Page 2. 
THE BLUE BONNET 
- &dita^iial' - 
ORIGINATOR OF PLAQUES 
ON QUARTERDECK 
ASKS FOR WINE 
The following letter was sent to the 
President of Congress in 1780: 
Gentlemen :- 
It is with great pleasure I under- 
stand my last device of a seal for the 
Board of Admiralty has met with 
your Honour’s approbation. I have 
with great readiness upon several 
occasions exerted my small abilities 
in this way for the public service; 
and, as I flatter myself, to the satis- 
faction of those I wish to please: 
viz 
The flag of the United States of 
America. 
4 devices for the Continental Cur- 
rency. 
A seal for the Board of Treasury. 
Ornaments, devices and checks for 
the new bills of exchange on Spain 
and Holland. 
A seal for the ship papers of the 
United States. 
A seal for the Board of Admiralty. 
The Boarders, Ornaments and 
Checks for the new Continental Cur- 
rency now in the press, - a work of 
considerable length. 
A great seal for the United States 
of America with a reverse. 
For these services I have as yet 
made no charge, nor received any 
recompense. I now submit it to your 
Honour’s consideration whether a 
quarter cast of the public wine, will 
not be a proper and a reasonable 
reward for these labours of fancy 
and a suitable encouragement to 
future exertions of the like nature. 
I sincerely hope your Honour’s will 
be of this opinion. I am with great 
respect 
Gentlemen 
Your very humble servant 
FRANCIS HOPKINSON. 
Editor’s Note- The original of the 
two bronze seals which now repose 
so commandingly on the catapult 
towers of our vessel is the seal for 
the Board of Admiralty mentioned 
in the foregoing letter. The latin 
inscription “Sustentans Et Sustenta- 
tus” on the bottom of the plaques 
means Sustain and Be Sustained. 
Thirteen stars and thirteen bars re- 
present the thirteen original states. 
- IN MEMORIAM - 
With deep regret it is our sad 
duty to announce the death of our 
good friend and shipmate. Ensign 
Stewart Schick, Jr., U.S.N. He 
passed away last Wednesday, 13th 
of July at the Mare Island Naval 
Hospital. 
“Stew"’ was with us when our 
ship went into the yard When 
we left he was not aboard Only 
a short siege of sickness — he an- 
swered the last call. 
He was born at Mt. Pocono, Pa. 
on December 31, 1916 From the 
Naval Academy Class of 1937 he 
reported aboard the HOUSTON 
June 17, 1937, served as “B”’ Div. 
officer and later as a Jr. Officer 
in the “F” Div. 
All hands truly regret the pass- 
ing of such a fine officer and ship- 
mate. 
VOX POPULI 
From all reports the songfest before 
the movies Friday night was a howl- 
ing success??? We wish to know 
what you think of the idea of having 
them every night. Do you like to 
serenade the F Division crane elec- 
trician and the movie operator? If 
so, what songs do you want to sing? 
If you have some favorites (besides 
Flat Foot Floosie) turn them in to 
the Chaplain. 
Dear Marie :- 
By tha time old Angus MacWheeL 
base slips this writin’ matter in yore 
mail box, this mighty ship of steel 
will be a tearin’ along threw tha 
briny at a fast gallop. They say 
we’re a huntin’ for ocean fish but 
I ’low it’ll take a heap of searchin’ 
to fill their skillets if tha moon’s 
not favorin’ fishin’. 
Fish are mighty funny critters. 
Sometimes a body’s gotta hide be- 
hind a tree to bait his hook, and 
again they don’t have nary a hank- 
erin’ for a sniff at tha hook. May- 
hap their hunger runs in spells. 
If these finnies were anything like 
my brother Alex we’d be pullin’ ’em 
in so fast tha ship would be a quiverin’ 
from stem to stern with their kickin’s. 
One night Alex bedded down with a 
feelin’ a gnawin’ at his vitals and a 
yearnin’ to eat a lotta vittles. Ma 
had clamped down on his supper ra- 
tions for tha day and held him to a 
kettleful of mush and a couple 
gallons of milk. He started havin’ 
dreams of food, him hankerin’ so 
much for a meal. Then tha cold ate 
into tha marrow of his bones, and 
he awoke to find tha top covers and 
half tha mattress gone. Pa alius 
said there’s more stomach to him than 
a penfull of fattenin’ barrows. 
Spose yore Pa’s havin’ trouble again 
with tha chinch bugs in tha upper 
forty. Better tell him to let tha 
chinch bugs take over. They’ll grow 
skinny and die anyway on tha kind 
of stuff he raises. 
Yore still causin’ my heart to act 
up and kick like an onery mule, Marie. 
Guess I’ll never be gettin’ over my 
bashfull ways, but tho my hands are 
a tremblin’ when I’m puttin’ out some 
writin’ matter to you it’s a heap a 
difference sittin’ beside you in tha 
old barrel stave hammock at home. 
Love 
: THE BLUE BONNET : — A weekly publication of the ship’s company of the 
U.S.S. Houston, Captain G* N. Barker, U.S.N., Commanding Officer and Commander C. A. Bailey, 
U.S.N., Executive Officer. 
Editor, Lieut, (jg) E. A. McDonald; Assistant Editor, Ensign J. P. M. Johnston; As- 
sociate Editor, Stefan Sivak, Jr., SKlc; Associate Editor, W. J. Bannen, Seale; Cartoonist 
W. C. Ridge, 
Gus. 
THE BLUE BONNET 
Page 3. 
nice to see that big smile again. We 
understood that Mr. Long is waiting 
for a ship for the trip to Manila, P. I. 
'I* 'k 'k 
I guess Ocko has said enough for 
this week, and most likely my part- 
ner in crime has a lot of things he 
wants to tell you about in that broad- 
cast of his, so So Long. 
Partridge, faithful log room Yeo- 
man has pulled one over on his ship- 
mates, but not quite fast enough to 
get past the sharp ears of one of 
Ocko’s best stooges. The lad went 
home on leave not long ago, and dur- 
ing the time he was home did a mid- 
die-aisle stunt and an “I do” at the 
front end of it with a Miss Chamber- 
lain of Barry, Vermont. Happy Days 
youngster, and best wishes. 
* * * * 
Saw Westfall, CSM, formerly on 
the Rambler Ship with the ScoFor 
flag, who is now on the MINNEAPO- 
LIS; he was on Shore Patrol in San 
Francisco and sent best wishes to 
all his friends and shipmates aboard 
here. 
H: * * * 
And that reminds us the ScoFor 
Band that was on the HOUSTON last 
spring is again with us for the dura- 
tion of the Presidential Cruise. The 
leader who was first class when they 
left us last is now wearing the 
“buttons” of a Bandmaster and we 
wish him the best. 
* * * * 
Well, from the number of GG’s 
seen in Oakland, Frisco and Vallejo 
the last two weeks it looks as if quite 
a few of them will write the good 
wife that they drew small stores this 
payday, and maybe she’ll believe it. 
* * * * 
Last week The Editor wrote on 
‘Noblesse Oblige’, and on Thursday 
afternoon we witnessed a striking 
example of just what he was talking 
about. On the fo’c’s’le a seaman’s 
flat hat blew off, rolled down the 
deck. An officer neatly speared it 
and returned the offending hat to the 
Owner, carried on with his duties 
without a flicker of an eyelash. 
* * * jj: 
Last Monday night was the even- 
ing when one of the HOUSTON’S 
recently departed officers came aboard 
for the evening. It was Lieut, (jg) 
E. C. Long and Mrs Long. Sure was 
NEW MOVIE MACHINES 
INSTALLED 
Two new machines were received 
aboard week ago last Friday. The 
electricians had to put out a lot of 
man hours for their installation. 
The machines are RCA Photophone, 
30 ampere arclight for the projector, 
and were made by the International 
Projector Corp„ New York. N. Y. 
A new slide projector has been pur- 
chased for the projection of songs on 
the screen, so that all hands may 
see and follow the music at the 
smokers of the future. Also a public 
address system, which may be set up 
in any part of the ship for smokers 
or any other occasion. This consists 
of two microphones and two loud 
speakers. 
Ship’s Welfare has purchased $20.00 
worth of new records, making a total 
of one hundred twenty pieces of re- 
corded music now on board. 
NAUTICAL QUESTION AIRE 
What is meant by the following? 
1. Rising. 
2. Sheer. 
3. Lazy-guy. 
4. Jury Rig. 
5. Bull the buoy. 
6. The buoy 
watches. 
7. In irons. 
8. Pooped. 
9. Gun deck. 
10. Sea lawyer. 
Answers will be found on Pg. 4 Col. 2 
(Continued from Pg. 1) 
DOMAIN OF NEPTUNUS REX 
And you, my royal entourage, and I, 
will enjoy the scourging of Those who 
dared to enter my Realm, unvouched 
for and unwelcomed. 
I, Neptunus Rex, Have Spoken. 
Eternal Archives of the Domain ! ! ! 
/ s / Davy Jones, 
Royal Scribe 
BATROBE 
Says Senor Deek, “My batrobe reek, 
I’ll send her to de laundry; 
She’s not so hot, she’s full of spot 
Just lak I work in foundry. 
Wen she is clean, she look dam keen 
An’ fill me wit emotion, 
I tell you wat, she best batrobe 
On whole Passeefeek Ocean”. 
In wan more week dis robe of Deek 
Report back to her station, 
She look just lak a gunny sack 
Wit highschool edjucation 
Deek’s face get rad for he get mad 
Wen he look at dis batrobe 
He say, “Gar, she’s shronk so far 
She no would fit a microbe”. 
But Deek’s a lad wat can’t stay mad. 
He say, “She’s now a wescut; 
I’ll wear her at de time of day 
Wen I eat tea and biscut, 
She don’t quite fit, but I tink it 
Is still a dam good notion; 
I tell you wat, she’s bes’ wescut 
On whole Passeefeek Ocean”. 
MANNING THE RAIL 
“Manning the rail and cheering 
ship is a very old custom. A man- 
uscript written by Dr. Roger Mar- 
becke in 1596, at the time of the 
English Cadiz Exposition, states, 
These hailings then are in this 
order. When after a day’s absence 
or more, as occasion serveth, they 
come near to the Lord Admiral, 
and yet not too near, but of such 
seasonable distance as they may 
not endanger themselves of going 
foul of one another; they presently 
man the ship and place every one 
of their companies both upon the 
upper and midd le deck and also 
upon the waist and shrouds and 
elsewhere to get the most advantage 
they can to make the bravest show 
and appear the greatest number. 
Then the masters and mates of the 
ships immediately join the sound- 
ing of their whistles in a pretty 
loud tunable manner, all the com- 
pany shaking their hands, hats and 
caps, give a marvelous shout, with 
as much mirth and rejoicing as 
they can, which consisting of so 
many loud, strong and variable voi- 
ces maketh such a sounding echo 
and pleasant report in the air, as 
delighteth very much, and this cer- 
emony is done three times inter- 
changeable answered by the Lord 
Admiral”. 
