Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-04-05

a voyage from California to Washington in {
government vessel. given in private letters Il
a friend of the writer residing in this city,
Ed. F. p. 4 IT.
GU S s. PORTSMOUTH,
tSea, Nov. Oath, 1877.
We have been a month at sea- On the af
4 ternoon of the oath of October, at San Fran
CISCO the word was passed in stentorian tones
by the boatswains mates "All hands W
anchor for home" and the rapidity with
which the anchor came out of the mud was q
caution. We soon passed out of the Golden
Gate and were on the wide Pacific.
We were fortunate IN getting fair winds
and every day brought us further South and
into warmer weather. On the llth oil NO
vember we were within a few miles of the
equator without having seen a sail or had an
enlivening incident to break the monotony.
You have read in books, how Neptune,
the King of the ocean, comes on board ships
about to cross the equator. and initiates all
the green-horns into the mysteries necessary
in order to become his subjects, and to OBJ
tain the right to cross his domains.
The farce (or whatever it may be called)
was acted on board this ship. The charac-
| tiers are OF course all taken by the old sailors,
and are very simple to those who, are initiR-
| ted, but to the poor ereenhorn, the whole
proceeding is wonderful and appalling.
Shortly after dusk on the l1th tremendous
noise of spashing of water, blowing of
trumpets, etc, was heard, apparently from
the ocean, and few rods in advance OF the
ship. The following conversation cnsued
| (Noice from the ocean. ship aho y!
| ANSWER from officer of the deck. Hal
loo -
Voice from the ocean. What ship is
that ?"
(Officer of deck).-"U. S. S. Portsmouth,
bound for Washington"
Voice from ocean. )-"Heaye to, while
come on board"
The ship was at once stopped. and an in
dividual climbed up over the side of the ship,
and came on board. He was dripping with
water, and dressed liz the costume supposed
to be peculiar to the inhabitants of the
mighty deep. He asked to see the Captain,
and was conducted to the quarterback,
| where that parsonage awaited him. He then
announced himself as messenger from King
Neptune, and said that he was instructed by
his lord and master TO present his best com
pliments to our Captain, and to state. that
His Majesty, accompanied by his noble
| Queen and his suite. would visit the ship on
the following day at / p. M, when he hoped
| every preparation would be made to receive
him. After partaking of glass of wine with
| the Captain the messenger went forward and
| disappeared in the bow of the ship.
| Early the next morning preparations for
the great event of the day commenced A
pond of water was formed on the upper deck,
by pumping water into tarpaulins arranged
for that purpose. This pond was about
twenty feet round and four feet deep. Over
the pond staging was constructed and hose
pipes were arranged to throw water on any
| part of the deck. Buckets of water were
| placed so as to be handy and a screen was
drawn across the fore part of the deck to
make a dressing room for the principal char
acters.
At one o oclock King Neptune came on board.
He and his Queen (Amphitrite) were drawn
in chariot by two bears. Neptune was ra-
diant with his crown and trident. The char
lot was followed by His Majestys suite. which
consisted of Recorder. Doctor, a Barber.
a BARRIERS apprentice, and q platoon OF
policemen.
The Doctor was an elderly gentleman with
an immense pair of goggles over his nose, |
and wore a watch as big as a dinner plate. |
He carried in his hand a case, containing a
number OF bottles labelled Poison, '1pe |
cac." .'Rhubarb, smelling Salts" etc. He |
also hal. n nun ber of surgical Instruments, |
the sight of which would strike terror to the |
heart of the bravest. The barber was a |
frishtful looking wretch and carried on his |
shoulder huge wooden razor, the blade of
which was about five feet long. The edge of
this somewhat resembled the edge of a saw.
The BARRIERS apprentice assisted by police
MANI carried a washtub full of lather, and
large white-wash brush for shaving brush.
This lather was composed of ,Udter, flour,
mOldsseS and TAR The Recorder bore n
large book labelled ''Neptune's Log" and
was the most respectable looking person of
the party. The policemen were armed with
heavy clubs.
The procession proceeded to the quarter
deck, where the Captain and all the officers
were assembled. After AN interchange OF
compliments between His Majesty and the
Captain, King Neptune stated that he was
informed that there were several persons on
board who had never before entered his do
MAINS, ana that the ship could not proceed
on her voyage until these tpersons had paid
their tribute to him, or undergone the ordeal
necessary TO become his loyal subjects The
Captain replied by transferring the command
of the vessel to Neptune while he should re-
main on board.
The party now left the quarter deck and
took their several stations Neptune and his
Queen were seated on a throne on the staging
over the pond, :attended by the barber and
his apprentice. the recorder and doctor. The
bears and two policemen went INTO the pond
and the rest of the policemen awaited the
orders OF the King
We have several young officers on board
who had never before crossed the line. These
were all iarrested and brought before the
King but were released upon the payment Of
a heavy fine (of bottles OF wine and beer. |
after which each man Of the crew WAS called
before the Recorder and either obliged to
prove that he had previously crossed the
equator or be initiated.
The modes of initiation vary somewhat, |
but one case will illustrate all The victim
is escorted by the policeman to the BARRIERS
chair on the staging over the pond. Nep-
tune orders the doctor to examine lim, and
see if he is strong enough to undergo what
is before him The doctor adjusts his gog
giles takes out his mammoth watch, and feels
the pnlse of the novice. He then reports to
the King that the man is not ray well, but
thinks one of his pills will fix him all right.
He then extracts from his pill box, pill
about as big as a walnut and Grams it into
the man S mouth, telling him to chew it well
before swallowing it. The pill is made OF
cayenne pepper mustard and bread, and you ,
can imagine the emotions OF the patient.
The doctor appears frightened and afraid
that his patient is going to faint He there
fore jams his bottle Of smelling salts TO the
mans nose The stopper of this bottle of I
smelling salts is filled full of needles, with /
the points sticking upwards, that the | {
mans nose is pricked most numerically. {
By this time the poor victim is in 4 state bor- {
dering on distraction, and the doctor reports
to Neptune that he is in crceleit hedlh, and
able to undergo the process of shaving. He !
now passes into the hands Of the barber. {
That individual kindly asks him chow old .
are yous" and when he opens his mouth to
reply, the shaving brush. dripping with lath-
er. is suddenly poked square into his mouth {
and he is nearly choked with lather. The
BARRIERS apprentice now lathers his face,
hair ears and neck, until his head looks like
the snow-capped summit of mountain, and
the barber shaves him with the heart rending
rnZor, before mentioned.
In the midst of shaving and without mo-
ment's warning, he is thrown out of the bar
ber's chair. headfirst into the pond below. {
The bears al once seize and hold him under {
water until he is half strangled. and when he I
as allowed to come to the surface, and to | {
stand up on his feet, four or five hose pipes | {
are directed at his face and body. The force
of these streams knocks him down into the
wa ter, and he is again ducked by the bears,
after which he is allowed to 90 in peace, and
looking very much used up. He IS shared and |
lraShed, and Neptune is satisfied
The whole thing is very rough and only
sport to the lookers-on. The poor victims I
find il anything but sport About thirty in | I
all were shaved. escaped, having crossed
the line four times before this but, like |
every one else. was wet through with the
water which was flying about in evory direc- I
ton
1t is a very old custom, and one which is
now fast dying out. In a few years l pre-
sumo it will be unknown. This is the first |
time | ever saw it done, although, as I said I
before, had crossed the line four times pre- &
viously. {
December LIST. This evening an accident I
happened which shows the peril of his life ,
in which the sailor always stands This eve
ming six men were in one fthe boats suspend
ed over the ships side doing some work, when {
suddenly the lashings gave away, and boat
and men were thrown into the ocean The
boat was broken in two, and filled with I
water. The men (who, luckily, were not /
much hurt by their inlll drifted astern. An c
other boat WAS lowered, hfe-preseryers and c