The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-09-15
Rows at sea.

AT sea.
The United States sloop of-war St.
Marys, lent by the Government to the
Board Of Education of the city of New
York to be used as a nautical school
ship, has returned from her first practice
cruise to the Azores. The boys say
that they have had splendid time, that
they never felt better in their lives, and
that they want TO go again. 1t took
them only seventeen days to sail the YES
sci TO her destination, distance of 2, 074
miles; the gulf stream having been with
them from the day that they rounded
Montauk Point, on the 9Th of last month,
until they dropped anchor in the harbor
of Fayal.
Almost all of them got little sea-
sick, as the ST. Marys left the sound, so
that the ship was put under short sail;
but in day or two they recovered
themselves, and felt better for the dis.
comfort, which was not great enough to
keep them from their work. There
were lis of them, all told, one-half of
the number constantly on duty, and the
other half at leisure. Every day during
the voyage some of the former were at
work making knots, spices and bitches;
others parceling, worming and sewing
ropes others turning in dead eyes,
securing lanyards and rafting down rig
ging. Some were exercised in reefing
sails they climbed the masts almost
with the agility of eats, and obeyed
rapidly in succession such furious orders
as man the topgallant and royal clew-
lines, " haul taut, shorten sail, 81 man
the topsail clew-ines and weather
braces, round in weather braces, set
tie away topsail halliards, clew down."
"haul out reef tackles, haul taut
buntlines" after the execution of which
the sails were ready for reefing. Two
boys steered, one of them at each side
of the wheel, where he could see COM
pass T; another was stationed aloft on
the lookout others were changing the
positions of the sails.
Early In the morning, on such
cruise, they are all engaged in cleaning
the upper deck. They get coffee and
hard bread at half past four; coffee,
bread, butter hominy, and some kind
of hash at half past seven; bean soup,
pork, beans, potatoes, onions and bread
at IL o'clock; and tea, bread and some
times cold meat at half past five o'clock.
Over and above this regular diet, they
are often allowed molasses and hard
bread, the latter of which they pound
into powder and mix with the former,
baking the compound, which is then
called "dunderfunk"- name whose
precise signitication and origin it would
tax even the American Pathological So
ciety to discover.
One half of the boys work for four
hours, then the other half take hold,
and so they interchange their labors
during the day. The boys off duty
are allowed to amuse themselves
almost as they please. There
is a capital upright pianoforte
on board, and number of
pretty good players and singers. Music
and dancing are interspersed with the
telling OF yarns-an accomplishment in
which sailor of course naturally excels.
On Sunday they sing hymns and hear
chapter in the Bible read by one Of the
officers. A well. stocked library given
by the New York publishers has afforded
them both instruction and amusement.
They are also encouraged to study navi-
cation, branch of science not contem.
plated in the original provision made by
the board. The officers find that their
pupils are anxious to fit themselves to
rise rapidly in the merchant service, and
that they greatly enjoy learning how to
handle a ship, how to determine the
amount of sail that'she should carry, how
to reckon her latitude and lon itude,
how to shape her course so as to get her
in the right winds, how to shorten her
passage by taking advantage of local
currents, and in general how to become
accomplished officers as well as compe-
ent seamen.
From seven to eight o'clock in the
evening, just before dark. they place the
st. Marys under short sail for the night,
furling the royals, taking one reef in the
topsails, and setting the topgaIlant sails
over the topsails. IL the wind is high
they ease her still further by taking in
the topgallant sail altogether. They
steered her to the Azores without help,
seaman having stood by in case of
need.
So they came to their desired haven
on the morning of the Odd of July,
dropping anchor in nineteen fathoms of
water in the port of Horta, island of
Fayal. This island is of volcanic forma-
ton, with PERCEPTIONS boundaries and
well-defined landmarks. The inhabit-
ants, who speak Portuguese ard owe al
legiance to the Court at Lisbon, are
extremely poor, earning their living
principally by making mats, laces and
basket work. They are sturdy and indus
trious, but their labor is to little profit.
The grape and potato crop, usually the
chief agricultural resource of the coun-
try. has been greatly lessened this year
by the ravages of bugs (; and the people