the Com'd'g Officer of USS Shenandoah adjudged the following offences and punishments (along with some others):

Image

You will surely observe that notorious ringleader John McKay (Mst. A., so he should know better) was disrated to Landsman for taking a beaker of yeast to the bag-room along with his henchmen.

Two questions for the group: What's a bag-room? A diagram of the ship included in the log yields a number of rooms, but not a bag-room. Am I reading the log-book right?

And what the devil were these louts doing with a beaker of yeast from 10am until 7am the following morning?

Whatever happened, fortunately it appears justice was served.
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Randi
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Re: Shenandoah (1886): links, questions, comments, coordination, ...

Post by Randi »

Trying to brew beer :?: :?: :?:

The only thing I can think of is that it was a room where the sailors' bags (containing clothes and personal belongings) were stored.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=IPv ... ag&f=false

I think it is breaker (small barrel for containing water or other liquids) rather than a beaker, but I can't see that that helps much.



Confirmation of the existence of a bag room, but not proof that it had sailor's bags:
https://www.history.navy.mil/research/l ... ml#anchorb
Bag Room Keeper - Established 1865; disestablished 1884.
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Thank you! I can relax.

Yeast: That occurred to me as the likeliest thing, but brewing one's own beer in the bag-room seemed like a long shot.
Breaker not Beaker -- d'oh! You're right! That seems like a great deal of yeast.
Bag-room: I found a number of references to Bag-rooms and Bagrooms in Naval hospitals, including this one from 1966:
HOSPITAL BAG-ROOM--for storage of all personal effects not needed on ward.
I also found a tidbit of possible significance to the case, in a United States Naval Medical Bulletin from 1919:
BAG ROOM.
An assistant master-at-arms shall be in charge of the bagroom.
Hence John McKay, M. at A., having control over a discreet site for an ad hoc brewery!
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Re: Shenandoah (1886): links, questions, comments, coordination, ...

Post by Michael »

:D :D :D :D

In 1998, the government in their wisdom decided to close the Yukon Weather Centre. Most of us lost our jobs, either through early retirement or just being laid off although a couple of people were transferred to other places. Our computer scientist made his own beer. He got a job with NOAA in Silver Springs, Maryland. He had 28 dozen bottles of beer he had to leave behind, so he brought it to our office and left it in our shower. (We had a brand-new building, only two years old, so it had a shower.)

Every afternoon, two of us would sit in my office and have a beer. We timed it so we would run out on our last days of work. ;)

Anyway, the R.C.M.P. were considering taking over our building for a sub-detachment. The head of RCMP Division M came in to inspect the building. We showed him and his two other officers all the rooms in the building and all the equipment etc. etc.The only room we neglect to show him was the shower.

"What's in here?" he asked.

"Nothing, just a shower," we said.

"Well, I'd like to see it."

"Why, it's just a shower."

One of the junior officers said, "Sir, the Commandant would like to see your shower."

"Nothing in here but a shower," we said, "and 28 cases of home-brew to ease our going away."

Everyone laughed, and the commandant asked if it came with the building. We said, "Sorry, bu no." :D :D :D
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espross
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Re: Shenandoah (1886): links, questions, comments, coordination, ...

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Wow, what a great tale! (Except for losing your job and eventually running out of beer).

Presumably the government hasn't learned the error of its ways and subsequently reopened the Yukon Weather Centre? Where was it?
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Re: Shenandoah (1886): links, questions, comments, coordination, ...

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No, it never re-opened. It was in Whitehorse, Yukon, and it was the only Canadian weather centre in the far north. I.e. North of 60.
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Re: Shenandoah (1886): links, questions, comments, coordination, ...

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After weeks of mind-numbing "At anchor Callao, Peru" with attendant mind-numbing incidents of drunkenness, absence without leave, and Force 1-2 winds from all directions, I was thrilled to happen upon some excitement on August 3, 1886:

Image

But sadly I have to assume it was just a drill, as the following watch they were back to painting the poop deck.
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Re: Shenandoah (1886): links, questions, comments, coordination, ...

Post by Randi »

Strange wording!
However I haven't managed to read it as anything else.
Usually when they have a drill the time for each group to react is recorded.
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Michael
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Re: Shenandoah (1886): links, questions, comments, coordination, ...

Post by Michael »

Maybe it was wishful thinking on the part of the log-writer. :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Shenandoah (1886): links, questions, comments, coordination, ...

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Randi wrote: Tue Apr 16, 2024 5:13 pm Strange wording!
However I haven't managed to read it as anything else.
Usually when they have a drill the time for each group to react is recorded.
You're quite right: they did record that list (labeled "Abandon Ship") on a small interleaved sheet. But that was on the next page of the scan, so I had a few thrilling moments where I thought perhaps something had happened.
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Re: Shenandoah (1886): links, questions, comments, coordination, ...

Post by Randi »

:lol:
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Re: Shenandoah (1886): links, questions, comments, coordination, ...

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Michael wrote: Tue Apr 16, 2024 10:16 pm Maybe it was wishful thinking on the part of the log-writer. :lol: :lol: :lol:
;)
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